6 things I want from watchOS 6
It is that time of the year again — we can walk out of home without worrying about whether we’ll come back with a frostbite and the dates for WWDC 2019 came out last week. While I’m usually confused between the Pixel or the iPhone as the best phone for me, I’m an unabashed fan of the Apple Watch. I got into wearables in early 2015 and after brief stints with the Mi Band, a Pebble and the Fitbit Alta settled onto Apple Watch and have never looked back. I did look sideways last year when I tested the Samsung Gear Sport, the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro, the Garmin Vivosport, and the Fitbit Versa — spoiler alert: I always came back to the Apple Watch, it’s just that good! In fact, the Apple Watch is the main reason I used an iPhone till now (I’m figuring out a way to get away from that — will tell you about it later).
So, ya, I’m really excited about what the future holds for the Apple Watch. I love filling the Activity Rings and work towards (hopefully) becoming fitter, and the convenience of Apple Pay on my wrist, among other things. I’m really excited to see what Apple’s vision for the future of one of my favourite products is, come June. Like any fanboy, there are a few things that I, selfishly, would want my Apple Watch to do (or do better) when watchOS enters the second half of its first decade. And I’d like to believe I’m not asking for much. So, Kevin and Jeff, if you are reading this, please prioritize these features over anything you might have cooking for watchOS 6.
Independence from the iPhone
This is a big one (and one I’m not sure will happen in the short-term — or ever). Also, this is the one I want the most for selfish reasons (so that I can use Pixel 3 as my phone without any compromises). It is time the Apple Watch grew up and left the iPhone’s hand and learnt to walk on its own. I know cellular versions of the Apple Watch can help with this right now but that leads to crappy battery-life. Battery-life, in addition to Apple not wanting people to leave iPhones, might be the biggest hurdles in making this happen. But, well, a boy can dream, right?!
Daily/Weekly Activity challenges
I’m not proud of how I’ve fallen off the fitness-bandwagon lately. I used to be crazy about filling my rings everyday but lately, they haven’t seen much love. Competitions in watchOS 5 haven’t been as big a game-changer for me as I expected them to be. I’d love to have daily or at least weekly challenges to look forward to and I’m sure they will go a long way in helping me close my precious rings everyday.
Ability to edit workouts
I don’t know why but if I run on a treadmill, there is a huge disparity between the data my Apple Watch records and the data I see at the end of the run on the treadmill’s screen. I care about the sanctity of the data I record (to check my progress and see if I’m getting better) and I find not being to edit my workout after the fact annoying. I use Nike Running Club right now which lets me edit my runs afterwards but that is on the phone and I find the process convoluted. Also, activities from apps other than Apple’s Workouts don’t count towards some those Activity badges I love. Being able to edit a few stats on the watch at the end of my workout would be a game-changer.
More watchfaces
Of course, I want more watchfaces. The Activity analog face is my favourite because it puts the focus on my Activity Rings. But, I’d love to have some complications on such a face which show more data than the ones right now. Also, like everyone has been asking for for years now, please give us third-party watchfaces.
My smartwatch use now is more focussed on fitness than notifications and connectivity (lately, I have realized that maybe it isn’t the best idea for my focus and attention-span to be bombarded with notifications on my wrist). Hence, what I want my Apple Watch to do (and to do better) is more fitness-focussed. I think the Apple Watch (at least for me) is most of the way there. These are the 4 things (big and small) that I want it to do in the new iteration of watchOS and hope my wants line with the direction Apple wants to take my favourite product in.
