These watchOS 11 features will make me fall in love with my Apple Watch all over again

Apple announced a bunch of new updates across its various operating systems at WWDC 2024, and needless to say, we can’t wait to try them out. While the personalisation features and Apple Intelligence stole the limelight, one small announcement seems to have gone below the radar.

I’m talking about the updates to the activity rings and goals on watchOS 11. Among the more glamorous announcements, this update to the fitness app on an Apple Watch may not seem like a big deal. But as a Watch user, this is a feature that’s been on my wish list for a long time, and it might just make me fall in love with my smartwatch all over again.

watchOS 11 Activity ring updates

Among the various updates, Apple is bringing the ability to set new daily goals for you to achieve, and more importantly, take a rest day. Currently, the fitness app lets you set weekly goals and then shows you a summary of your achievements at the end of the week. With watchOS 11, users will now be able to set different goals for different days of the week.

The other new feature will allow users to take a rest day. So, on your recovery day or if you were to fall ill, you can ‘pause’ the Activity rings, and this will not break your streak. Here’s why these two new features are important.

All about competition and streaks

As someone who likes to monitor their fitness and other vitals, the Apple Watch never leaves my side. It’s equally addictive to close all three Activity rings, which brings in a sense of accomplishment, akin to completing a difficult workout in the gym. It is also for this reason that I’ve created a community of friends who notify each other about their workouts and compete to close their rings every day.

But in reality, closing all three rings everyday is easier said than done. There are days when I need to take a day off for my body to recover from a heavy workout. At other times, I’ve fallen sick and unable to do even the most basic of activities. Either of them has resulted in my Activity rings suffering (and me of course).

For such scenarios, the pause feature comes as a boon. On recovery or sick days, it will now be possible to take a pause without losing the streak. The ring completion activities can resume as soon as I’ve recovered.

Similarly, in these hectic times, it is not always possible to get a proper workout each day. Some days a quick cardio or a brisk walk is all that I can manage before heading for work. On these days, the Watch invariably guilt trips you by telling you to show some love to the Activity rings.

With watchOS 11, I will be able to set different goals for each day of the week. And this can be managed basis how much time I usually have on those days. This way, my activity rings will get the love they crave, and my trainer will be happy.

These may not come across as revolutionary updates, but as an Apple smartwatch user, it will certainly help on my fitness journey.

watchOS 11 updates roundup

Apart from the aforementioned features, there are a few more updates coming to the Apple Watch courtesy of watchOS 11. These include Training Load, which takes into consideration the intensity and duration of workouts and gives an ‘effort rating’. Over a longer period, this also reflects on your health trends.

ALSO READ: Top iOS 18 features we can’t wait to use

Just like the larger iOS 18 update, the fitness app also gets some customisation options. You’ll soon be able to add widgets on the Summary tab to get a better sense of the health metrics.

Also incoming is a new Vitals app, which gives you an overview at your vital health metrics. These include heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen.

Other new features include an updated Cycle tracking aimed at pregnant users, Live Activities, updated Double Tap, and more.