watchOS 4 Features: Next Apple Watch Can Track More Types of Workouts Soon
In the coming months, Apple Watch owners are expected to receive the watchOS 4 update. They now have more reasons to be excited about the software product after it was discovered that it will let users track more types of workouts.
The latest beta update for iOS 11 does not just come with software changes because hidden in its codes were clues on what new features to expect from the watchOS 4.
According to the news source iHelp BR, the latest iOS 11 internal files and codes contain a bunch of icons for the Apple Watch. A lot of the images pertain to sports and workouts that are not yet supported or tracked by Apple Watch.
The same report speculates that the additional support for more sports and workouts is possibly exclusive to the upcoming Apple Watch product that could be unveiled in September alongside the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s and 7s Plus.
It is important to note that tracking exercise and sports activities are done not only with a software update, it also requires sensors being built into the smartwatch.
Currently, the Apple Watch Series 2 is able to track limited types of fitness-related activities. It can primarily monitor running and walking distances, swimming, hiking, as well as monitor the owner's heart rate. It is also famous for its native activity app that is composed of the Stand, Move and Exercise rings. They fill up every day based on how much the owner has moved or stayed put.
The files and codes found on the iOS 11 beta showed that the watchOS 4 can support a lot of new sports and fitness activities like badminton, baseball, step training, sailing, skating, Pilates, kickboxing, jump rope, lacrosse, golf, equestrian, fishing, skiing, dancing, core training, cricket, bowling, fencing, and more.
The dynamics of these sports and fitness activities are widely distinct. This means that Apple will have to come up with a type of sensor that can cover all the sports listed if the icons found on the iOS 11 accurately represent all the supported sports by watchOS 4 on the next generation of the Apple Watch.