Apple Watch gets support for automatic sleep tracking with watchOS 11
Apple’s watchOS 11 update for the company’s recent Apple Watch models will bring new features to improve the user experience, the company announced Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. Now, a user has spotted a feature that Apple didn’t show off at WWDC but that will come to Apple Watch later this year when the update arrives. It’s also confirmed that the Smart Stack app will get a dedicated Shazam widget, allowing users to quickly search for currently playing songs.
New features on Apple Watch
According to a after On X (formerly Twitter) by Max Weinbach, automatic sleep tracking is rolling out to the Apple Watch with the watchOS 11 update. Currently, Apple’s smartwatch doesn’t monitor sleep until Sleep Focus mode is enabled.
With watchOS 11, Apple’s smartwatches will automatically track the user’s sleep cycle, regardless of the device’s mode, Weinbach says.
The Apple Watch allows users to track their sleep cycle and set schedules to help them achieve their goals. It also claims to provide an estimated amount of time a user spends in each sleep stage: REM sleep, core sleep, and deep sleep.
Apple is also bringing a new Shazam widget to Smart Stack — a set of widgets that are available to users based on time, location, and activity, and can be accessed from any watch face.
While Shazam was already available in the App Store and accessible via Siri, watchOS 11 is said to bring the feature to the Smart Stack as well, potentially making it even faster to find currently playing music.
Apple say In addition to Shazam, the company is also introducing other widgets for Smart Stack, such as Translate, Distance, Photos, severe weather alerts, and Live Activities.
watchOS 11 compatibility
According to Apple, watchOS 11 will be available on Apple Watch Series 6 or later, paired with iPhone XR or later models running iOS 18. A developer beta of watchOS 11 is already rolling out and is accessible through the Apple Developer Program.
