watchOS 6 Adds an App Store, Expands Health Tracking

Originally published at: https://tidbits.com/2019/06/03/watchos-6-adds-an-app-store-expands-health-tracking/

With watchOS 6, Apple has made the Apple Watch more self-reliant and more versatile. It gains an App Store with a library of apps that are, in some cases, iPhone-independent. As a health device, it helps protect users’ hearing and assists women in their menstrual and fertility tracking.

Since Apple has stopped supporting my  Watch, I’ll just go back to my 1972 Seiko.

I’m impressed that you’re still getting updates to the Seiko after all these years! :wink:

:rofl: That’s just it - there is no reason for updates! Just a periodic cleaning at the local jewelers.

I’ve tried several digital watches over the years; they all eventually died while the Seiko just chugged along. I had a Helium Bluetooth wrist band that connected to my iPhone for calls but replaced it with the  Watch several months after it came out. What concerns me is Apple will soon release an update to iphoneOS that will block iPhones from using the  Watch to handle phone calls since it only supports hardware for 7 years or less. It isn’t worth it to spend about $600 every few years (I can only wear stainless steel watches and bands as all others cause bad reactions).

My comment was merely meant to point out that an Apple Watch that isn’t receiving updates is essentially the same as a watch that never got updates to start. :slight_smile:

My suspicion is that Apple will ensure that iPhones continue to communicate with original Apple Watches indefinitely. Maintaining that communication channel isn’t going to be hard.

I think the main limiting factor on the Apple Watch is going to be the battery. Apple may stop providing service but at $79 for a battery replacement, I suspect that it will be relatively easy to get independent shops to do it. iFixIt sells the batteries for $25.

If you customize the Gay Pride watch face, you can choose to have it match last year’s Gay Pride band, or the previous year’s Gay Pride band. Also, there’s a second Gay Pride watch face, with the colors in concentric circles.

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And they’re nicely animated. I wish they extended that experience to other faces.

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I updated to watchOS 6.0 at the same time I updated my iOS devices to 13.1.1. I have noticed that during the day my AW3 becomes locked (i.e. blue status dot and need to re-enter the passcode). I have not changed the way that I wear the watch (i.e. the band is not loose).
I have found some 4 year old advice on Apple Discussions about disabling then re-enabling the passcode on the watch and have just tried this. I will see if I encounter the problem during the day. This procedure is a nuisance because I then have to add my credit card back into Applepay on the watch.