watchOS 10: Widgets, Home Screen redesign, changes in core apps, etc.

Everything about Apple’s watchOS 10 update, including a redesigned Home Screen, iPhone-widgets, changes in core apps to accommodate bigger displays, etc.

Apple announced the major watchOS 10 update during the June 5 WWDC23 keynote talk alongside iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, tvOS 17 and macOS 14.

watchOS 10 remakes the Apple Watch’s user interface and includes iPhone-like widgets for glancing at snippets of information without opening apps.

watchOS 10 brings many other changes, under-the-hood tweaks and improvements that will make your Apple Watch feel like new again. We’ve rounded up all the key features in watchOS 10, including widgets, changes in apps and so on.

watchOS 10: Key features

  • Widgets: Glances are back, kinda! The original Apple Watch shipped with a feature Apple later stripped away, called Glances, that was like widgets. watchOS 10 brings back widgets to your Apple wearable device. Just turn the Digital Crown on your watch face to bring up your widgets. Like with iOS and iPadOS 17, widgets in watchOS 10 are interactive so you can tap to perform a predefined action without launching the app.
  • App redesigns: Across watchOS 10, many core apps have been revamped to take advantage of the bigger displays on the Apple Watch Ultra and other models. This includes new full screen views, edge icons and other tricks, and these enhancements are available to developers to integrate in their apps.
  • New watch faces: WatchOS 10 brings two new watch faces, dubbed Palette and Snoopy and Woodstock.
  • Fitness: watchOS 10 brings new features to keep cyclists active. watchOS 10 connects to Bluetooth bike sensors so you can get readouts of your cadence, power and more. Cycling workouts from your Apple Watch now automatically show up as a live activity on your iPhone’s Lock Screen that can be expanded fullscreen!
  • Compas and Maps: Compass in watchPS 10 will automatically create two new waypoints for your, one denoting the last time you had a cellular connection and another one where along hour route you can make an emergency call. A new elevation view lets you see your saved waypoints in 3D view. The Maps app includes new trail views, starting in the US, with rich metadata.
  • Mental health: Mental health is a brand new feature in watchOS 10. To improve your wellbeing, you can log your emotion in the Mindfulness app. You can just turn the Digital Crown to choose from pre-populated choices, or use your iPhone to log your state of mind in detail right in the Health app.
  • Vision health: watchOS 10 includes features designed to help with the reduction of myopia. The Apple Watch can use its sensors to measure ambient and outdoor light. A new feature called Screen Distance uses your iPhone’s TrueDepth camera to sense if you’re keeping your device too close for a period of time.

To learn more about watchOS 10, visit Apple’s website or iDB’s archive.