watchOS 10 is expected to be unveiled next month, at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. Ahead of the upcoming update for eligible Apple Watch models, details of changes to the operating system for its smartwatches have surfaced online. The Cupertino company is said to introduce an interface with widget-focussed design, showing as much information as possible without requiring a user to navigate using the small display. Until now, watchOS has offered a design similar to iOS, with information tucked away in different parts of the interface.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman states in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter that the watchOS 10 update will bring some of the biggest changes to the watch lineup since the first version of the operating system was introduced in 2015. The interface will be inspired by Apple’s widgets introduced on iOS 14, allowing users to get information as quickly as possible.
The first-generation Apple Watch that made its debut in 2015 featured a widgets interface called Glances. In our review of the smartwatch, we noted that Glances were like iOS’ Notification Centre widgets, allowing you to tap once to open the app and access additional information. You could also quickly check the weather and control music playback without having to dig through the interface for these applications.
Gurman states that Apple will introduce an interface that is based on Apple’s Glances system from the first-generation Apple Watch that was dropped in favour of a Home Screen and app-centric approach that worked with the company’s Digital Crown for easy navigation. It will also function in a manner similar to Apple’s widgets system introduced on iOS 14, which allows users to stack several widgets on the Home Screen to conserve space and scroll through them.
However, the change to the user interface on watchOS 10 might be so wide ranging that Gurman says Apple could make it opt-in for users. The company is also considering modifying the Digital Crown’s functionality to surface the widget-focussed interface from the watch face, instead of navigating to the Home Screen.
watchOS 10 is expected to be unveiled by the company at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference that begins on June 5. The company is expected to unveil iOS 17, macOS 14, iPadOS 17, and tvOS 17 at the event. Apple is also planning to unveil its first mixed reality headset that could be called Reality Pro, at WWDC 2023, according to a report.