Apple WatchOS 6 Could Make Series 5 Truly Independent From iPhone

Apple has big plans for its wearable products, particularly the Apple Watch Series 5 that’s said to be coming this September.

The Cupertino giant is expected to make a big shift towards health gadgets and compete against established brands. The Apple Watch Series 5 is expected to feature major health functions apart from the existing ECG and heart rate monitor. This includes sleep tracking, blood pressure monitoring and even blood sugar level monitoring use.

Now to do this, Apple would need a powerful OS as a solid foundation of all the rumored health functions of the new Apple Watch. And according to a report, the Apple watchOS 6 might be the operating system that the Cupertino company is waiting for to establish the health features of its next smartwatch.

The Apple watchOS 6 is expected to make its debut this June at the Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference and would be available in Beta form for developers in the beginning. The final version would be ready for download and update in the coming Fall, which means the launch could coincide with the upcoming Apple Watch Series 5.

According to Forbes, the significance of the new OS is monumental because it could play a major role in making the next Apple smartwatch independent from the iPhone. The software is said to come with a separate Apple Store so users can download apps directly without downloading first on one’s iPhone.

This is crucial, especially if Apple aims to capture health buffs or possible customers who can benefit from the smartwatch’s health features who are not using an iPhone. There are no final indications that this will truly be available for most Apple watch models but it would be a powerful update in case it’s true.

Apart from the Apple Watch store, the watchOS 6 could also bring some groundbreaking health functions including sleep tracking, which means the feature could become available not only in the next variant of the smartwatch but in older models (except the Series 1) as well. The watchOS 6 could also prove to be female-friendly as it can support health functions such as period tracking and a way for women to remind them if it’s time to take important pills such as fertility medicine.

The next OS could also mean the introduction of Apple Books in the next smartwatch. Of course, this doesn’t mean being able to read using the watch, which would be very difficult, but being able to listen to one’s favorite audiobooks.

New watch faces, including one with supposed customizable Siri functions, might also be made available courtesy of the next operating system. Other watch faces include Gradient which would allow users to choose a color and the OS would create a gradient using that as part of the display. Another is the Jumbo Clock which creates a watch face that replicates a sundial to create a very interesting design.

We still have a few weeks to go before the Apple watchOS 6 release but considering the rumored features, it seems the new updates will be very exciting.