watchOS 4 Beta 8 Released Ahead Of Apple Watch Series 3 Launch

Apple has released a new pre-release version of the upcoming watchOS 4 operating system for its smartwatches including the highly anticipated Apple Watch Series 3. The eighth beta version of the software is currently being rolled out to developers as well as public beta testers.

On Monday, Apple released watchOS 4 beta 8, the latest update in the series of betas for the Cupertino giant’s smartwatches. The rollout comes just a week after the seventh beta arrived and around two months since Tim Cook’s company announced watchOS 4 during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference, as per MacRumors.

Based on what the previous betas have outed thus far, the new operating system for the Apple Watch series will come with new watch faces including one that’s a dedicated Siri watch face. The Siri watch face is expected to be the main new feature of the OS considering that it will be displaying dynamic information based on the user’s activities and preferences.

Apple has also tweaked the Workout app for its smartwatch and smartphone. Pre-release software have leaked that the updated app will support High Intensity Interval Training and new swimming options. iHelp BR has uncovered a host of new icons in the Workout app after doing some digging within the iOS 11 developer beta. Although the discovery was made in the iOS 11 beta, Apple is expected to implement the same thing in watchOS 4.

Based on the leaked icons, the Workout app will be supporting several activities including badminton, baseball, surfing, snow sports, pilates, paddle sports, kickboxing, jump rope, lacrosse, golf, fishing, downhill skiing, dance, cross training, core training, cricket, bowling, climbing and equestrian sports among many others, The Verge has learned.

Apple is also believed to be making changes to Now Playing and Apple News. There’s also a new technology platform called GymKit that will allow the Apple Watch to interface with supported gym equipment for accurate data sharing and tracking. New monthly activity challenges will be added to the Activity app along with new intelligent coaching and encouragement features. Small tweaks and modifications will also be implemented overall.

Developers can download watchOS 4 beta 8 from the Apple Developer Center. They can download the software using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone once the proper configuration profile for testing devices are installed. Installation requires at least 50 percent battery.

Apple is reportedly preparing for the launch of the Apple Watch Series 3, which is set to happen this September. The new smartwatch iteration will be unveiled alongside the new iPhones — iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus — and an upgraded Apple TV that delivers 4K resolution, according to Investor Place.

Meanwhile, due to some circumstances, Apple is believed to launch the new 10th anniversary iPhone, dubbed as iPhone 8, either in October or November. Apple initially wanted to implement a display-embedded fingerprint sensor on the next flagship iPhone. Unfortunately, the plan fell through. The same thing happened to Samsung, who also tried to come up with a display-embedded fingerprint scanner for both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8 phablet.