INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
know so far about the Apple Watch's next big software upgrade followed by what we want to see from watchOS 5.Cut to the chaseWhat is it The
next version of Apple's smartwatch operating systemWhen is it out Probably announced at WWDC on June 4, released September 2018What will it
cost It will be a free updateApple watchOS 5 release dateBased on past form, watchOS 5 will almost certainly be announced at WWDC 2018,
which is now set for June 4 until June 8 this year
That's today, so we're expecting to hear the first details on watchOS 5 later.Then, following beta tests, it should arrive in finished form
on all compatible watches later in the year, probably in September
That's around the same time rumors point the Apple Watch 4 launching too.Apple watchOS 5 news and rumorsSo far not much of anything is known
It's all thanks to Apple's rumored StreamKit framework.If it comes to fruition in the Apple Watch 3, it would not just give Apple Watch
users another native music streaming application, but it might very well be the first app to enable streaming without the need to carry your
XThat will need specific hardware to be able to do use your face to unlock your watch - so you won't be able to do this on your existing
Apple Watch - but we may see new Face ID based upgrades in the software for watchOS 5.The potential bad news for watchOS 5 is that you'll
see a lot less Apple Watch apps in the Apple App Store.Apple wants to encourage developers to base apps on the latest version of the watchOS
SDK (software development kit) so is stopping compatibility for those built on the original SDK for Apple Watch.That's why Instagram
recently dropped support for its app, and if more developers don't update to the new SDK soon it may mean we lose some of the best apps on
We won't know if this is happening for certain until watchOS 5 drops, but it's looking likely right now.One report from 9To5Mac found code
in watchOS 4.3.2 that suggests the company wants to open up its watch faces to allow third party developers to make customized looks for you
is readying support for third party developers.What we want to seeWe might not know much about watchOS 5 yet, but we know what we want from
The following things top our list:1
Third-party watch facesApple watchOS 4 has some good watch faces, but it needs far more.There are plenty of different ways to customize the
are limited to a handful of official ones
5, so that users will quickly have hundreds or thousands to choose from.2
Improved on-watch settingsThe Apple Watch 3 LTE should be a truly phone-free smartwatch, but even that model requires you to head to the
customizable directly from the Apple Watch itself as part of the next major software update.3
Always-on faceThe least we expect from a watch is to always be able to see the time.An always-on watch face is sure to drain the battery
always-on display that simply shows the time.Done that way the hit on the battery might not be too extreme, and the Apple Watch 3 with its
fairly lengthy life could probably survive a day of display.4
Software optimizationsApps will often open slowly on the Apple Watch, treating you to a spinning icon before they load
This is true even on the Apple Watch 3 and is something we want to see an end of.Much of the issue will probably be hardware related, but
further software optimizations as part of watchOS 5 could make a difference too.5
Both of these things really need to be worked on for watchOS 5 so that Siri becomes a reliable way of interacting with your watch.6
Customizable Control CenterControl Center on the Apple Watch could learn from its iOS counterpart.iOS now gives you some amount of say in
swiping and tapping than absolutely necessary.7
More and better appsApple watchOS has a fair few apps at this point, but it still lags way behind iOS, and many of the apps are very limited
handful.Of course, making truly good apps for a screen this size is sure to be a challenge, but if the Apple Watch ever hopes to become more
can work with key developers to have new and improved apps ready for the next big software update then that could give it something to shout
Android supportThis is at once the least likely of our wishes and the one we want most
Making watchOS play nice with Android phones would make the Apple Watch a viable choice for millions more people.Not only that, it would
give existing owners and anyone considering a purchase the peace of mind that their expensive watch will be usable no matter what phone they
Apple understandably will be wanting to keep people within iOS, but if it wants to increase its already sizeable share of the smartwatch
