Apple on Monday previewed watchOS 11, its upcoming major update to its Apple Watch operating system. The new operating system brings several new features, including new health and workout features, new Activity Rings features, and much more.
Perhaps the biggest new feature in watchOS 11 is the new Vitals app, which allows users to quickly view several key health metrics and gain better context when it comes to their health. Apple Watch measures important health metrics during sleep: heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen. Users can now check in on their daily health status while also exploring noteworthy metrics at a glance, easily seeing when they are out of a user’s typical range. When two or more metrics are out of their typical range, users can receive a notification, as well as a message detailing how the changes in these specific metrics may be linked to other aspects of their life, such as elevation changes, alcohol consumption, or even illness.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? But, will your current Apple Watch be able to handle all of watchOS 11’s new features? Will it be able to run watchOS 11 at all?
watchOS 11 requires iPhone Xs or later with iOS 18 and one of the following Apple Watch models:
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch Series 9
- Apple Watch Ultra
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
Not all features are available on all devices.
As you can see, it’s not good news for owners of the Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5, and first-generation Apple Watch SE. However, those models had a good run.
