Over-the-ear AirPods, more new Apple Watch features found hidden in iOS 14
Yesterday we passed along some information about a new feature for the Apple Watch that 9to5Mac was able to find hidden in some iOS 14 code that it had the opportunity to look at. That new feature is a monitor that keeps track of a user's oxygen saturation level. A reading of 95% to 100% is normal while one under 80% could be a sign that a brain or a heart problem is brewing.
Today, 9to5Mac had some more information about the upcoming Apple Watch and the next version of watchOS. An early version of iOS 14 code reveals that Apple will release a feature allowing Apple Watch users to share watch face configurations using the share sheet on the iOS Watch app. Shared watch faces will be sent as files that can be seen in the Files app and shared via AirDrop from the iPhone. It doesn't appear that a watch face can be shared directly between two Apple Watches.
The Apple Watch will have a feature allowing parents to control their kids' Apple Watch
Coming later this fall, watchOS 7 is expected to feature a new Infograph to go along with the two already offered on the watch (Infograph and Infograph Modular). The new Infograph Pro will include a tachymeter; the latter is used to compute a speed based on distance or measure distance based on speed. Also coming to watch OS 7, the ability to create a watch face from a photo in a shared album. Currently, an Apple Watch user can create a watch face from an individual picture or an album. Watch faces created from an album cycle through the pictures in the album every time the watch face is activated with a click, a tap, or a wrist raise.
Icons found in iOS 14 code appears to show off Apple's new over-the-ears-Apple AirPods
And according to the code found in iOS 14, iPhone users will be able to control their kid's Apple Watch. One feature called Schooltime will allow a parent to limit the use of certain apps and complications on their kid's Apple Watch during certain hours-like the hours when he or she is in class. And this really could be the year that a native sleep tracking app becomes available on the Apple Watch. Last September we told you a bit about the new capability that Apple has code-named "burrito." It will track the user's movement, heart rate, and noises that might be made while sleeping; the quality of the Apple Watch owner's sleep will appear on the Health app while the watch will get a new Sleep app. Apple realizes that most users charge their watch at night and that this will be impossible to do if the device is monitoring the quality of the owner's sleep. So Apple has devised a reminder that will tell Apple Watch owners to charge their watch before going to bed.
While the Apple Watch can now load standalone apps, the apps are still based on extensions. That will change in watchOS 7 as the architecture for Apple Watch apps changes.
The iOS 14 code also reveals that Apple will release a new pair of over-the-ear headphones. A pair of icons discovered by 9to5Mac show off a rough idea of the headphone's design. Apparently, these will be offered in Space Gray and White, and Black, and use the AirPods name. They could feature noise cancellation and automatically pause and resume music when you take the headphones off and put them back on. Last month, several Target employees leaked screenshots of the retailer's inventory system that showed several unannounced Apple products including the AirPods (X Generation). Assuming that these are the same headphones, pricing will start at $399. As for a release date, considering that the icons were found in iOS 14 code, we'd expect the new wearable to be unveiled next fall along with the 2020 iPhone models.
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