Random thoughts about watchOS 9 differences

[doogald]

1. I kind of like the new banner notifications. I know it's not anywhere near the same, nor supposed to be, but it sort of reminds me of the dynamic island.

2. It's fine that you can edit workouts and metrics now on the watch itself rather than having to do so on the Watch app, but I wish the Watch app still supported this. It's not easy to hit some of the tap controls (especially the go back at the top left), and it's I think a lot more time consuming to get workouts and metric screens set up on the watch.

3. It's nice that the running workouts now support intervals, and for the most part they are fine, but I wish they had a sound to let you know when an interval is done rather than just a haptic, because I find that I'm missing the haptic quite often. It's a very weak vibration IMO.

4. Really really like the new Metropolitan face and the color and gradient backgrounds for it and for the Modular watch face. The rest of the new faces - meh. That said, I tried to change the complications on the watch itself for one of my faces and it used to be that you could swipe left (and right) to change from one set of options to the options to set complications, but it wasn't working when I tried. I finally discovered that you have to do the swipe now at the top of the watch display. Why did Apple change this?

 

[tcuprof]

1. I'm not sure whether or not I like the banner notifications. When I first started seeing them, I assumed I had screwed up a setting. I wish there were an easy way to keep watch notifications exactly as they were before.

2. Agreed. This is a more difficult task now.

3. Hmm. My experience is different. When I'm out running and listening to a book on my watch, it announces the interval along with time on my APod Pros. If I'm on the treadmill and listening to the TV, I can still hear the watch announce the intervals. Maybe there is a setting for that?

4. I rarely change watch faces so I've spent very little time looking at the new ones. I really wish Apple would add more faces with digital seconds. Because I want that, I use Activity Digital most of the time.

5. I like the interface between the phone and watch in the updated Sleep app. I'm using it along with AutoSleep. It takes no effort to use both apps and they give some different metrics.

6. By contrast, the interface between the phone and watch on the new Medications app needs some refinement. The notification on the watch needs to be more prominent AND the needs to keep notifying you at regular intervals (say, every 10 minutes) until you take the medicine.

 

[doogald]

3. Hmm. My experience is different. When I'm out running and listening to a book on my watch, it announces the interval along with time on my APod Pros. If I'm on the treadmill and listening to the TV, I can still hear the watch announce the intervals. Maybe there is a setting for that?

I hope there is, something I missed, because I’m wearing Beats Fit Pro, basically just like AirPods, and I’m not getting that.

6. By contrast, the interface between the phone and watch on the new Medications app needs some refinement. The notification on the watch needs to be more prominent AND the needs to keep notifying you at regular intervals (say, every 10 minutes) until you take the medicine.

Agreed.

 

[EdwinG]

I hope there is, something I missed, because I’m wearing Beats Fit Pro, basically just like AirPods, and I’m not getting that.

I think it is tied to the Apple Watch’s muted switch and connected headphones. Note: I have not thoroughly tested or researched the behaviour.

 

[doogald]

I think it is tied to the Apple Watch’s muted switch and connected headphones. Note: I have not thoroughly tested or researched the behaviour.

I believe it’s the setting Workouts / Voice Feedback, which I had turned off (probably because I didn’t like the announcement each mile interrupting what I was listening to.)

 

[tcuprof]

I believe it’s the setting Workouts / Voice Feedback, which I had turned off (probably because I didn’t like the announcement each mile interrupting what I was listening to.)

Bingo! I was just researching the Workout options and discovered the Voice Feedback option, which allows exactly what you were missing.

2. It's fine that you can edit workouts and metrics now on the watch itself rather than having to do so on the Watch app, but I wish the Watch app still supported this. It's not easy to hit some of the tap controls (especially the go back at the top left), and it's I think a lot more time consuming to get workouts and metric screens set up on the watch.

I also discovered a work-around for editing workouts and metrics on the phone instead of the watch. Go to:
Settings>Accessibility>Apple Watch Mirroring
If you turn this on, it uses AirPlay to mirror your watch onto your phone. You can then change watch settings on the phone. If it is difficult to hit the little buttons on the watch face, this might be useful.

 

[doogald]

I also discovered a work-around for editing workouts and metrics on the phone instead of the watch. Go to:
Settings>Accessibility>Apple Watch Mirroring
If you turn this on, it uses AirPlay to mirror your watch onto your phone. You can then change watch settings on the phone. If it is difficult to hit the little buttons on the watch face, this might be useful.

Excellent, awesome catch! I had heard about this during the beta period but forgot about it, and didn't;t think about using it for this.

 

[doogald]

3. It's nice that the running workouts now support intervals, and for the most part they are fine, but I wish they had a sound to let you know when an interval is done rather than just a haptic, because I find that I'm missing the haptic quite often. It's a very weak vibration IMO.

. Hmm. My experience is different. When I'm out running and listening to a book on my watch, it announces the interval along with time on my APod Pros. If I'm on the treadmill and listening to the TV, I can still hear the watch announce the intervals. Maybe there is a setting for that?

I believe it’s the setting Workouts / Voice Feedback, which I had turned off (probably because I didn’t like the announcement each mile interrupting what I was listening to.)

Ok, I finally figured this one out yesterday. For the first time I went out on a workout without my phone, listening to podcasts on my watch, using Beats Fit Pro (which are essentially clones of AirPods Pro). And then, for the first time, I was getting the voice announcements. (Each mile, closing the exercise ring, even some notifications - though I have most of them turned off for Fitness focus.)

So I think you get them when you have your earbuds connected to the watch and not to your phone.

 

[tcuprof]

So I think you get them when you have your earbuds connected to the watch and not to your phone.

Yep. Sorry, I should have mentioned that.