Review: Apple watchOS 2

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It has been a little bit over a year since we first saw Apple Watch and the wearable, which has reportedly sold over 7 million units, has been available in the market since April. Apple Watch is a unique product category for Apple, it doesn’t seem to follow the same yearly upgrade cycle as iPhones or Macs.

watchOS is the operating system that runs Apple Watch. The first version was quite basic, it served to synch the Watch with iPhones and mostly serve as a satellite device to the iPhone. Apps that supported watch OS could be accessed and controlled from the Apple Watch although it often seemed faster and more straightforward to just use the iPhone instead.

What can the Watch do?

 

The most useful features for me are the ability to take calls on the Watch if my phone is far away, navigation while driving, quick responses to messages when I am unable to whip out my phone, as well as notifications from various apps that I have running on my devices.

watchOS 2.0 was released last month together with a few more variants of the Apple Watch (notably new Rose Gold and Gold Sport models as well as a new Space Black Stainless Steel model and Hermes Edition watches). All the Apple Watch editions share the same processors and features, even If the case andcover glass crystals might be of different materials. The processor itself is plenty fast for a tiny device, which means Apple can continue to add functionality and features without hindering performance. I think we’ve not even seen a fraction of the Apple Watch’s true power.

 

Unlike most Android Wear wearables, who rely on Google to push out new features and functionality, Apple has full control over when new Apple Watch features can be added through software. Since all Apple Watches have the same guts and features, compatibility across the board is all but guaranteed. This makes it easier for developers to create and refine their apps, complications and notifications for all Apple Watches.

Native apps are nearly there

 

Native apps, which are applications where the processing takes place on the wearable rather than on the connected iPhone, are the biggest feature coming to watchOS 2.0. This means faster access to information as well as some applications that truly work independently of their iOS counterparts on the iPhone.

Many Apple Watch watch faces allow the use of complications, which are widgets that can push information into corners of the Watch’s small screen. Many of these, like weather, stock tickers or different types of timers, work seamlessly with the watch face, click on them and you are brought to the specific apps.

 

Some developers are cashing in on these complications and I understand that they do need to make money, but it’s debatable whether, as a customer, you need to pay for Watch functionality on an app that you already paid for on your iPhone. I’m interested to see if users will pony up the extra $1.50 for a small complication on a specific watch face when they can just check their phone or choose another app and complication combo that suits them.

One of the better upgrades in watchOS 2 is that it is now closely tied to your iCloud or Apple ID. Just like iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices, activating a new or reset Watch will ensure stolen or lost Watches can’t be easily used. 

New faces and functions

 

Ahh, new watch faces. Apple’s generously increased the number of Apple Watch faces you can choose and customize. While nowhere as vast in selection as Android Wear or Pebble (no third party faces, unless you buy a Hermes edition), the range of choices should keep users happy until the next version of the OS rolls around.

Included in the new faces are Time-Lapse images of places which change depending on the time of day. Basically miniature time-lapse recordings, they are a clever and time-tied option. One feature many users will like is the ability to customize your watch face using an existing photo on one’s iCloud or Photo stream. This mean you can elect to use a photo of your child, pet, or anything you want to in order to personalize your Watch. I outfitted my Space Black Apple Watch with a Pip-Boy graphic in honor of Fallout 4.

Live Photos taken on the iPhone 6S can also be used as watch faces, this means you can choose any 1.5 second moving image to display on your Apple Watch.

 

Time travel is another feature that was highlighted, and it works by moving time on the Digital Crown forwards or backwards to see pertinent information in the past or future. While having breakfast, I can turn the watch to see what my day will look like at 4 PM and know the weather, any meetings or events in progress as well what the time will be back home if I am travelling. It’s a neat feature but one that I have only used once or twice.

Promise of Apple Pay

 

Apple Pay is very much a key feature of Apple Watch, but for Canadians, or anyone outside the US and the UK (places that accept Apple Pay), they can still use the Watch to carry and access their loyalty cards and buy coffee from Starbucks. If rumours that Apple Pay will soon be enabling peer-to-peer payments just like PayPal, then we might see a future where beaming or using AirDrop to send each other money might become the norm. 

I use my Apple Watch to get around, mostly using Maps connected to the iPhone while driving. Now, I can use walking direction and mass transit information thanks to new functionality brought by watchOS 2.

On of the cooler features that watchOS 2 has added is the Nightstand mode. Most people charge their watches when they go to sleep and now the can use the Apple Watch displays time, next alarm as well as charging status. Simple and easy, it is a feature that improves the device’s usability, specially for travellers who may need a secondary alarm.

Of course, anyone who is fully invested in the Apple ecosystem can enjoy the fringe benefits available to Apple Watch. The Apple Music streaming service is easily controlled and accessed. This is really convenient if you are commuting and are in a tight spot or if you’re exercising and don’t want to stop to fumble on your phone. Subscribers can also heart songs right from the Now Playing screen or add and remove files from their current playlist or library.

Early responder

The Apple Watch really became a key device for me once I learned I could reply to messages and emails.

There’s various ways to do this, too, thanks to watchOS 2. You can add various default replies which can be accessed in a few swipes or you can send a voice message or transcribed text.

My favourite cross platform messaging app WhatsApp now works with Apple Watch as well, which means I don’t just get notifications and read messages, I can easily respond quickly through any of the above ways.

The Digital touch feature, which is where you draw on the Watch and send to someone else with a Watch has also expanded its palette of colours so you can go crazy sending flowers and hearts in a wider variety of colours. 

Despite these new features and expanded functionality, I find that Apple Watch continues to maintain good battery life, sometimes long enough for a day and a half of use between charges. If anything, watchOS 2 seems to have improved battery life.

I am noticing that a number of apps are upgrading to take advantage of what watchOS has to offer and while it might take a few more months, it is likely that they will make their app experience on the Watch more engaging. Whether we will need to pay extra to enjoy these features remains to be seen and depends on how individual developers plan to monetize their apps. I don't mind paying extra for a really useful new way to use my Watch.

watchOS brings many features to Apple Watch that should have been there from the start, credit goes to Apple’s engineers and developers for ramping up the features and capabilities in such a short span of time. While the experience is mostly similar to watchOS 1, some features are definitely faster, more efficient and smarter.