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WatchOS 8's Mindfulness, Photos updates, and more revealed at WWDC 21

Apple Watches are getting a big boost with the upcoming WatchOS 8.

Ozzie Mejia

June 7, 2021 12:03 PM

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Apple's WWDC 2021 presentation has mostly revolved around updates for iOS 15, but it has also offered some new details on WatchOS 8. Apple's wristwear will receive some major additions itself, many of which are aimed at a user's quality of life.

WatchOS 8 will focus greatly on fitness and self-care. A new version of the Breathe app is being released as Mindfulness, which is aimed at helping users breathe in a more relaxed manner. Meanwhile, the Sleep app will now monitor how a user rests, tracking their respiratory rate and evaluating their sleep quality by tracking how many breaths are taken in a minute. The Sleep app will eventually be able to determine trends and help users prevent any potential future health issues.

Fitness updates will toss in Tai Chi and Pilates, giving Apple Watch owners some new options for their Apple Fitness+ sessions. Like the other workouts in Fitness, users can pick either of these and go until they've finished their session. These activities can then be shared with the Apple Health app.

Photos are getting a big upgrade with WatchOS 8. Users will now be able to share any of their photos through the Messages and Mail apps, just as they would with their iPhone. As for the Photos app itself, users can now find featured highlights and memories, as well as more easily navigate their galleries. On top of that, any photo taken with the iPhone's Portrait Mode can now store information about the photo's subject.

Look for WatchOS 8 to get a few handy iOS 15 features, including next-hour weather alerts and the various push notification updates. Plus, the Apple Watch Series 6 will receive support for car keys, as well as the ability to find other Apple devices.

We have a lot more from WWDC 21. Be sure to follow Shacknews for the latest updates.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?