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watchOS 7

scifan57

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Apple has announced that watchOS 7 will be available for series 3 and later. This means that the latest update for series 1 and 2 will be whatever the last version of watchOS 6 that is released.
 
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Yesterday at the WWDC Keynote, Apple released the first beta of watchOS 7. One of the anticipated new features is the Sleep App.
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Apple has dropped support for Force Touch in watchOS 7. Developers have been told to update their apps to allow for this.
An example of Force Touch is when you press hard on the home screen and get a menu that allows you to choose between grid view and list view for your app display. Now, to change between grid view and list view you have to open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to App view and make your selection there. The change can no longer be done on the watch itself.
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Apple now allows sharing of watch faces with others. The person receiving the shared watch face can install it on his Apple Watch.
To share a watch face, long press on the watch face and press the share button then add the contact information for the recipient and a message. BTW, Customize is now called Edit.

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Later this month Apple will, for the first time, release a public beta of watchOS. This will be the watchOS 7 public beta. There are probably many who will want to try out the beta but extra caution is advised. Unlike iPhones, iPads, and Macs you can’t restore an Apple Watch to a previous version of the operating system if you decide the beta release isn’t for you. You’ll have to send your Apple Watch to Apple to be restored to the latest public release version of watchOS. It would be best to try the beta on a second Apple Watch if possible. watchOS 7 requires a series 3 or later Apple Watch.
 
On the iPhone paired to your watch, the latest version of iOS 14 Public Beta has to be installed. Otherwise you don’t get Public Beta updates for your Apple Watch.
 
A new feature of the watchOS 7.4 beta released yesterday is the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. Your iPhone has to be on the iOS 14.5 beta, also released yesterday for this to work. You set it up in Face ID and Passcode in settings on your iPhone. It works in a similar way to unlocking your Mac with the Apple Watch. This can be quite a timesaver if you’re wearing a face mask.
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A new feature of the watchOS 7.4 beta released yesterday is the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. Your iPhone has to be on the iOS 14.5 beta, also released yesterday for this to work. You set it up in Face ID and Passcode in settings on your iPhone. It works in a similar way to unlocking your Mac with the Apple Watch. This can be quite a timesaver if you’re wearing a face mask.
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I’ve read about this new feature. I’m hoping this update will come quite soon.
 
A new feature of the watchOS 7.4 beta released yesterday is the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. Your iPhone has to be on the iOS 14.5 beta, also released yesterday for this to work. You set it up in Face ID and Passcode in settings on your iPhone. It works in a similar way to unlocking your Mac with the Apple Watch. This can be quite a timesaver if you’re wearing a face mask.
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So far I only bought iPhones with Touch Id because I disliked the idea of Face Id, the more so when wearing a mask. Maybe this unlock-with-Watch feature makes me change my mind.
 
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