Apple Releases First Public Beta of watchOS 11 with Vitals App and More Features

Apple today released a public beta of watchOS 11, allowing non-developers to try out new features before the software launches this fall.

watchOS 11 is available for download by signing up for the Apple beta software website and updating your iPhone to the iOS 18 public beta. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to the General section, select Software Update, and then select watchOS 11 Public Beta under Beta Updates.

With ‌watchOS 11‌, Apple has added a new Vitals app that can be used to review your health metrics on a daily basis, letting you know if anything is out of the ordinary. It compares information collected overnight, such as heart rate, sleep, breathing rate, and oxygen levels, to levels from the previous week.

Smart Stack has new widgets like Translate and Shazam, and it’s smarter because it can suggest widgets based on time, date, location, and your daily routine. Interactive widgets let you access app features from within Smart Stack, and it also supports Live Activities.

Training Load is a new way to measure the impact of exercise intensity and duration on your body over time. Apple gives you a stress level during cardio exercises, so you know when to rest and when to push yourself harder.

You can now customize Activity Ring requirements for different days of the week, and Apple has added support for rest days. Taking a break from activity will no longer ruin your streak, as you can pause for a day, a week, a month, or longer.

Other new features include more workout types, checking messages, a revamped Photos watch face, improvements to Double Tap, and more. Read more in our watchOS 11 roundup .