I've written a bunch of columns about why I think the Apple Watch is the most important device Apple has ever made, the most important consumer electronics device ever made, and basically the gadget of the last damn decade. Because it saves lives by design.
A lot of the credit for that goes to watchOS — the software that drives the watch hardware. It's what's given us those life-saving features like heart rate notifications, fall detection, and the ECG app.
And, while the current watchOS 6 bits are, of course, the best ones yet, there's still a lot more I'd like to see with watchOS 7.
Better always-on
Always-on is great. It finally lets the Apple Watch work as, you know, a watch. But there are still a couple of things that would make it better for me.
First, the ability to handle basic interactions even while in always-on mode. Right now, if I don't move enough to trigger a wake-up, I try to swipe down to see a notification and nothing happens. Then I typically swipe again. Then I remember to tap to wake it up. Then I swipe again to finally see my notification.
It would be great if a swipe would also wake the display up. I mean, it would be greater if it would wake it up and also show the notification, but at least adding swipe to the wake-up gestures would mean my second, reflex swipe would show the notification and save me not only time by so many eye-rolls.
What would also be great is if always-on extended to ultra low power mode. I mean, I know that sounds contradictory, but the way low power currently works, you have to press the button to get the time. A version that keeps the time on, even if it doesn't last as long, would be great for travel if you forget your charger and need to survive but also need to keep time.
Watch Faces
I know some people still want a Watch Face store as well. Apple would never allow or be able to allow the wanton copyright abuse that happened on a lot of other watch stores over the years, so it would probably end up like the iMessage store.
That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Baby Yoda all the faces. But, what I'd love, even more, is the ability to better customize my own faces.
This one has been on my wish list for years. Give me a face where I can set a background image or series of them, and then a full suite of infograph-level complications — analog or digital — I can customize on top of them.
Then I can make my own Baby Yoda face, or Superman face, or anything else I want.
Time Travel
Shortly after the Apple Watch was introduced, Apple added Time Travel. With it, you could use the Digital Crown to scroll backward and forwards through data sets. See what was and what would be.
But, shortly after that, Apple took Time Travel away from everything but the Solar watch face.
And I'm still super salty about it.
Every time I look at my next event on the Infographic face, and try to scroll to see what's next, or what was earlier, and nothing happens, and nothing happens. It just stays stuck there, part of my childlike sense of wonder just stays stuck there with it.
Ideally, every large-sized complication would have a list function that could be easily scrolled through with the Digital Crown.
Because any watch face where you use the Digital Crown and nothing happens is just a waste of the watch's most unique interactivity mechanic.
Apps
It's funny. For a company like Apple that prides itself on continuity of experience, the iPad and Apple Watch have always been lacking some of the iPhone apps that would allow exactly that type of experience.
Last year, with watchOS 6, we markdown asterisk finally asterisk got voice memos and calculator. But still no Notes.
Sure, there are phenomenal third-party alternatives like Drafts, where you can dictate right into the watch and then edit and extend on the iPhone or iPad or whatever.
But, Drafts does so much more as well, and that basic functionality should also be default functionality for people who use the default Notes app. And that means we need the default Notes app on the Watch.
Every default app should just be everywhere, otherwise, it compromises their full value, that continuity of experience, everywhere.
Sleep tracking
The Apple Watch launched with basic exercise coaching and tracking and it's been improving ever since. It added breathing in short order. Nutrition aside, about the biggest feature still missing is sleep tracking and coaching.
There are a bunch of apps that do provide it on watchOS, including Beddit, which Apple bought back in May of 2017, but nothing built-in.
Even more importantly, nothing power efficient.
I can imagine Apple putting out an entirely new Watch that's optimized for sleep tracking, where it goes into an ultra-low power mode overnight and does nothing but track sleep, along with even faster charging when you do need to top up.
But I'd love to see that mode also come as a watchOS software update to all recent devices, and an API — application programming interface — so that any sleep tracking app can use it.
iPhone free
This is, of course, the big one. And now, with always-on handled last year, this year it's moving to the top of my list: Apple Watch independence.
Right now, if you want an Apple Watch, you need to have an iPhone as well. Not just in general, to use to set up your Apple Watch, but in perpetuity to handle some of the telephony and other features, and updates going forward.
The iPhone and iPad used to be like that as well, tied to iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC. But, with iOS 5 and iCloud, they were set PC free.
The Apple Watch is a far more limited and constrained device than even the earliest iPhones and iPads. It just can't carry the power and doesn't have the screen size necessary to manage everything on-device the way those devices can.
But we're getting there. We even got an on-device App Store last year. Now, because the Apple Watch screen is so small, I don't want Apple to tear all the functionality out of the iPhone Watch app. It's just so much easier to use. In fact, I'd love an iPad Watch and Activity app as well. Hell, an Android one just like iTunes for Windows which made all this halo effect possible to begin with.
I'm just hoping we've reached a point where anyone, iPhone or no iPhone, can buy an Apple Watch, slap it on, and get up and literally running with other devices as beneficial enhancements. Not limitations. But real, full freedom. That's what it's all about.
