New Concept Shows 7 Features watchOS 6 Needs This Year

watchOS 6 is coming. Apple is largely expected to debut the next-generation update to its wearable operating system this June. And some concept designers are already issuing their predictions for what the update will look like.

Designer Jake Sworski recently published his own watchOS 6 concept art on Behance — and the ideas and images are pretty amazing. There’s a lot to unpack here, but we’ve selected seven of the more interesting or useful ideas that Apple Watch users would love. Continue reading to browse 7 Features watchOS 6 Needs This Year.

A Redesigned App Grid

watchOS is generally an easy platform to navigate once you get the hang of it. But it’s hard to deny that the Home screen (or App Grid) on the Apple Watch is more difficult to get around than the one on iOS. This Apple Watch concept changes that.

In the concept watchOS 6, the Apple Watch Home screen now has a suite of iOS-like features. The ability to add folders and delete default apps could both cut down on app clutter quite a bit. With a cleaner navigable grid, the concept artist also imagines that the Home screen could be set as a watch face — something that’s also very iOS-like.

Automatic Watch Faces

Geofenced or scheduled Apple Watch faces are a commonly requested feature in watchOS wish lists. Largely, that means it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprising or incredibly interesting addition. But it would undoubtedly be a welcome one to watchOS 6.

It would allow users to set Watch faces for specific locations or times of day. You can have one Watch automatically appear during work hours, and a more fitness-focused face pop up when you usually go for a run. It would be a simple but powerful new feature.

Safari

Safari on an Apple Watch seems a bit counterintuitive at first. Despite mobile optimization, browsing the web on an iPhone is already a bit cramped as it is. We can only imagine what browsing on a tiny wearable would be like.

But that’s what makes this Safari for watchOS concept so interesting. It’s uncharted territory — and it may just prove to be a lot more useful than one would imagine. Just think of being able to Google a query or find a nearby restaurant, right from your wrist.

Shortcuts Support

Siri Shortcuts are all about convenience. Before its acquisition by Apple, the original Workflow team understood this. Justifiably, there were a lot of disappointed fans when the company removed Apple Watch support from the Shortcuts app in iOS 12.

This watchOS 6 concept imagines Workflow, now Shortcuts, returning to the Apple Watch — and accessible from the watchOS shortcuts app, via complications, in the control center or by way of Siri. Even if you don’t use Shortcuts, this would be a major addition to the Apple Watch platform.

Deeper Customization

The watchOS 6 concept contains a lot of “new” apps, some of which have been ported from iOS. But it also features additional customization options for the existing apps and platforms on the Apple Watch. That’s a good thing.

For example, the concept imagines that users will be able to tweak the Activity app with up to four rings and customizable goals for each. The Control Center, on the other hand, will also be more familiar to iOS users with the ability to add or hide its various controls and toggles.

Sleep Tracking

The Apple Watch has long been one of the best fitness and health trackers on the market (thanks in no small part to its versatility). But compared to simpler and less feature-rich options, Apple’s wearable has lagged behind in one key area: sleep tracking.

That appears to have changed in this watchOS concept with the addition of a new Sleep app. The concept app allows users to track and improve their sleep with in-depth sleep metrics and bedtime reminders. Of course, Apple would need to make hardware and battery changes to make this happen.

Native "iOS" Apps

Among some of the other items on this list, the watchOS concept also imagines Apple adding a slew of iOS apps to the Apple Watch platform. Some of these are more likely than others, but most of them would bring a lot more functionality to Apple’s wearable.

Just look at the Calculator app as an example. While there are third-party alternatives, Apple has somehow skipped adding Calculator to watchOS. Which doesn’t make much sense, when you consider the popularity and practicality of digital calculator watches — which have been a staple for decades.