Apple WatchOS 10, the next major software update for compatible Apple Watch models, brings back widgets in a big way, making them a crucial part of the Watch experience with a new feature called the Smart Stack.
The new Smart Stack contains widgets that display timely information that adapts to the user’s context and can be revealed with a simple turn of the Digital Crown or a swipe up from the bottom of the watch face using your finger.
There are actually two types of widgets in watchOS 10: dedicated app widgets that provide information from a single app and user-configurable widgets that can be customized with three app complications.
Widgets are quickly accessible from any watch face and automatically reorder to “display timely information that adapts to the user’s context”.
To add or remove a widget, open your Smart Stack either by rotating the crown or sliding from the bottom up, then tap and hold a widget.
You can even add a widget that has all of your favorite tools, like the timer, stop watch, workouts, or podcasts.
The new WatchOS includes a complete redesign. There are two new watch faces: Palette, a visually appealing clock with a bunch of different pretty colors, and Snoopy and Woodstock from Peanuts. And from any of these watch faces, you can turn the digital crown to see your widgets.
Apple has also made changes to the Watch’s buttons, gestures, and the crown. Press the side button once for the Control Center, and turning the digital crown will bring up your widget stack and let you scroll through for quick and easy access to information.
The public beta of watchOS 10 is expected to arrive next month, with the final version coming later this fall alongside the forthcoming Apple Watch Series 9.
Overall, watchOS 10 is a major milestone and an energizing new approach for Apple Watch, introducing a fresh new design for quickly viewing information, delightful new watch faces, new features for cyclists and hikers, and important tools for health.