watchOS 2, which is considered the first major software update to hit the Apple Watch, includes new features and enhancements such as:
New watch faces and timekeeping features including:
- Time-lapse videos of Hong Kong, London, Mack Lake, New York, Shanghai, and Paris
- Photo and Photo Album so you can see your favorite images every time you raise your wrist, including support for Live Photos
- Time Travel with the Digital Crown to see what's coming in the future or what' s happened in the past a Nightstand Mode so your Watch can be used as a bedside alarm clock
- 9 new colors to customize your watch face, and a new multicolor Modular face
- Support for third-party apps to create complications
- Start a specific workout, get transit directions, or ask to see a glance
- Support for FaceTime audio calling and replying to email
- Support for HomeKit to control supported devices in your home using Siri
- New support for Austria, Belgium (French and Dutch), and Norway
- Workouts from third party apps on the Watch can be included in your Activity rings
- Activity rings, workouts, and achievements can be shared from the Activity app on iPhone
- Interactive achievements a Qn-demand weekly summary
- Mute Activity notifications for one day
- Workouts saved automatically
- Support for Discover cards
- Support for rewards cards and store credit and debit cards
- Add passes to Wallet directly from third party apps on your Watch
- Add more than 12 Friends directly from Apple Watch
- Multiple Friends' groups that you can name
- Send sketches using multiple colors
- New options for animated emoji
- Transit view, showing transit lines, stations and intermodal connections in select major cities
- View the list of directions for your current
- View station placards with departure information
- New Beats 1 button to start playing the 24/7 radio station
- New Quick Play button to play a variety of songs from Apple Music
- Reply to emails using dictation, emoji, or smart replies customized specifically for email
- Make and receive calls using FaceTime audio
- Support for Wi-Fi ca ling without iPhone in proximity on participating carriers
- Activation Lock prevents anyone from activating your Apple Watch without your Apple ID and password
- Native SDK to build faster and more powerful apps running natively on Apple Watch
- Access to accelerometer to more granularly track your motion
- Access to heart rate sensor for use during a workout
- Access to microphone and speaker to record and play audio
- Access to the Taptic Engine with 8 different types of Haptic feedback
- Access to the Digital Crown for more precise controls
- Ability to play video directly on Apple Watch
- Support for running apps without iPhone in proximity, including access to networking capabilities when connected to known Wi-Fi networks
- Complications on the watch face
- Workouts from apps can be counted towards Activity rings
- Workouts from apps can be included in Activity app on iPhone
- New support for system language in English (India), Finnish, Indonesian, Norwegian, and Polish
- New support for dictation in Dutch (Belgium), English (Ireland, Philippines, South Africa), French (Belgium), German (Austria), Spanish (Chile, Colombia)
- New support for smart replies in Traditional Chinese (I-long Kong, Taiwan), Danish, Dutch, English (New Zealand, Singapore), Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Thai