Today, iupdate and The Verifier are out with some leaks and rumors surrounding the future of Apple Watch and features that could make there way in watchOS 7. Keep in mind that, as they state, these plans may be changed or delayed at any given point, but they have been in development internally.
Firstly, it looks like watchOS 6 may have been the last major update for the Apple Watch Series 2, as it will reportedly be unable to get watchOS 7, due to the dual-core processor and limited hardware. iupdate says that “Apple’s running into serious engineering issues” and that the “processor… cannot keep up with what they’re trying to do with the upgrade”.
Not much else has been mentioned about watchOS 7, but it will be a “massive” upgrade in all areas, and is expected to feature a system-wide UI refresh, changes to Siri and improvements to built in health apps (like Workouts).
Apple is developing Touch ID for the Apple Watch. Currently, there are no biometric authentication methods and the only security is a four-digit passcode. Although it won’t be coming the Series 6 but rather the 7 or 8, there could be potentially two forms (that are both in testing).
As rumoured before, the company could integrate Touch ID on the Digital Crown button, where you would need to rest or rub your finger on it to unlock the Watch. Alternatively, it could be present under the display, where you simply need to tap your finger on the screen to unlock. We’ve previously seen reports of Apple developing in-screen Touch ID for iPhones, so this does make sense.
In terms of other hardware, we could see WiFi 6, battery life improvements and a faster processor, but no external changes are expected and the same rounded design will be with us for the next few years to come.
In the health area, as with every Apple Watch upgrade, the Series 6 will contain a Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitoring feature, further confirming 9to5Mac’s recent report. It could be also be highly likely that Sleep Tracking will be featured on this model, and, although it would likely work on older models, Apple typically restricts new features to newer devices.
