WWDC 2019: WatchOS 6 gets a noise app, activity and cycle trackers
Apple introduces a Noise app, Activity Trends and a menstrual cycle tracker at WWDC 2019.
Apple Watch gets a Noise app and other health features with WatchOS 6.
Apple overhauled WatchOS 6 on Monday with a lineup of new health features including a Noise app. With the Noise app for Apple Watch, you'll get information about the decibel level at concerts and other events where the noise level might be too loud and potentially damaging to your hearing. WatchOS 6 will also support Activity Trends and a menstrual cycle tracker.
Read more: All of the WatchOS 6 updates | Complete guide to Apple's Health app | 18 devices that sync with Health App
Activity Trends show your progress over time and give you custom tips based on your fitness. The cycle tracker, which will be available on both Apple Watch and iPhone, lets you log details about your period -- and get notifications about your estimated fertility window.
Apple's annual developer convention kicked off Monday at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The confab is in its 30th year, and it's the third year Apple has held its developer conference in San Jose.
WWDC is where Apple details its newest software and services that will arrive on devices later in the year. The company may be best known for its hardware, but the seamless integration of its hardware with its software is what sets Apple apart from rivals. Apple's ability to control every aspect of its products -- something that began when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded the company in 1976 -- has been key in making it the most powerful company in tech.
See also
- Apple iOS 13: New Siri voice, camera tools, Dark Mode for iPhone
- New Mac Pro makes its debut, starts at $5,999
- Apple gives the iPad its own OS
- Returning to Apple's WWDC after 20 years, now with 5 OSes instead of 1
- Get all the latest from WWDC
Apple unveiled HealthKit during its Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2014. The software lets consumers track health-related data, such as how many steps a person takes, and serves as a hub for that information. It also includes a corresponding app called Health, which can be used with third-party fitness devices. Other apps also can draw from that information and send data collected on their apps back to HealthKit. The hope for Apple is that HealthKit will enable a whole new generation of health apps.
Health has become a big focus area for companies across the tech sector. Several have introduced health-centric gadgets, and countless others are working on smart glucose meters and similar products. Other companies see an opportunity to mine patient data or collect readings on individuals to predict when they'll get sick and tailor treatment. Apple has been pushing the Apple Watch as a health device. It's expected to become even more health centric as it gets updated.
CNET's Shara Tibken contributed to this story.
