The release of watchOS 8 for the Apple Watch has put a huge focus on being present and mindful about health. The new software update brings a few new features that focus on the state of mind and just taking care of the body. For example, Apple has replaced Breathe with a more intuitive Mindfulness app, meant to bring together a complete focus to help calm users down.
When the pandemic hit, it was suddenly more important than ever to take care of health and stay mentally fit. A lot of people were (and still are) in lockdown which itself is likely to have led to increased levels of stress and anxiety. The release of watchOS 7 seemed to help, thanks to a new workout assistant for keeping fit, as well as a meditation partner to help calm down when things got overbearing. Since watchOS 7, users have been tailoring the experience in order to bring attention to every aspect of their health. For instance, Apple also introduced sleep tracking to shine a light on the need to keep track of how the body is behaving during sleep, and whether enough is being had.
With the new update – watchOS 8 – Apple wants to further that trend of keeping people calm and present. This update changed up the aforementioned Breath app to the Mindfulness app and added a new tool: Reflect. With that, Apple has also added Tai Chi and Pilates to the ever-expanding list of workouts a user can track. All of these tools can have a big impact on health and mental state if used properly. These workouts can also help the user to focus and destress when needed.
Apple’s Mindfulness In Practice
The new watchOS 8 is available for public beta download now, and a lot of users are already giving Mindfulness a go. When testing the app, Engadget stated “It does at times feel like a glorified timer, meets fortune cookie, meets Magic 8 Ball, all set to Windows Media Player visualizations.” When the Reflect feature is used, the Apple Watch asks the user to pause and be conscious of the world around them. Once activated, it displays a very psychedelic and fluid animation which is supposed to get the user to concentrate. After one full minute, it asks the wearer to return to a sense of awareness. Some users seem to feel like it works well – “I really like the new animations in the Mindfulness app and in the short time I’ve used them, they do help to focus my attention,” stated CNET.
Another small feature Apple added was the Portraits watch face, which converts the multi-layered images taken of close relatives and friends into beautiful watch faces, which also helps bring the user’s attention to what really matters. When commenting on those features, Gizmodo says “It’s in the way the Photos app has been redesigned to showcase your favorite memories, and how Breathe sessions add more information to give context to what you’re doing.” When commenting on iOS 15’s Focus mode on the iPhone and how it helps obtain peace, Gizmodo goes on to say “You can also see it in subtler updates that help you achieve peace of mind by giving you less of a reason to reach for your phone.” The Focus feature on iPhone will silence certain or all notifications, much like the Do Not Disturb function from before, except it is now fully customizable. The user can decide who to receive texts from or what apps can push notifications, which helps people pull away from the world for a little bit at a time.
All in all, watchOS 8 has a few tweaks and adjustments that are aimed at helping users calm down and focus on the meaningful. With an aim to push mindfulness and exercises that promote calmness, watchOS 8 is going to come in handy for a lot of people, especially during the global health crisis. As mentioned, iOS 15 and watchOS 8 are both already available for download and testing.
Sources: Apple
