The public beta of watchOS 11 is now available as of July 15, allowing anyone with a compatible Apple Watch device to try out all the new features Apple announced at WWDC 2024 While this is not the final version of watchOS 11 - in fact, several more public betas will be released first in the weeks leading up to the next Apple event - the public beta experience should feel almost complete

To use the watchOS 11 public beta, you will need to know how to download the watchOS 11 public beta to your Apple Watch As a reminder, the iOS 18 public beta must first be installed on an iPhone Also, make sure your Apple Watch meets watchOS 11 compatibility requirements

If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later (including the latest generation Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2), you can download the watchOS 11 public beta now Once the software is installed, you can enjoy the new features of the Apple Watch

So where to start? watchOS 11 adds over 10 changes and new features, but these are the ones you should try first

The public beta of watchOS 11 adds one new watch face Of course, we're talking about the iconic “photo” watchface

The “Photo” watchface has been completely updated with machine learning to suggest photos to use as your watch face based on the best photos in your library You can choose one of these photos or let the watch cycle through your entire album The clock is intelligently framed around your image, and you can adjust the final product with a selection of fun fonts and color filters

Off days Or when you need to relax after a few days of intense exercise Pausing the Activity Ring takes the pressure off of closing the Apple Watch ring, giving you more time to prioritize recovery

The point of pausing the Activity Ring is that the activity stream is not compromised This is a feature that users have been asking Apple to provide for years, so it makes sense that they would be the first to try watchOS 11 public beta

The Smart Stack on the Apple Watch is designed to make it easy to see at a glance all the information that might be relevant to you, organized into scrollable tiles watchOS 11 brings several upgrades to the Smart Stack to make it even more intuitive to use than before For example, it now displays a weather forecast if rain is imminent in your area

Similarly, if you are located in a different country, you may see a location-based translation widget iPhone Live Activity is also reflected in the Smart Stack in watchOS 11

One of the Live Activity features is Check In first available for the iPhone in iOS 17, Check In allows users to share their location with friends and family Once Check In is set up, an alert will be sent to a designated contact if they do not notify the user that they have arrived safely at their destination

watchOS 11 allows users to manage Check In from the Apple Watch's Smart Stack, or create a Check In from the Workout app when starting an outdoor workout This should give you a little more peace of mind when you go for an evening run

watchOS 11 has a new wellness app that you may want to try out vitals is basically a version of the Health app for the Apple Watch that allows you to see your health and fitness trends in a cohesive place wearing the Apple Watch on a daily basis By keeping it on, you can see how different markers (activity, sleep, heart rate, etc) are affecting your health

The Vitals app can also alert you when trends form that should concern your health For example, if you are sleep deprived for several days in a row, your vitals may tell you that something is wrong with your body

If you are pregnant, try the improved pregnancy tracking feature in watchOS 11 when you record a pregnancy in the Cycle Tracking app, you will be prompted to start recording pregnancy-related symptoms

The first time you record a pregnancy, you will find that the Health app will suggest changes to your profile, such as changing your heart rate alert threshold

watchOS 11 has some great new features for swimmers While not technically a new feature, it provides pool goers with a feature that is only available for certain workout types You can customize intervals based on the type of workout you are going for and build your own pool swim workout