Six various kinds of Apple Watch running watchOS 11

Apple, Inc.

WatchOS 11: Price (Free), Release Date, Features, and News

A new Vitals app is coming out this fall–if your Apple Watch is supported

Apple's watchOS 11 is the 2024 update to the software that runs the company's line of smartwatches. Here are all of the details.

WatchOS 11 Release Date

Apple announced details of watchOS 11 at the 2024 WWDC in June. It's due out in the fall, probably September.

WatchOS 11 Price

All of Apple's operating system updates are free. Assuming you have the right Apple Watch and the right phone (see below), you'll be able to get watchOS 11 for free.

WatchOS 11 Features

The 2024 update for watchOS is full of fitness features and some surprises. Here are some highlights.

Customization: New options let you choose font, size, style, and color to fully control how your watch face looks.

Fitness Rings: You can pause your Fitness Rings (Move, Exercise, and Stand) for a month or more if you need a break from tracking these stats. You can also adjust your goals per day.

Metrics: In the Fitness app on iPhone, you can customize which goals and activities are visible.

Photos Face: This updated option uses machine learning to select and frame images from your library to ensure they look as good as possible.

A splash image showing features of watchOS 11

Apple, Inc.

Pregnancy Tracking: This new feature in the Cycle Tracking app helps monitor a current pregnancy and let you keep a log of any symptoms or irregularities.

Training Load: If you're in training for an event or just want a general idea of how your workouts are going, Training Load measures intensity to ensure you aren't overdoing it.

Translate: Type or dictate into your Apple Watch to translate words, phrases, and sentences into 19 other languages.

Vitals: This new app collects baselines while you sleep to give you a general picture of your health. Metrics include respiratory rate and wrist temperature.

WatchOS 11 Supported Devices

Not every Apple Watch available will be able to run watchOS 11. Here are the compatible models:

  • Apple Watch: Series 6 and later
  • Apple Watch SE: second generation
  • Apple Watch Ultra: all models

Your phone also matters; you'll need an iPhone Xs or later running at least iOS 18 to use all of the features in watchOS 11.

The Latest News About WatchOS 11

You can find all the latest news about smartwatches and more here at Lifewire. Below are some stories about watchOS specifically.