The wait is almost over. In just a few days, Apple will unveil the newest software features coming to the Apple Watch and the rest of its ecosystem, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), on June 9 in Cupertino, California. While the updates are likely already finalized, that doesn’t mean we can’t put a few wish list items out into the universe and hope they’ll stick.
The competition for your health data has gotten fierce with competitors like Google, Oura and Samsung leaning harder into AI coaching and preventive care so this would be a good time for Apple to remind us why its smartwatch is still at the top of the wearable game despite a drop in sales. Apple Watch sales are reportedly down 19% in 2024.
I’ve teamed up with longtime Apple Watch users and fellow CNET editors to round up the most requested features we hope to see in WatchOS 12, along with a few rumors we’ve dug up. We haven’t ruled out Inspector Gadget-style FaceTime calls from your wrist yet but since that’s not exactly on the radar, we’re keeping this wishlist within the realm of possibility for 2025.
Watch this: WatchOS 12 Wishlist: Top features we want on the Apple Watch
Improved battery life
A long battery life may not sound as exciting as some of the flashier features on this list but it easily wins the popularity contest among our editors (myself included). We didn’t have a wish list when the Apple Watch launched a decade ago but if we had, I’d bet battery life would’ve been at the top — because that’s how long we’ve been asking for it.
CNET editor-at-large Scott Stein wants a longer battery life and faster charging, especially if Apple wants people to really take advantage of sleep tracking.
The Series 10 charges faster than earlier Apple Watches but the battery lasts the same length of time.
A dream scenario would be for the regular Apple Watch and SE version to have the same three-day battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. But software alone can’t work miracles; it still has to operate within the limits of the physical battery. So we’d settle for incremental improvements and optimizations to WatchOS 12 that minimize how much power gets used. That could come in the form of smarter battery-saving modes that automatically kick in when power-hungry features aren’t needed or a more efficient bedtime mode that doesn’t leave the battery drained by morning.
At a prequel to its developer’s conference, Google announced that its own Wear OS 6 will boost battery life by up to 10 percent. It’s not a huge leap, but it’s a welcome one — and a good reminder that meaningful improvements are possible through software alone.
UI tweaks and customization
Apple’s come a long way with letting us customize the Apple Watch’s UI but there’s still room for improvements. The app list, for example, is in desperate need of a refresh. You’re still limited to viewing it as either a grid or list and there’s no way to organize apps by how you actually use them. CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland suggests adding options to sort by favorites or most used to cut down on the endless scrolling it takes to find what you need.
Grid view and list view are still the only two options to sort apps on the watch.
Watch faces are another area that still feels locked down compared to other platforms like Wear OS. It’s a long-standing request from Stein, who’s been asking for a watch face store since reviewing the original Apple Watch in 2015. We’ve gotten a lot more watch face options since then with customizable widgets and design features but you’re still limited by the templates Apple provides.
CNET health editor Anna Gragert also suggested more watch face collections by artists from underrepresented communities, similar to what the company did with the Black Unity watch at the beginning of the year.
This one’s more of a rumor than a request, but Apple may be taking a cue from Google and refreshing the entire watchOS interface design. A recent Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman suggests that Apple’s revamp could borrow elements from the UI of its Vision Pro headset’s operating system, visionOS. The redesign would focus on translucent bubbles, glasslike effects and softer aesthetics.
Gestures that go further
Apple first introduced gesture control with WatchOS 10 and the Series 9 and Ultra 2, and it’s been gradually expanding the feature ever since. Now that we’ve had a taste of what one-handed control feels like, we’re ready for more.
CNET senior writer Jeff Carlson admitted he was skeptical of gesture controls at first: “Before I got a Series 10, I thought it was a dubious addition,” he said. “But I use it a lot (especially turning off timers) and want more control than just ‘highlight the main control’ or ‘scroll down the Smart Stack.'”
I’m right there with him. I’d like more gestures beyond the double pinch and the ability to program a gesture to ping my iPhone, because nine times out of 10, I’m rushing out the door with my hands full and don’t have a spare hand to tap the screen.
Apple Intelligence features
The Apple Watch is still notably AI-free — and that might not be a bad thing. The reality is, while the Watch is powerful, it doesn’t yet have the processing muscle to handle Apple Intelligence tasks on its own. But that doesn’t mean it can’t lean on the iPhone for a few features we’d love to see make their way over.
One of the top ones on my list? Genmoji. The ability to create your own emoji on the fly feels like it belongs on your wrist. Apple already brought Memojis and Animojis to the Watch, so this would be a natural next step that would bring more personality to text messages or replace the need for text altogether.
Genmoji uses Apple Intelligence to create custom emojis from prompts.
And while we’re on the subject of Apple Intelligence, the Watch could benefit from a smarter approach to notifications. Notification summaries on the iPhone are still hit-or-miss, but on a tiny screen they could actually be more helpful if done right. The current notification layout on the Watch feels crowded, and it’s hard to separate the important alerts from the rest of the noise.
Spam handling on the watch is another area that could use attention. “I’d like to be able to delete and report spam texts and calls the way you can in Messages or Phone on the iPhone — preferably right from the notification,” says Carlson. Right now, blocking a sender on the Watch requires several steps which defeats the purpose of having quick interactions on the wrist.
Smarter Siri
Offline Siri has been a welcome improvement (Series 9 and later). But even offline, Siri is not the brightest bulb. And Apple’s voice assistant is long overdue for an upgrade.
At the very least, it would be great if Siri could understand requests on the first try. But as this is a wish list, why not ask for more? Smarter, more context-aware responses would make Siri far more useful, especially if the assistant can tap into its new Apple Intelligence tools. And please: fewer website links as answers. I’m not about to open a full webpage on my wrist.
Customizable workouts
I also wish the Apple Watch had a way for me to flag external factors like weight or resistance that could impact workout metrics. This could be running or walking with a weighted vest, which in my case is a human child on a harness, or pushing a stroller while on a run.
Heart rate zone view lets you see the intensity of your workout as it’s happening but it’s up to you to interpret.
Right now, there’s no way to flag added weight or resistance to your workout beyond changing your weight in the settings. So instead the Watch just assumes I’m out of shape when my heart rate spikes higher than average as I’m hiking uphill with an additional 35lbs on my back. I’d like to get the extra calorie credits on my move ring, thank you very much.
Smarter coaching for fitness and sleep
The Apple Watch gives us plenty of training tools for heart rate zones, activity rings, VO2 max, and more. But turning all that data into a personalized training plan still feels daunting. I’d love to see a smarter, more proactive coaching system: something that could tell me, in real time, how many minutes I should aim to stay in each heart rate zone to hit my goal. Even better would be a dynamic workout plan that adjusts based on my calendar and energy levels that day.
The same goes for sleep. It’s nice to see my sleep stages but what am I supposed to do with that information? What’s the ideal balance of REM versus deep sleep and how do I improve it?
The Apple Watch added sleep tracking to its list of metrics and can now track sleep stages.
Gragert would also like to see the Apple Watch take a cue from other wearables and offer energy and sleep scores based on the data it collects.
The sleep coach would then help interpret the data and give tangible recommendations on how to improve toward better recovery and energy. And no, the current bedtime reminder doesn’t count. That’s just a glorified alarm and a pretty annoying one at that.
Smarter vitals and health coaching
We’re already seeing Apple bring more health data together on the Watch, thanks to the Vitals app, which combines metrics like heart rate, sleep, respiratory rate and skin temperature. But for now, it’s still up to us to figure out what that data actually means and what to do with it.
The Vitals app is the same on the Series 10 and the Ultra 2.
What’s next? Apple could take a similar approach to what it already does with heart rate notifications. The Watch alerts you when your heart rate is too high or too low — now imagine that same kind of proactive insight but for your overall vitals.
Other wearables are already heading in that direction. The Oura Ring, for example, uses a Symptom Radar that can flag when your body shows signs of strain, like when you might be getting sick.That kind of heads up landing on your wrist first thing in the morning could help you plan your day better and maybe call in sick to the office before you drag your coworkers down with you.
Rumor has it some of this smart coaching is already well underway. According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a top secret project code named “Project Mulberry” which seeks to revamp the Health app with smart coaching and personalized recommendations. Just don’t make me pay for another subscription please.
We’ll find out what Apple actually has in store for us on June 10 during WWDC. Until then, there’s nothing stopping us from dreaming big.
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