This fall, your Apple gear will look a bit different. Your iPhone home screen will look more like an Android phone and your Apple Watch will start nudging you to wash your hands in order to prevent COVID-19 spread.
These new development were on the agenda at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), an annual event that takes place every year in a conference hall with developers and press. However, this year, it went online, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives streaming online to announce new developments.
Cook touted the support of racial justice and thanked frontline health workers who are handling COVID-19 patients.
Apple announced long-discussed plans to shift Mac computers away from Intel processors, which could mean Macs with longer battery life and other advantages. Among the new developments, are hand-washing nudges on Apple Watch and privacy ‘nutrition labels.’
A hand-washing alert on your Apple Watch is a feature made just for the ongoing pandemic, which is a gentle nudge to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
With the new updates, your watch will lookout for the signs you are at a sink and the way you move your hands to the sound of water swooshing by. Your Apple Watch will give you a countdown to make sure you spend the cleaning time as recommended.
Another development is the improved privacy with ‘nutrition labels.’ You can also track your sleep on the Apple Watch. You can activate it by choosing your ideal time to go to bed and the time you want to wake up. However, unlike other sleep-tracking devices, the Apple Watch app will not track your sleep cycles or tell you whether you were restless. The Apple Watch will also track dancing because it is totally one kind of exercise.
