Apple TV and Apple Watch owners received some new software goodies this morning in the form of tvOS 12 and watchOS 5, coinciding with the public launch of iOS 12.
While tvOS 12 only contains a couple of changes with new screensavers and Dolby Atmos support, watchOS 5 packs some big updates that make wearing an Apple Watch even more useful by turning it into a walkie-talkie, letting you compete with friends and more.
Check out some of the new features:
New stuff in watchOS 5
watchOS 5 makes fitness more competitive by allowing you to challenge friends who share their fitness with other Apple Watch wearers. You can challenge someone for 7 days and watch their progress to see who’s winning
Surfing the web is also made possible with webKit support, letting you view web content from your wrist. Full web browsing on your wrist doesn’t make sense, but for short things, it’s handy to be able to see something really quick while on the go.
To keep wearers more connected, watchOS 5 adds a walkie-talkie mode. You can add friends with an Apple Watch. Then all you have to do is open the app, push to talk, and it sends the message to your friends over WiFi or LTE.
The Siri watch face got some new improvements too with sports scores, maps and heart rate data. Third-party apps finally supported on the watch face. Siri Shortcuts are also going to be available on watchOS.
Podcasts are available on Apple Watch now too. Episodes to your subscribed shows are automatically added to your watch. Student ID cards have been added as well. It only works at a few campuses but you’ll be able to pay for meals, unlock rooms and more.
