Apple Adds AI Features to WatchOS, Including Translation

Apple introduces AI-powered features in the latest watchOS update, enhancing functionality with new translation capabilities

Apple disclosed several AI-powered enhancements to its watchOS during its Apple Event 2024 on Monday.

Most of the information was disclosed at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June; however, Apple provided additional details during its keynote this morning.

The most recent iteration of watchOS, watchOS 11, will feature the Translate application.

Translate will employ artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate speech recognition and translation in various languages, similar to other platforms.

Translate can function without a phone connection on the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra.

According to Apple, these are the sole Apple Watch models with sufficient storage capacity to download the requisite language models. Users are permitted to download a maximum of 20 models simultaneously.

Smart Stack, a feature of watchOS that utilizes contextual information to display pertinent elements, is also being enhanced by AI.

Apple has announced that Smart Stack will soon incorporate new elements “when you require them,” which will likely be determined by factors such as your location and the time of day.

WatchOS 11 introduces a new “photos” watch face that employs machine learning to identify and organize photos from your library in a final AI-powered improvement.