Apple’s next smartwatch might enable temperature sensing and is also slated to get new software tricks, but the ability to measure blood pressure is delayed.
Apple is reportedly prepping a smorgasbord of exciting new features and capabilities for the Apple Watch in the coming years. As per a Bloomberg report, Apple is planning to add new features targeting sleep, fitness, and medication management for women. The Workout app for Apple Watch is touted to get new metrics and support for more exercise types. A body temperature sensor is also said to be in the pipeline, and might appear on the Apple Watch Series 8 slated to arrive this fall. Per a report from The Wall Street Journal, the temperature sensing-capability will come in handy for fertility management, telling women about the state of their ovulation cycle. The company also aims to use it for fever detection. Interestingly, the body-temperature sensor likely won’t tell the temperature reading, and will only alert about variations in body temperature compared to normal levels. There are also plans for adding support for third-party blood glucose meters to the Health app. With the WatchOS 9 update that will likely be detailed at WWDC in June, Apple also plans to improve the atrial fibrillation (AFib) sensing system that warns Apple Watch users about irregular heart rhythms.
