Apple Enhances watchOS with AI-Driven Features, Including Real-Time Translation

Apple’s watchOS is set to receive exciting AI-powered upgrades, as announced during the Apple Event 2024 on Monday. While many of these features were originally unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple provided additional insights during its keynote today.

One of the key additions in watchOS 11 is the Translate app. Similar to its functionality on other devices, this app will utilize AI for speech recognition and translation across multiple languages.

With the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra, users can enjoy offline translation capabilities, as these models have sufficient storage to download the required language models. Up to 20 language models can be downloaded at once, allowing for seamless conversation translations on-the-go.

Another enhancement is the improvement of Smart Stack, a feature within watchOS that utilizes contextual data to display relevant widgets. Smart Stack will soon automatically introduce new widgets “when you need them,” likely considering variables such as the time of day and your current location.

Lastly, watchOS 11 introduces a new “Photos” watch face that applies machine learning to identify and curate images from your library, personalizing your watch experience.

Updated September 7, 4:47 p.m. Pacific with details about offline translation.