Apple's watchOS 11 is here with sleep apnea detection

Sleep apnea notifications are now available in more than 150 countries.
By Stan Schroeder  on 
Apple Watch
Most of the new features in watchOS 11 are in the health and fitness category. Credit: Apple

Apple's watchOS 11 is now available for download, brining sleep apnea notifications to users for the first time.

The publicly available version of watchOS 11 comes after several beta variants, with most of the new features focusing on health and fitness.

Perhaps the most interesting among them is sleep apnea detection, a feature that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved for Apple, and which the company announced at its Sept. 9 event. Apple says it uses the Watch's accelerometer to detect small movements at the wrist during sleep, which are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns (the metric Apple is using for this is called Breathing Disturbances). Apple then uses this data to notify the user if it identifies signs of sleep apnea.

The feature works on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra, and is available in more than 150 countries and regions, including the U.S. and the EU.

Mashable Top Stories
Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.
Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!

Apple's new watchOS 10 also brings a new app called Vitals, which gives the user an overview of their daily health status, as well as a metric called training load (visible in the Activity and Vitals apps) which shows how the user's workouts are affecting their body over time.

Other new features include more customization options for Activity rings, a more personalized Smart Stack, the new Tides app for those who enjoy open water activities, and more info for users who log a pregnancy in the Health app.

Apple Watch
New Watch Faces: The redesigned Photos face, Flux, and Reflections. Credit: Apple

There's a couple of new features that aren't health or fitness related, too, such as the Translate app being available on the Watch for the first time, as well as three new Watch faces: a redesigned Photos face, the Flux face, and the Reflections face.

The new watchOS 11 is available as a free upgrade for Apple Watch Series 6 and later, provided you have an iPhone Xs or later running iOS 18.

Stan Schroeder
Stan Schroeder
Senior Editor

Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.


Recommended For You
Apple Watch Series 10 introduces a new sleep apnea feature
A zoomed in shot of a beating cartoon heart on an Apple Watch screen.

WatchOS 11.1 beta retracted after reports of bricked Apple Watch devices
Apple Watch Series 9 on a man's wrist


5 AI-powered apps to improve your sleep
By Christian de Looper
A person sleeping in bed.

Apple Watch 10: Everything we know so far, including blood pressure monitor rumor
Apple Watch Series 9

More in Life

The best Cyber Monday deals still live in 2024
A colorful Black Friday background with an Apple watch, Hisense TV, iRobot vacuum, Microsoft 2-in-1 laptop, and Apple AirPods.

Samsung still has its 'buy one, get one free' sale on Odyssey gaming monitors going on now
By Mashable Shopping
samsung gaming monitors on blue background with badge that reads 'black friday cyber monday'

Cyber Monday is over, but these deals are still live at Amazon
pink and orange background with amazon logo

The gorgeous 'Wicked'-edition Shark FlexStyle is 25% off post-Cyber Monday
hand holding Shark FlexStyle Wicked edition with teal and purple background

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: Hints, answers for December 3, 2024
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

Tesla suspends Cybertruck production. Who could have predicted this?
Tesla vehicles, including Cybertrucks, loaded on a transport that seems to be going nowhere.

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 4, 2024
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 3
a phone displaying Wordle

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 2, 2024
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!