watchOS 7 will remind you to wash your hands properly

Nothing screams sign of the times quite like having a necessary and "handy" new feature coming to watchOS 7. During its WWDC 2020 announcement, Apple revealed that it'll be using machine learning to determine when you are washing your hands. When it detects that you are, it'll then set a 20-second timer that you'll see show up as you wash your hands. If you stop before the 20 seconds are over, it'll remind you to continue. You'll also see and feel when you've completed your handwashing. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging on, this feature is a much-needed one.

But that isn't all that's coming to watchOS 7. It's also finally getting sleep-tracking features as well as a new Wind Down mode to help you get to bed on time. It can even help power down your device for you and set your Apple Watch to dim, so it doesn't disturb your sleep. When you wake up, you'll see a visualization of your night's sleep, which includes the times when you're awake or asleep and your weekly sleep trends.

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These iPhone, Apple Watch models will support CarKey

One of the newest features of iOS 14 turns your iPhone (or Apple Watch) into a car key. This CarKey feature is coming to iOS 14 and even iOS 13 users, allowing you to lock, unlock, and start compatible cars. But just because your device runs on iOS 14 or watchOS 7 doesn't mean it can support it.

CarKey makes use of NFC technology to communicate with the car. During the initial process, the iPhone or Apple Watch needs to be placed on top of the NFC reader in the car. It'll be accessible via the Wallet app. Once set up, CarKey should work without having to unlock your device or open any app. But that means your device needs Background Tag Reading tech, which is only available on the iPhone XR and later. And so this feature will only work with the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and iPhone SE (2nd-gen).

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Apple Watch might be able to detect your blood oxygen levels

Aside from being able to detect irregular heartbeats, the Apple Watch might be able to monitor your blood oxygen levels, too. Tipsters talking to 9to5Mac discovered this feature by looking at iOS 14 code snippets. The wearable could let you know if your blood's oxygen saturation falls below the threshold. 

Blood oxygen levels between 95% and 100% are considered healthy. If you hit below 80%, you might suffer from compromised heart and brain functionality. There's a risk of respiratory or cardiac arrest after continued low blood oxygen saturation.

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Apple Watch patent shows possible addition of Touch ID

A recently discovered patent application hints at Apple Watch possibly getting in-display Touch ID for an additional level of security. The patent refers to "a touch sensing device, force-sensing device, temperature-sensing device, and/or fingerprint sensor" that can be placed behind the screen. It doesn't seem like a far off idea given that the Apple Watch already supports Apple Pay.

The patent describes having the wireless antennas on the watch moved to the strap so there will be room for more components under the screen. There is a caveat there, though. Moving components like Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth to the strap might affect its uses, given the wear and tear as well as the customizability Apple offers. But this is just a patent, so perhaps it might not see the light of day.

Source: TechRadar