After years of steady, iterative updates to watchOS, last year, Apple dropped one of their most significant releases in years with watchOS 10. The design language was updated for all of their first-party apps, watch faces were upgraded to take full advantage of the larger screens on current models, and the Smart Stack was introduced to make glanceable information much easier to access. To make way for the Smart Stack, Apple also reassigned the Digital Crown and side button to new functions. These changes, along with the usual updates for health and fitness, made for a release that every Apple Watch user took note of.
The awkward recalibrating of muscle memory aside (I still very occasionally swipe up on my watch face to try and reveal the Control Center), it was an excellent update. My only worry coming out of it was that Apple would dust off their hands, reassign lots of their talent to something else, and go back to the usual, iterative, health- and fitness-focused updates with watchOS 11.
Thankfully, that was far from the case. Not only has Apple made some solid updates to the Apple Watch hardware line this year, but they’ve also enhanced and added to the software in ways that signal they are far from done.
The question is, are these changes going to enhance your daily use of Apple’s most personal device, or are they just, well, changes?
I’m excited to dive into this question in my first watchOS review for MacStories, but before I do, I want to thank Alex for his years of excellent watchOS coverage. I hope I can live up to the standards he set.
Right, let’s do this.
Exclusive Extras & Support MacStories
eBooks, Wallpapers, and Illustrated macOS Screen Saver
We’re taking a different approach with paid extras for this year’s OS reviews. First of all, we’ve created a special eBook version of my watchOS 11 review for Club MacStories Plus and Premier members, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
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That eBook is joined by eBook versions of the macOS Sequoia and visionOS 2 reviews for Club MacStories Plus and Premier members and the eBook version of Federico’s iOS and iPadOS 18 review, which is available to all Club MacStories members.
But there’s even more, so we’ve teamed up with our friend Chris Lawley who created a trailer that describes everything you can unlock:
So, to sum up:
You can unlock the eBook version of this review, all of our other reviews, the wallpapers, and macOS screen saver by joining Club MacStories Plus or Club Premier using the buttons below:
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Scout’s illustrations are gorgeous, and they make for some amazing wallpapers. The screen saver is remarkable, too: since the illustrations were hand-drawn in Procreate (which automatically generates a time-lapse of the entire process), we were able to create a screen saver (developed by James Thomson) that makes the artwork come alive on your Mac’s display.
The macOS screen saver.
Or, if all you want is the eBook of Federico’s iOS and iPadOS 18 review, you can simply join Club MacStories with a $5/month or $50/year Club MacStories plan using the buttons below:
Now more than ever, an indie publication such as MacStories depends on income from members who want to directly support what we do. As always, though, we aim to provide as much value as we can in return. If you want to support MacStories and our ongoing efforts to team up with creatives such as Scout and James, I hope you’ll consider signing up for a Club membership and unlock all the extra perks we’ve prepared this year.
For more details on all the extras, membership plans, and release schedule of other digital downloads, you can refer to our standalone article here.
As a Club MacStories+ or Premier member, you can access an exclusive watchOS 11 Review eBook. Available today, the eBook version is the best way to read this review offline using any EPUB reader. The book is fully interactive with all the images and links you’ll find on MacStories, and it looks great in Apple’s Books app. The eBook version can be downloaded in the members-only Downloads area here.
Club MacStories+ and Club Premier
With a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier subscription, you’ll get access to even more year-round perks. You can join Club MacStories+, which starts at $10/month or choose the best value by subscribing to Club Premier, which starts at $12/month and adds AppStories+, the extended, ad-free of our flagship podcast, to a long list of other perks like our Discord community, exclusive monthly columns from Federico and John, advanced web search and filtering of Club content, and much more.
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