watchOS 11 brings Live Activities to the Apple Watch

June 14, 2024

2 min read

As we previously covered, watchOS 11 brings new fitness and health features to the Apple Watch. However, the update also comes with some welcome changes, such as the addition of Live Activities. First introduced with iOS 16, Live Activities are now coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 11.

Live Activities coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 11

With Live Activities, apps can show real-time information right from the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island. “For apps with frequent content and status updates that go beyond the existing push notification system, Live Activities can be a more flexible way to keep people updated about live events, activities, or tasks,” Apple describes the feature.

With watchOS 11, Apple is bringing Live Activities to the Apple Watch in a smart way. That’s because the Watch mirrors the iPhone’s Live Activities. The process happens automatically when there’s a Live Activity running on the iPhone paired to the Watch. This is great news since not every iOS app has a watchOS version.

On the Apple Watch, Live Activities are shown in the Smart Stack, which can be accessed by rotating the Digital Crown upwards. However, the system automatically shows you the Smart Stack with Live Activity at the top when there’s a new status update.

For developers who want to take more advantage of this feature, Apple provides APIs with watchOS 11 to customize Live Activities with a specific look and feel for the Apple Watch.

watchOS 11 will be available to the public this fall. A developer beta is now available, while a public beta will be released next month. The update requires an Apple Watch Series 6 or later.