Yesterday, Apple released watchOS 2, the first major software update for the Apple Watch since the watch was first released about five months ago. With watchOS 2, the Apple Watch feels more complete, with lots of features that seemed to be missing in the past. For example, you can now use the Apple Watch to reply to an email. I've found it very useful to reply to text messages on the watch, so I suspect that I'll use this feature quite a bit too. You have the ability to dictate a reply, but I suspect it will be far more useful to tap one of the default replies. Apple includes some common useful replies such as "Let me get back to you" and "Got it, thanks" and "Working on this now." You also have the ability to create your own default replies.
But I think that the big new feature in watchOS 2 will be the better support for third party apps. Because the update just came out yesterday, we'll have to wait and see how third parties take advantage of the new features. Third party apps should be faster since they can now run natively on the watch. Also, I'm really looking forward to seeing third parties take advantage of the opportunity to add their own complications to a watch face. I'm sure that developers will come up with some creative and useful complications that provide features on the watch face that Apple doesn't provide. And if you use your Apple Watch when you workout, third parties will be able to make their own workout apps that can use the same live health sensor data (such as your heart rate) that the built-in Workout app uses, plus you can use those third party apps and still get credit on your Activity circles.
Speaking of working out with an Apple Watch, it is now much faster to start a workout. Instead of taking the time to find the Workout app, launch it, and then press the correct buttons to start a workout, you can now use Siri both to launch the app and to start the workout. Just activate Siri on the watch (hold down the Digital Crown for a second) and say something like "Start outdoor run workout" and the workout begins, without you having to press any other buttons. It's nice to be able to get right in to your workout without fiddling with the watch.
As someone who uses Apple's HomeKit technology (I have Lutron Caséta Wireless Dimmers installed in some of the rooms in my house), I'm thrilled that Siri on the Apple Watch can now control HomeKit. I can just tell my watch to turn on, or dim, lights in different rooms in my house, even if my iPhone is on the other side of the house. Not only is it useful, but also it feels like magic.
If you want to get more details on everything that is new in watchOS 2, I recommend the review of watchOS 2 that Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote. Also useful is Apple's own webpage devoted to watch OS 2, this short overview from Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, and the list of new features compiled by Christian Zibreg of iDownloadBlog. And here is Serenity Caldwell of iMore's list of her ten favorite watchOS 2 features.
I'll warn you that the update process wasn't as smooth for me as I would have liked. During my first attempt to update my watch, the process seemed to just hang when my iPhone was at the stage of verifying the update (before putting the new software on the watch). I had to restart my iPhone and Apple Watch and try again. Fortunately, the second time worked fine.
There's lots that is new today in watchOS 2, but perhaps most of all, I'm really excited to see what will be new on the Apple Watch in the coming weeks and months as third party app developers come up with innovative ways to take advantage of the powerful new tools that Apple has given them in watchOS 2. If you own an Apple Watch, you should upgrade.