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Pandora iOS update adds offline playback for Apple Watch
Pandora just became more commute friendly for Apple Watch users. The music streaming service has updated its iOS app and added offline playback for the wearable, apparently due to popular demand. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to access the new feature without the need for a phone, since it's exclusively available to paying customers. They'll have to be a Pandora Plus (for $5 a month) or Premium (for $10 a month) subscriber to be able enjoy offline content on the Watch. In addition, they'll have to upgrade to watchOS 5 to be able to install the update.
OhMiBod debuts an Apple Watch app for its remote vibrators
OhMiBod's power to let folks connect with one another from opposite ends of the internet just got a little bit bigger. The company has announced that it is building both an Apple Watch app, something it originally pledged to do back in 2015, as well as an Alexa Skill for its pleasure products. Apple Watch users will be able to use their heart rate -- via the Pulse feature -- to control the intensity of its Bluetooth-enabled vibrators.
AT&T portable battery will charge both your Apple Watch and iPhone
Apple's AirPower charging mat may be a no-show, but that doesn't mean you're out of luck if you want a multi-device charger from a big-name brand. Entries at both the FCC and the Wireless Power Consortium have revealed that AT&T is working on the Power Drum, a portable wireless charger and battery bank meant to top up both an Apple Watch and a recent iPhone (or really, any Qi-compatible smartphone). While the concept isn't completely novel, it's very compact -- the biggest issue is the 3,000mAh battery, which could handle an overnight stay but not much more.
Apple Watch 4's ECG feature is rolling out today
The Apple Watch 4 stole the show at the Apple event in September, in large part due to its built-in electrocardiogram (ECG). The smartwatch was touted as the first consumer device to pack the function -- which goes one further from detecting a low heart rate to sense a dangerous condition known as an atrial fibrillation. Fast forward almost three months, and The Verge reports that the feature is available today courtesy of the latest watchOS update (5.1.2.), along with an irregular rate notification feature for Apple Watches going back to Series 1.
Apple reportedly extends Watch return period for heart feature issues
Apple is reportedly extending its Apple Watch refund window from two weeks to 45 days -- but only for returns related to heart health features, including the upcoming electrocardiogram app on Apple Watch Series 4. You'll have to make such refund requests through Apple Support rather than in Apple Stores after the usual 14 days, according to an internal document MacRumors obtained.
The next watchOS update will reportedly include the ECG app
One of the main features Apple announced for Apple Watch Series 4 was an electrocardiogram app, which could help you detect an irregular heart rhythm. While it wasn't included with the Watch Series 4 at release, nor in last month's watchOS update, it appears the app will arrive soon.
The best smartwatches and fitness trackers to give as gifts
With the arrival of Apple Watch Series 4 and Google's redesigned Wear OS platform, this is a great year to give the gift of smartwatches. If money is no object, Apple's latest-generation wearable ($399 and up) is a good all-around choice for anyone in your life who carries an iPhone. It has a bigger screen than its predecessors, longer battery life and expanded heart-rate monitoring features that let the wearer know if their BPM is too high or too low. You might also consider Samsung's similarly priced Galaxy Watch instead of the Series 4 if you're buying for an Android user (especially consummate Samsung fans).
Spotify officially debuts its Apple Watch app
That didn't take long -- mere days after it became clear Spotify was testing an Apple Watch app, that client is now available to the masses. The streaming music giant has updated its iOS app with an Apple Watch app that can control the service from your wrist. It currently doesn't serve as much more than a glorified remote with playlist selection, track skipping and other basics, although it will let you choose to stream music on Spotify Connect-aware devices. However, there's more on the horizon.
Nike+ Run Club update enlists Siri as your exercise motivator
Nike has updated its iOS Run Club app to add a couple of features encouraging you to run more. The app's latest version features Siri Suggestions integration, which means your iOS Spotlights will urge you to put on your running shoes based on your previous activities. If you typically run an hour or so before heading to work, for instance, you'll start seeing the Nike+ Run Club app as an app suggestion every morning, making it harder to skip when you don't really have a legit reason.
Apple releases watchOS 5.1.1 after previous update bricked devices
Apple has released its latest watchOS update, after the previous release caused a bricking issue on some Apple Watches. The watchOS 5.1.1 update seems to resolve the problem that led the company to pull version 5.1 soon after releasing it last week.
Smartwatch shipments grow 67 percent in Q3 thanks to Apple and Fitbit
The smartwatch market doesn't show any signs of slowing down, and it might have just hit a major milestone in the process. Strategy Analytics estimates that smartwatch shipments grew a whopping 67 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2018, with 10 million devices heading out the door. The frontrunner won't surprise you -- Apple is believed to have shipped 4.5 million watches (nearly a million more than last year) thanks to the debut of its overhauled Series 4. Fitbit proved to be the real upstart, through, jumping from zero to 1.5 million thanks mostly to the Versa.
Spotify begins testing Apple Watch app
A year and a half later, Spotify is following through on its plans to make an official Apple Watch app. The streaming music provider has released a test version of its iOS client that includes a companion app for Apple's wearable. To call it basic would be an understatement, mind you. You can control playback from your phone, and that's about it -- for now, you'll have to set aside your dreams of listening to an offline playlist while you're at the gym.
Stanford outlines its massive Apple Watch heart rate study
The Apple Heart Study Stanford launched back in 2017 has garnered so much interest that it was able get 400,000 volunteers. Now, the researchers have revealed the finer details about the study, including what the testers can expect. To start with, each participant has to have access to an Apple Watch (series 1, 2 or 3) and an iPhone, because the trial is meant to examine whether the wearable can accurately detect atrial fibrillation (AFib) or irregular heartbeats.
Apple investigating reports of student workers in factories (again)
Apple is investigating reports that one of its parts suppliers is illegally using high school students on its assembly line. Hong Kong-based human rights group Sacom alleges that Taiwanese manufacturer Quanta Computer has been skirting labor laws by using teenage "interns" to assemble the Apple Watch Series 4.
Apple now offers a USB-C Watch charger
The iPhone XR made its entrance today, but that's not the only new product available in the Apple Store. The company also introduced a USB-C charger for the Apple Watch. Up until now, the only official option for charging your Apple Watch was a USB-A cable, which made it difficult if you wanted to charge directly from your late 2016 and on MacBook Pro. If you're interested in picking up the cable, it will set you back the same as the USB-A Apple Watch one: $29.
Spotify releases official, and much-needed, app for Google's Wear OS
You'll now be able to bring your music volume down to one percent (when ads start) without having to take out your phone, as Spotify has announced a new app for Google Wear OS. That's not to say there was never a Spotify app for Android wearables. A Spotify app did launch for Android wear, but wasn't regularly updated. It got to the point that third-party apps were being released to give Android wear fans a more usable Spotify experience.
Skydio's follow-me drone takes commands from your Apple Watch
Skydio's highly autonomous R1 drone is already mostly hands-free. Now, however, you might not need something in your hands even when you do take control. It's releasing an Apple Watch app for the R1 that offers basic control in those moments when you'd rather not pull out your phone. You can tell it to follow one of the people it sees by tapping on a thumbnail, switch between cinematic modes and even turn the drone by spinning the crown. You won't be piloting the R1 with the same dexterity as on your phone, but it promises to be a lot faster for those moments when you just want to make a quick tweak to the flight path.
The Apple Watch is being used to study joint replacement patients
As part of its latest healthcare-focused venture, Apple has teamed up with Zimmer Biomet on an app designed for knee and hip replacement patients. The app, called mymobility, works with the Apple Watch and iPhone, and it provides patients with guidance before and after their surgeries, tracks their activity, allows surgeons to monitor that activity and lets patients connect with their surgeons through secure messaging.
Apple donates 1,000 watches to eating disorder study
The use of Apple Watches in medical studies now includes research into eating disorders. Apple is donating 1,000 smartwatches to a University of North Carolina study (the Binge Eating Genetics Initiative, or BEGIN) that will help understand bulimia nervosa patients and others with binge eating behavior. The wristwear will track heart rates over a month-long period to see if there are any spikes ahead of binging incidents. If there are, it might be possible to alert caregivers and patients before these acts take place.
Apple Watch daylight saving bug leaves Series 4 devices in a loop
Apple is still grappling with daylight saving time issues after all these years. Some Australian Apple Watch Series 4 owners have reported that their devices are stuck in reboot loops after the country switched to DST this weekend. Apparently, the Activity complication on the Series 4's Infograph Modular face doesn't know how to handle a day that's an hour short -- so long as that complication is active, the smartwatch crashes and restarts until it runs out of power.
