Attention Apple Users! Your Watch Will Likely Get A Radical Software Overhaul

Apple, Inc. AAPL Watch is likely to get one of the biggest software updates, since the launch of its original version in 2015.

What Happened: With WatchOS 10, the next iteration of the Apple Watch operating system, the company plans to bring back widgets, which were part of the earliest versions of the watch but discontinued after just a few years, wrote Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman on Sunday.

Cupertino now wants widgets as a central part of the interface, Gurman wrote.

The updated software will be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, the columnist added.

Why Is The Widget Back? The new widgets system will be a combination of the old watchOS Glances system and the style of the widgets that were introduced in iOS 14 on the iPhone, Gurman wrote.

"The plan is to let users scroll through a series of different widgets — for activity tracking, weather, stock tickers, calendar appointments and more — rather than having them launch apps," the columnist explained.

The new interface, according to Gurman, will be similar to the Siri watch face that was introduced in WatchOS 4 but will be available as an overlay for any watch face.

Apple is also testing altering functions of some of the watch buttons as part of the overhaul, Gurman wrote, noting that the watch’s Digital Crown will likely be used to open up widgets instead of launching the home screen.

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Revving Up Apps: Gurman noted that, even after seven years of the first watch’s launch, Apple Watch apps have barely caught on. The company also hasn't gotten enough third-party developers on board, he added.

With WatchOS 10, Apple will look to give users what they want, with even quicker access to bits of information, Gurman wrote. The company might make the interface optional, at least to start with, he noted. This is because the newest software may be jarring for some longtime Apple Watch users, he explained

Gurman wrote that the software update is likely to be the most significant change to the Apple Watch this year since major hardware changes were implemented in 2022. The columnist also expects the new WatchOS 10 to take advantage of the Apple Watch Ultra’s larger, flatter display.

"The current crop of apps and watch faces don't feel like they were optimized for the Ultra's additional real estate," he wrote.

Apple closed Friday's session up 0.75% at $169.68, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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