- As part of WatchOS 11, Apple Watch will now be able to pause Activity Rings
- This will allow users to rest for as long as they need without interrupting their streak.
Apple has finally updated the Apple Watch with a feature that health-conscious users have been asking for.
As part of the WatchOS 11 update announced at WWDC, Apple Watch users will finally be able to schedule rest days.
This feature will allow users to pause their activity rings for a day, week, month or more without losing their hard-earned streak.
Apple fans welcomed the change, saying it would give them more flexibility to take a break without feeling guilty for not closing their Activity rings.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans called the feature their favorite WWDC update, with one saying the change was “a small thing, but for us obsessives, very nice indeed” .
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Apple Watch Activity Rings aim to motivate people to move and exercise more by providing a game-like challenge.
Users set goals for how many calories they want to burn, how much exercise they want to do, and how long they want to stand each day.
By achieving all of your goals, you can “close” your rings and add a string of successful days.
Studies have shown that this type of “gamification” can help promote healthy physical activity, improve mental health and combat sedentary lifestyles.
But the same gaming features that help people move can also create unhealthy pressure to maintain a continuous streak.
Because even missing an afternoon of walking due to illness, travel, or exhaustion can interrupt a months-long streak, some users report feeling guilty or frustrated when they need to rest.
But with the upcoming WatchOS 11 update, users will finally be able to schedule rest days when they need them without losing their footage.
In a statement, Apple said: “Whether users are planning a day off from their workout, are injured, or simply need a day off, they now have the ability to pause their rings for a day, a week, a month or more. ‘
While regular training is important for losing weight or building strength, rest days are just as essential to your long-term health.
Rest days not only help you avoid injuries from overtraining, but they can also give muscles time to repair and get stronger.
Constantly overtraining when your body needs rest can lead to fatigue and stress, making your workouts less effective overall.
This means that giving people the ability to schedule rest as part of their training could be a big help to those who want to stay healthy for longer.
And on social networks, Apple fans enthusiastically welcome this long-awaited change.
One commenter wrote on
The user added that “having to reset a long streak while I had COVID was the most frustrating thing.”
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Another user added: “I think my favorite Apple update is being able to pause Apple Watch ringtones.”
They add that as someone who struggles with an eating disorder: “I feel like sometimes my watch can be a bit triggering and make me feel guilty about resting.”
While another commenter wrote: “You can finally pause your ringtones on Apple Watch – like you’re taking a day off, if you’re sick or something.”
To make things more flexible, users will also be able to customize their ringtone goals for each day.
This means that if you tend to work hard during the week but take Sunday easy, you can now change your movement and exercise goals to fit your schedule.
According to Apple, this allows the rings to “provide the right amount of motivation at the right times.”
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This change comes alongside a number of other new features that will be released as part of WatchOS 11.
While Apple Watch already monitors a range of metrics while you exercise, Training Load takes it to the next level by interpreting this data to gauge your level of effort and tension.
Popular cardio workouts will use a new algorithm to automatically generate an effort estimate based on data such as the user’s height and weight, as well as GPS and heart rate.
By creating an average training load for the last 28 days, users should be able to see if they are speeding up or slowing down their training and avoiding overexertion.
The update also includes a new Vitals app that can give you a quick overview of all the data your watch collects.
Users will be able to check their measurements such as heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature and sleep duration at a glance.
A beta version of WatchOS 11 is expected to be released in July before a full rollout this fall.