If you own an Apple Watch, be sure to download the new update. WatchOS 3.2 was released today and will bring bring two key Apple features to the smartwatch line: Theater Mode and SiriKit. This is the first major update since Apple released the watchOS 3 update in September 2016, and while 3.2 isn’t as big as that, it’s interesting to see how the company continues to innovate in the smartwatch world.
SiriKit has been in high demand to be brought over to the Apple Watch. Simply put, SiriKit is a feature allows you to convince Siri to interface with non-Apple applications and settings. This enables voice commands to activate third-party applications. In practice, this lets Siri do more for you on the Watch, like calling an Uber or sending a message. So far this is just limited to apps with designers who built a Siri-activated feature, but that covers the majority of third-party apps that people use today. Finally, you can literally just talk into your wrist and a car will come to pick you up!
Most people have been hyped up about Theater Mode. Enabling it allows you to mute sounds and disable the raise-to-wake feature of the watch, meaning that the screen won’t light up when it senses your wrist turning over. Think of it as the final evolution of the current Silent Mode, eliminating all the lights and sounds the watch would make when triggered by movements or alerts so it won’t bother you and anyone around in situations that demand silence and darkness…like, say a theater. You’ll still receive haptic feedback, the little buzzes and taps for incoming notifications, and view notifications by manually waking the watch’s display. Theater Mode can be activated by swiping up from the bottom of the Apple Watch’s display and tapping the drama-masks button. Once you turn Theater Mode off, your Apple Watch will go back to your usual settings.
Downloading watchOS 3.2 is a snap. Just go to the Apple Watch app on your connected iPhone, navigate to the General tab, and then to Software Update. Your Apple Watch must have at least 50 percent battery, be placed on its charger and within range of your iPhone for the download. Be patient! The result is two major steps forward for your smartwatch, and you won’t regret it. 3.2 is available for all Apple Watch models, but you must have an iPhone running iOS 10 or later to download the updated software. If you have any issues with your Apple Watch or any other smartwatch or Apple device, iFixYouri is here to help! Just bring it in to your nearest iFixYouri or use our nationwide mail-in service!