On the Apple Watch Series 7 there are new word suggestions when typing. Apple is also introducing developer tools for image sharing and VoIP telephony.
The Apple Watch Series 7 gets a better software keyboard with watchOS 9. The new version of the clock operating system was presented at the WWDC developer conference. With QuickType, there’s a reunion with an iPhone feature that allows for easier typing. Apple will also enable direct integration of Voice-over-IP telephony on the watch in the future, releases the share menu for more apps and allows developers to send photos directly from the Apple Watch in apps.
QuickType was introduced in 2014 with iOS 8 on the iPhone. It is a predictive feature that offers real-time suggestions as you type words on the on-screen keyboard on how the word might be completed. According to Apple, the suggestions are context-related and the software learns which message style the user prefers. QuickType enables faster typing and reduces the risk of typos. Especially on the small screen of a digital watch, it’s a significant gain in convenience. Apple is limiting the new feature to the Series 7 as the latest watch offers more space due to its larger screen.
The QuickType feature comes with an addition to the QWERTY keyboard Languages. The full onscreen keyboard was introduced with the Apple Watch Series 7. So far, however, there was no support for the German language. This changes with watchOS 9, which is due out in the fall. Other newly supported languages include French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Mexico, Spain, Latin America).
VoIP calls on Apple Watch
In addition to QuickType, Apple also better stocked the developer toolbox for the watch. In the future, users will be able to do even more communication directly from the watch and do not have to take the detour via the iPhone. This includes, for example, the introduction of CallKit on the Apple Watch. The API introduced with iOS 10 makes it possible to receive VoIP calls on the device like ordinary telephone calls. This was a significant improvement on the iPhone, since users had to go to the respective apps beforehand and the call display was only possible via push message. CallKit is now also being introduced on the watch with watchOS 9, so that phone calls via WhatsApp, Telegram and other apps can be made more conveniently via the watch.
Also new: share menu and photo picker
With the introduction of the so-called Share Sheet, users can also share photos and other files from autumn. With watchOS 8, Apple already integrated the Share menu, recognizable by its icon with an arrow in a square, into system apps like Messages and Mail. With watchOS 9, the menu is available to all developers. The Photo Picker, which developers can use to offer their users the option of selecting images from the photo library and using them in the app, is similarly useful. In the future, for example, messengers will be able to offer the option of sending pictures directly on the watch.
