AirPods 2 Now Compatible with Apple Watch

watchOS 5.2 was released today, giving users AirPods 2 support. Apple often advertises Apple Watch and AirPods as the perfect combination, so it's nice to see AirPods 2 get support. watchOS 5.2 also brings the long-awaited support of ECG readings to more countries. These include Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and 18 other European countries. Before this, ECG was restricted to the United States due to pending approval in other countries. The update is available from the Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone.

watchOS 5.1.2 Released with ECG Support

It's weird to have such a random, minor update have one of the flagship features of a device, but here we are. watchOS 5.1.2 released today, a day after Apple released new updates for so many other products. The timing is weird, but I'm not complaining. watchOS 5.1.2 includes ECG support for the Apple Watch Series 4. This can be very informative for your heart health. Make sure you update your iPhone to the latest software to take advantage of creating PDF reports of your ECG as well.

iOS 12.1.1 Released, With No Signs of watchOS 5.1.2

iOS 12.1.1 was released today, which brings eSIM support to the latest iPhones. It also adds support for ECG data on the iPhone's side. This isn't useful unless you have an Apple Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5.1.2. Despite so many minor updates from Apple being released today. There hasn't been any sign of watchOS 5.1.2. It will likely come out in the next few days. If it is delayed, it may be to iron out the updating process. watchOS is notorious for bricking Apple Watches. While it's not super common, we do hear of quite a few cases from time to time.

Apple Watch Series 4 Getting ECG Feature in Next Update

Apple Watch Series 4 will be getting an ECG feature, which is arguably one of the flagship features of the device, alongside the major redesign. The ECG feature can help determine if you may be suffering from atrial fibrillation or irregular heart rhythm. The next watchOS update, watchOS 5.1.2, will enable this feature. This feature is still being approved in most countries, but it will be available in the United States. The update is in beta testing, but we can expect the update by the end of the year.

watchOS and iOS Timers

When doing something like laundry, I like to put a timer on my phone. But when I put it on my phone, my Apple Watch won't sync up. In the leaked image of the Apple Watch Series 4, the Timer complication is visible. This is nothing new, but I'm hoping Apple would make the obvious choice to have timers set on iPhone sync up to timers on Apple Watch. This would let a user set a timer on their phone, and look at their watch to see it ticking down on the main watch face. Hopefully, this small change makes its way into watchOS 5.

watchOS 5 Beta Available

watchOS 5 is now available to developers, one week after being announced. This is abnormal as some people who updated last week reported having their watches bricked. iOS 12, macOS Mojave, and tvOS 12 have all been available for a week now. If you're a developer, hopefully this beta works out better. Better yet, just simulate it for now if possible. watchOS 5 brings some nice developer features like adding custom information to the Siri watch face.

watchOS 5 Does Not Support Original Apple Watch

The original Apple Watch launched in 2015. Watches are typically accessories that can last a long time. However, Apple has just defined a typical Apple Watch’s lifespan. While an iPhone 5s (about five years old) is still being supported in iOS 12, the original Apple Watch (not the Series 1) will no longer be supported in watchOS 5. To be fair, the original Apple Watch is ridiculously underpowered, so it may be the right time to stop supporting it. Hopefully other models last longer.