Apple will launch built-in sleep tracking on the Apple Watch, according to a new report.
Bloomberg suggests that Apple is working on new sleep tracking features that would be tied into the Watch’s hardware, rather than an app that requires always-on access.
The report adds that Apple employees have been testing sleep tracking tools at the Apple Campus for a number of months and that the firm will launch the features in 2020’s Apple Watch. As the feature would require hardware, it won’t be available on old models.
Apple purchased Beddit, a sleep monitoring company, in 2017, and currently sells its monitors in Apple Stores. It’s, therefore, very likely that these reports are true, and that Apple is planning to integrate some of the technology from Beddit monitors into the Apple Watch.
Although Apple currently offers no way to track sleeping, several third-party Watch apps do offer sleep tracking, and data can be synced to the Health app. Some Apple Watch competitors, like the Fitbit Versa and Samsung Galaxy Watch, have supported sleep tracking for a number of years using software and hardware, but battery life remains an issue, with users having to sacrifice an overnight charge for sleep tracking.
Indeed, with the Apple Watch offering only a day’s worth of battery, users would need to be able to charge their devices before their next day in the office – which would be difficult if the Watch was strapped to their wrist during the night.
Some suggest that the company will allow the Watch to enter a low-power sleep mode to monitor sleep, whilst others believe Apple will extend the battery life and offer faster-charging capabilities on future Apple Watch versions, to allow users to quickly charge it the following morning whilst they’re getting ready for work.
Apple is expected to launch Apple Watch 5 this September, alongside new iPhones. With the sleep tracking technology not due for another year, it will be interesting to see how Apple markets the Apple Watch in 2019, and whether users will hold out for a sleep tracker in 2020. Keep it AppleMagazine for all of the latest.
