watchOS 11 appears to include a new feature that allows an Apple Watch to automatically detect and record when you're taking a nap. As shared on Reddit, an Apple Watch owner took a nap and was able to see the sleep data recorded in the Health app, despite not putting the device in Sleep Mode.
Right now, the Apple Watch only tracks and records sleep when it is in Sleep Mode, and there is no support for tracking naps.
The change should allow an Apple Watch running watchOS 11 to record and include a nap in the Sleep section of the Health app, and it may also support automatic sleep tracking even when Sleep Mode isn't activated. Nap tracking has long felt like a missing feature from the Apple Watch, and this will be a welcome feature for those who supplement sleep with naps.
Image via Reddit
Apple did not mention a change to the Sleep app in its preview information for watchOS 11, and the only mention of sleep is related to the new Vitals app, which collects data for your health metrics during sleep in order to populate a typical range feature.
Thursday September 10, 2026 11:57 am PDT by Juli Clover
Some Apple Watch users who upgrade to the Series 12 or the Ultra 4 might temporarily lose access to hypertension notifications.
On the watchOS feature availability page, Apple says notifications might not be available on the Series 12 or Ultra 4 at launch because regulatory clearances are in process.
Hypertension Notifications may not be available on Apple Watch Series 12 or Ultra 4 in your ...
Monday September 14, 2026 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released watchOS 27, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 27 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 9 and later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, and the Apple Watch SE 3.
watchOS 27 can be downloaded for free on a compatible device through the Settings app on the watch.
The update introduces support for Siri AI, a more capable...
Wednesday September 9, 2026 12:06 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27 to developers and public beta testers. The release candidates are the final versions of the updates that will be seeded to the public as long as no final bugs are found during this last round of testing.
The updates can be installed through the Software Update section in the Settings app on each...
So if you use the watch for sleep tracking, nap tracking, workout tracking, alarms, timers, fall detection, and whatnot else, when do you charge it?
When you're showering, when you're at your desk, when you're watching TV, when you get into bed, etc. There are plenty of opportunities to charge it throughout the day, and it doesn't take very long.
My Apple Watch 8 only counts sleep times once a day.. I sometimes take my kid to school and go back to bed and sleep for another 2 hours (and put the phone in Sleep mode), but those aren't shown in the Health app. I'd love if they fixed that first.
