watchOS 11 is getting one of the iPhone's most helpful features — Live Activities are coming to your wrist

(Image credit: Apple)

WWDC 2024

1. iOS 18 — what's next for iPhone?
2. iPadOS 18 — will Apple finally unleash the power of iPad?
3. macOS 15 — what's new for Mac?
4. Apple Intelligence — what will it be able to do?

The next generation of watchOS has arrived and it's going to bring some big improvements to Apple's smartwatch that will make the Smart Stack much better.

Announced at WWDC 2024, watchOS 11 didn't get much of the spotlight during Apple's keynote but there's still plenty to get excited about. One of the biggest improvements to the best Apple Watches in watchOS 11, releasing this fall, is coming to the Smart Stack and we can't wait to give it a try.

New widgets, better suggestions, and Live Activities

Smart Stack Apple Watch watchOS 11 — (Image credit: Apple)

watchOS 11's Smart Stack now has new widgets including Shazam, Photos, Distance, and more. These new widgets allow you to get more information when accessing the widget hub that was first introduced in watchOS 10 last year. Alongside these new widget options, the Smart Stack will have better suggestions based on different elements like the time, date, or location.

The biggest addition to Smart Stack, however, is the arrival of Live Activities on Apple Watch after the feature was first introduced to the iPhone in iOS 17. Live Activities allow you to get up-to-date information that constantly updates right from a widget in Smart Stack. This means you'll be able to follow the arrival of an Uber, track your food delivery with GrubHub, or live flight information with United Airlines directly from your wrist — a true game-changer.

Want to experience watchOS 11 on one of the best Apple Watches? Pick up an Apple Watch Series 9 today:

We're covering the WWDC 2024 event as it happens. Follow WWDC 2024 LIVE here. Or check out our roundups for all the latest on the newly announced iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, and Apple Intelligence.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.