Apple often gets a hard time because of how much it charges for its products. On the other hand, you get years of updates of the operating system for free.

WatchOS10, might just be the most significant update to the Apple Watch in some time, possibly offering an even bigger jump forwards than what looks like might be on sale in terms of extras in the upcoming Apple Series Watch 9. And this watchOS10 update will cost you absolutely nothing.

Let’s run down some of those main new features in this update - because it is indeed, a humdinger of an upgrade.

New features include a new simplified way to navigate the interface and quickly access content, redesigned apps, more focus on Widgets via the Smart Stack, and new cycling and hiking features.

You can access the new Smart Stack from any watch face with a turn of the Digital Crown. There's a collection of widgets watchOS has picked to fit your needs, based on your location, the time, and your habits. You could see the Weather widget first thing in the day, while the Timer widget will pop up when you set a timer. Basically, widgets can be shown when they're useful and hidden when not.

With watchOS 10, the Control Center can be accessed on the Apple Watch with the side button. This should be simpler than the existing way (swiping up from the bottom), which can be tricky, especially when you're in an app. It’s not clear, however, how you will access the dock, which in watchOS 9 is triggered by pressing the side button. It’s possible that it may have been terminated.

WatchOS 10's also got two fresh faces: Palette and Snoopy. Palette's different colors and layers move and change throughout the day. It's a laid-back, minimal face. The Snoopy watch face, brings Snoopy and Woodstock from Peanuts to the Apple Watch. They can jump in on your workout, interact with the clock hands and respond to the weather. Weird, maybe cute, and with you very soon.

The Mindfulness app is going to have some features for mental health, like tracking your feelings and moods every day. The Health app provides resources to help folks see their risk for depression and anxiety, with assessments in the app. The Medications app can now give you a nudge if you don't log a scheduled dose.

An Apple Watch will be able to measure the amount of time its owner spends in daylight during the day, using its ambient light sensor, and there’s also a focus on vision health, especially for children.

Fitness is going to see some updates and new trainer tips - I wonder about how personalised this will be and I’m looking forward to checking this out, along with improvements to the Compass app focused on hiking. This will be able to store waypoints that might be useful, such as the last time they had a cellular connection. There is also a Last Emergency Call Waypoint. Users will be able to search for trails and see details such as length, type, and difficulty but this will be U.S. only initially.

WatchOS 10 is adding new features specific to cyclists too, including more support for bluetooth enabled cycling accessories like power meters and speed and cadence sensors.

We are also going to see some re-designed apps like Weather, Stocks, Maps and Messages as well as Namedrop - making it easier to share contact information by bringing Apple devices close together–but you still need to tap Share to agree to the transfer.

As expected, watchOS 10 runs on the same devices as watchOS 9. That means the Apple Watch Series 4 and later. Expect the first public Beta in July, with the official launch in September. I’m Sarb Johal - be sure to subscribe for more from the A+ Report, and please leave a like or even a review - it really helps the show, especially in these early stages for me - I’d love your support. Thanks.

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