On a November Wednesday in 2020, Apple sent its second developer beta of watchOS 7.2 into the hands of testers, a quiet step in the slow and familiar rhythm by which a company refines its software before the wider world receives it. The update arrives with a new feature called Cardio Fitness, which turns the body's capacity for sustained effort into a measure the wearer can watch over time, a reminder that even small devices on the wrist are being asked to speak about the state of a life. For now the change belongs only to those testing it, and the public has yet to be given a date.
Apple Seeds Second watchOS 7.2 Beta to Developers, Adds Cardio Fitness Tracking
Measured over time, with alerts when your VO2 max shifts
Mark
So what actually happened here? It sounds like a routine beta.
Mimi
It is routine in cadence. Second beta, one week after the first, two weeks after watchOS 7.1. The new part is Cardio Fitness.
Mark
What does that feature do?
Mimi
It estimates VO2 max, the maximum oxygen your body can use during exercise, and tracks it over time. You get notifications if it shifts.
Luke
Worth saying that Apple calls cardio fitness a strong indicator of overall health. That's Apple's characterization, not an independent finding.
Mark
Fair. Who can use it?
Mimi
Users 20 and above, with levels estimated by age. It appears as a trend in the Activity app and is set up in the Health app.
Mark
And installing the beta?
Mimi
You need the configuration profile from the developer center, then General > Software Update in the Apple Watch app. The watch needs 50 percent battery, a charger, and range of the iPhone.
Luke
One thing we don't know is the public release date. The reporting doesn't give one, and it also doesn't say how accurate the VO2 max estimates are.
Il Polso
- Apple pushed the second watchOS 7.2 beta to developers just one week after the first, a tight cadence that signals active refinement underway.
- Cardio Fitness arrives as a new headline feature, tracking VO2 max and sending alerts when the number shifts, so the watch begins to speak about heart and lung capacity.
- Installing the beta requires a configuration profile, a watch above half battery, a spot on the charger, and proximity to the iPhone, a set of gates that keeps the test narrow.
- The feature is limited to users aged 20 and above, and no public release timeline has been stated, so the update remains confined to developers for now.
On a November Wednesday in 2020, Apple sent its second developer beta of watchOS 7.2 into the hands of testers, a quiet step in the slow and familiar rhythm by which a company refines its software before the wider world receives it. The update arrives with a new feature called Cardio Fitness, which turns the body's capacity for sustained effort into a measure the wearer can watch over time, a reminder that even small devices on the wrist are being asked to speak about the state of a life. For now the change belongs only to those testing it, and the public has yet to be given a date.
On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, Apple released the second developer beta of watchOS 7.2, one week after the first and two weeks after watchOS 7.1 reached everyone. The pace of betas a week apart is the only sign of timing the company has given.
Getting the beta onto a watch takes some preparation. Developers download a configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center, and once it is installed the beta appears in the Apple Watch app on the paired iPhone. The watch must have at least half its battery, sit on its charger, and stay within range of the phone before it will install.
The centerpiece is Cardio Fitness, built around VO2 max, the most oxygen the body can use during exercise. Apple calls it a strong indicator of overall health. Rather than taking a single reading, the watch tracks the figure over time, and both devices can notify the wearer when it shifts. It appears as a new trend in the Activity app and is set up through the Health app on iPhone. Levels are estimated by age and offered to users 20 and older.
For now, only testers have access, and the wider release date remains unknown.
On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, Apple pushed out the second developer beta of watchOS 7.2. It came one week after the first beta of the same update, and two weeks after watchOS 7.1 reached the public.
Getting the beta onto a watch takes a few steps. Developers first download the right configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. With the profile installed, the beta appears in the Apple Watch app on the paired iPhone, under General > Software Update. The watch has to meet three conditions before it will install: at least 50 percent battery, a spot on its charger, and a position within range of the iPhone.
The headline addition in watchOS 7.2 is a feature called Cardio Fitness. Apple describes cardio fitness measurements as a strong indicator of overall health. The feature is built around VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen the body can consume during exercise.
The watch does not take a single reading. It measures VO2 max over time, and both the Apple Watch and the iPhone can send notifications when the number fluctuates.
Inside the software, Cardio Fitness shows up as a new trend in the Activity app. Setting it up is done through the Health app on iPhone. Cardio fitness levels are available to users aged 20 and above, and the levels are estimated by age.
The source does not say when watchOS 7.2 will reach the general public. For now, the release is limited to developers testing it. The pace so far, with betas a week apart, is the only timing signal available.
Citazioni salienti
Cardio fitness metrics are a strong indicator of overall health.— Apple, as paraphrased by MacRumors
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