Contents

watchOS 9 Release Notes

Update your apps to use new features, and test your apps against API changes.

Overview

The watchOS 9 SDK provides support to develop watchOS apps for Apple Watch devices running watchOS 9. The SDK comes bundled with Xcode 14, available from the Mac App Store. For information on the compatibility requirements for Xcode 14, see Xcode 14 Release Notes.

General

  • After updating to watchOS 9, your Apple Watch Series 4 or Series 5 will recalibrate and then estimate its maximum battery capacity more accurately. (93206868)

CallKit

Known Issues

  • Compilation of apps integrated with CallKit might result in an error: “Value of type CXProviderConfiguration has no member supportedHandleTypes on watchOS 9”. (97582165)

    Workaround: Use __supportedHandleTypes instead of supportedHandleTypes.

CoreGraphics

Deprecations

  • To improve security, CGImageCreate enforces parameter correctness on macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16. Passing an incorrect CGImageByteOrderInfo is no longer supported, and will result in images failing to load. (94855401)

DeviceDiscoveryUI

Known Issues

  • Devices running beta 4 or later aren’t backwards compatible with devices running earlier beta versions. (95233878)

Health

New Features

  • AFib History is now available in the United States. (95627199)

HealthKit

New Features

  • HealthKit workout APIs now support multisport workouts with activities of swimming, cycling, and running. (82588168)

  • New data types for running workout metrics like running power, ground contact time, vertical oscillation, running speed, and stride length. (82974514)

Networking

New Features

  • Added NSURLSession support for client-certificate based authentication. (24523955)

  • Added URLSession support for Private Access Tokens. (82937526)

Deprecations

  • FTP is deprecated for URLSession and related APIs. Please adopt modern secure networking protocols such as HTTPS. (92623659)

StoreKit

New Features

  • The recentSubscriptionStartDate property is included in Product.SubscriptionInfo.RenewalInfo. It represents the date that marks the start of the most recent period of continuous subscription. A period is considered a continuous subscription if there’s no more than a 60-day gap between any two subscribed periods. (86599570)

  • The StoreKit Messages API allows you to control when App Store messages are displayed in your app. (85321880)

  • Product has new properties for localizing prices and subscription periods. For iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12, tvOS 15, and watchOS 8 or later use priceFormatStyle to format numbers derived from price. Use subscriptionPeriodFormatStyle to format durations of time relating to a subscription period. On iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, tvOS 16, and watchOS 9 or later use subscriptionPeriodUnitFormatStyle to format single units of a subscription period. (93780442)

  • AppTransaction allows developers to cryptographically verify that the app was purchased on the App Store. (86739279)

  • All StoreKit APIs are now annotated for sendability and main actor isolation. (84157048)

Deprecations

  • Deprecated the SKDownload API and removed the option to upload nonconsumable in-app purchase assets for Apple to host. In addition, support for managing these assets in App Store Connect is no longer available as of April 2022. (89764253)

SwiftUI

New Features

  • Custom types conforming to ToolbarContent now support dynamic properties like @Environment. (94117842)

  • For control, Section, or other views that have a Label, the ViewBuilder content now automatically arranges and styles multiple views as hierarchical elements, such as title and subtitle. If the label views are intended to be arranged horizontally rather than hierarchically, wrap the views within an HStack. (85184563)

Voice Shortcuts

Known Issues

  • When saying an App Shortcut phrase to Siri, Siri launches the app or ends up with an unexpected result. (93611920)

Wallet

Known Issues

  • American Express cards might need to be removed and re-added to Wallet after updating to watchOS 9 beta 6 or later. (97990752)

See Also

watchOS 9