WatchOS 9 will make typing on your Apple Watch less terrible

Typing away a message on the Apple Watch’s tiny screen is not a straightforward business. The scribble system isn’t there yet for languages other than English, and voice-to-text can be a pain with punctuations. Apple brought a full-screen keyboard to the Apple Watch Series 7, but its small keycaps are a test of patience regarding accuracy. Thankfully, the upcoming WatchOS 9 update will bring some reprieve, thanks to the arrival of QuickType on Apple’s smartwatch.

First spotted by graphics designer Brahm Shank. who shared his finding on Twitter, QuickType will be exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 7, given its larger display that can accommodate a full-size virtual keyboard. For the unaware, QuickType originally debuted on the iPhone with iOS 9. Based on a predictive engine, it analyzes the on-screen message and suggests words to continue your sentence.

Scribbling on the Apple Watch Series 7 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The idea is to let users type a message as quickly as possible. The predictive engine at the heart of QuickType also recognizes the tone of a conversation. So, depending upon the casual approach in Messages or the formal style required for an email, QuickType will accordingly surface word suggestions to suit the theme of the conversation.

Underrated watchOS 9️⃣ feature: QuickType comes to Apple Watch ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/pgWJw5q1dB

— Brahm Shank (@brahmshank) June 7, 2022

With the arrival of QuickType on the Apple Watch Series 7, users are being saved the hassle of typing (or swiping) a ton of words on that tiny keyboard. With QuickType, you’ll be able to tap on the word suggestions that appear just below the text field. For non-English speakers, the good news here is that WatchOS 9 is also expanding the Series 7 keyboard to support French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. While that’s not as strong as the over 140 scripts supported by QuickType on iOS, it’s a step in the right direction.

There’s no doubt that Quick Type on the Apple Watch Series 7 is a convenient addition, but it will take a while to reach all users. The feature is already live in the first developer beta of WatchOS 9, but the first public beta will only be rolled out next month. For folks hoping to avoid the buggy experience of a beta build, they will have to wait until the fall for the stable WatchOS 9 update to roll out.

In case you missed Apple’s WWDC 2022 event, WatchOS 9 also introduces new watch faces, more expansive fitness and exercise metrics in the Workouts app, detailed sleep insights (for REM, Deep, and Core sleep stage breakdowns), an AFib history tool that maintains a record of arrhythmic heart states, and a new system for tracking medications.

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