Apple continues to awe everyone with its features. In a first, the company showed off its new handwash detection feature on the Apple Watch. The company said that the feature will be released to the general public with the release of watchOS 7.
On 22nd June, Apple held its annual developers conference – Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2020. During the keynote, the company showed off watchOS 7 – its major update to the operating system that powers the Apple Watch.
Given the current global situation which requires that people be hygienic – wash hands to keep themselves free from viruses – Apple has released its advanced hand wash detection feature. The feature will reportedly use the motion sensors and the microphone located on the Apple Watch to detect if the user is washing their hands. All the data that is collected from the microphone and the motion sensors will be used by the on device machine learning capability to detect hand wash.
As soon as a user starts washing their hands, the Apple Watch will start a 20 seconds countdown timer to encourage users to wash their hands properly. It has been recommended by doctors across the globe that it is essential to wash hands for a long period of time to be safe during these difficult times. This initiative by Apple will definitely help people wash their hands for longer periods of time. If people stop washing hands before the timer ends, users will be encouraged to wash their hands for few more seconds.
“We’re energised by the positive impact Apple Watch is having on our customers and are excited to deliver meaningful new tools that support their health, fitness, and wellness,” said Apple’s COO Jeff Williams. “watchOS 7 brings sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, and new workout types together with a whole new way to discover and use watch faces, helping our users stay healthy, active, and connected.”
