WWDC 2019: Apple launches App Store for its Watch; adds health features

For the first time, the App Store will be usable from the Watch itself, a change from needing to download apps to the device via a connected iPhone.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 03: Apple VP of technology Kevin Lynch speaks during the keynote address during the 2019 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) at the San Jose Convention Center on June 03, 2019 in San Jose, California. The WWDC runs through June 7. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == (AFP)

Apple Inc. showed off a big upgrade to the software that powers its Watch, adding an App Store, new health-tracking features, and a series of new watch faces.

The company previewed the new operating system, watchOS 6, at its annual developer conference in San Jose, California, on Monday. For the first time, the App Store will be usable from the Watch itself, a change from needing to download apps to the device via a connected iPhone. It also added new Watch apps like a calculator, Apple Books for listening to audio books and a voice recorder.

Apple also unveiled new faces for the clock feature of the Watch, including a new dial that merges Roman and Arabic numerals, a face that looks like a sundial, and a new Infograph face that shows more information.

It also upped the health-tracking capabilities of the smartwatch, bundling in a Cycle Tracking program for menstrual cycle tracking and Activity Trends to analyze your workout activity over time.