Apple today announced Family Setup in watchOS 7, bringing the communication, wellness, fitness, and security features of Apple Watch to kids and older family members of their household who do not have an iPhone. For the first time, Apple Watch can be installed through a parent’s iPhone, so children can connect with friends and family via telephone calls and Messages, and stay inspired with personalized Activity objectives, and express their own imagination through habit Memoji.
Family Setup makes it feasible for the whole family to benefit from the important health and safety characteristics of Apple Watch, like Emergency SOS, while Maps, Siri, Alarms, and also the App Store provide greater independence without needing an iPhone. In addition, parents may have peace of mind knowing that they can reach their child and identify their place, and that all personal information remains securely encrypted. With watchOS 7, the entire family can also benefit from optimized features that enhance the overall Apple Watch experience.
“For family members who don’t have an iPhone, Apple Watch provides a remarkable set of qualities which may help them stay in touch with loved ones, become active, and stay secure,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “With Family Setup, we are thrilled to expand these features to the whole family, so everyone is able to gain more independence and live a healthy life.”
With Family Setup, family members without iPhone can benefit from many features and programs on Apple Watch, by making and receiving telephone and FaceTime music calls, to sending and receiving emails and messages, and even linking with additional Apple Watch wearers over Walkie-Talkie.1 The newest Memoji app on Apple Watch allows users to customize a Memoji which can be shared while messaging buddies or exhibited as a watch face. Parents have the capacity to approve all connections, so kids can safely use the communication features of Apple Watch.
Kids and elderly family members of their family using Family Setup will have their cell phone number through another mobile program, and using their very own Apple IDthey can follow their schedule and family events using Calendar, learn to handle tasks together with Reminders, view photo albums synced from a guardian’s iPhone, and much more. With the newest Apple Cash Family, parents can securely send their kids money to invest on their watch with Apple Pay. Parents can opt to receive notifications when their kids pay, and see their kid purchases right in Wallet in their iPhone.
Family members with Family Setup on Apple Watch can play their favourite tunes on Apple Music via Bluetooth headphones and speakers, and inquire Siri for answers to questions or speech translations. With Maps, family members may learn how to navigate independently and safely, whether going into some other family member’s home or to a park with friends.
A household member’s place can be shared with their guardian via the Find People program on Apple Watch, and location alarms are more customizable, allowing the guardian to receive an update on their family member’s place for a single occasion, or on a recurring or time-based schedule.
The Action rings experience was optimized for kids to track Move moments rather than calories burned and provide customizable goals for the Exercise and Stand rings. Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Run, and Outdoor Cycle workouts have been especially tuned for children, providing proper credit for Move minutes, exercise, distance, along with other metrics, while coaching notifications have been tailored to applicable reading levels and created more fun with emoji. Children can also send and get Task Sharing invitations directly on Apple Watch, challenge friends with Task Competitions, and see a new Awards page so milestones can be celebrated directly on their wrist.
With Emergency SOS, family members with Family Setup can easily access emergency services with the side button, and guardians will be automatically notified if they are recorded as an emergency contact. Children can also reference their health care ID, which records crucial details such as medical conditions, allergies, and medications. With consent, guardians can view a full view of the family member’s health and action through the Health program on iPhone, and kids and older adults can see their shared information through Settings in their own Apple Watch.
