Among the software upgrades that were discussed in detail during the week-long WWDC 2020, watchOS 7 appears to have included a highly-requested feature. Even though Apple's wearable is still the best-selling smartwatch, there are some missing functionalities that have been the subject of debate among its users. Nonetheless, the upcoming firmware update appears to have finally addressed its shortcoming, but it seems Apple Watch Series 5 owners can expect a simple yet useful improvement.

With the official release still months away, those hoping to try out what the new operating system has to offer can do so soon. Apple already made the developer beta of watchOS 7 available, but the pubic version is yet to go live. So far, almost every news outlet that has covered the Worldwide Developers Conference presentation is already aware that native sleep tracking will be finally available on the device.

In response to criticism as to why it opted to add it now, the company confirmed that it wanted to develop a more comprehensive platform than what its competitors can deliver. Meanwhile, as revealed by Forbes, watchOS 7 will apparently add a minor tweak that will be exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 5 model only. Owners should know that it is the first of its kind to ship with an always-on display.

Unfortunately, unlike smartwatches from Samsung, Huawei, and other brands that run on their respective first-party operating systems, battery life is a major issue since the first Apple Watch debuted. To overcome additional battery drain, software engineers relied on several workarounds that dim the screen and freezes certain animations. Additionally, touch detection goes to sleep and will require at least two taps in order to activate its capacitive sensors.

Craig Federighi, senior VP software engineering
Apple's senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi was one of the speakers at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Photo: Apple Inc. / Handout

Therefore, watchOS 7 hopes to make the interaction more seamless. Even if the Apple Watch Series 5 is in its semi-active state, the digitiser will remain responsive. Although it was not indicated, the next-generation wearable from the Cupertino, California-based tech brand is likely capable of the same functionality. Apple is speculated to have several new products to unveil in the coming months such as the rumoured AirPods Studio, AirTags, iPhone 12, and others.