Apple Watch: Five cool watchOS 3.0 features

New functionality: watchOS 3.0 introduces a new Dock feature, a new Breathe app and a more social Activity app.

Apple's due to release WatchOS 3.0 after midnight today and it comes with a host of new features and some major interface changes.

If you're an Apple Watch owner, here's what you can look forward to when you upgrade the operating system.

The Dock

One of the biggest complaints about the Apple Watch was that certain apps took a while to launch.

While Apple has greatly improved the speed at which apps launch on the Apple Watch, there's still sometimes a bit of waiting time.

With watchOS 3.0, Apple has further improved launch speed of apps and introduces a new Dock for apps you often use and want to access instantaneously by keeping them in memory and accessible via a push of a button.

This new Dock, as it's called, is activated by the side button (i.e. the nameless button that's NOT the digital crown).

With watchOS 3.0, pushing the side button (no matter what screen or app you're in at the moment) now brings up a list of your currently running apps instead of the quick contact menu of watchOS 2.

You can swipe to the side to scroll through your running apps – you are also given the option to "Keep in dock" apps that you want to access often.

If you want to remove an app from the dock, you can simply swipe the app upwards in the dock screen and you will be given an option to delete the app from the dock.

The Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watch face can now speak the time to you when you tap on the watch face with watchOS 3.0. — TAN KIT HOONG/The Star

Face gallery

With previous versions of the watchOS, all your watch faces and customisation for those faces were done on the Apple Watch itself.

With the latest update to iOS 10 and watchOS 3.0, however, you can now access and edit your watch faces on the Watch app in the iPhone.

You also get a bunch of new faces with watchOS 3.0, including a Minnie Mouse face.

Another new feature is that if you touch the Mickey or Minnie watch face, you will be told the time in the voices of the respective character.

Oh yes, Apple has also changed the way you switch between watch faces on the Apple Watch itself – before, you had to force touch on the screen and then swipe between the available watch faces, but now they've eliminated the force touch gesture and instead you just swipe left and right to switch between faces.

Write onscreen with Scribble

While we've had pretty good success with dictation on the Apple Watch, we admit that sometimes (especially with places and special names) the transcription isn't going to get it right, no matter how clearly you speak.

Well, with watchOS 3.0, you now have Scribble, which allows you to write directly on the screen and have the Apple Watch transcribe what you've written.

Of course you get autocorrect but if autocorrect gets a word wrong, just spin the digital crown for a list of word suggestions.

Share your Activity  

Apple has finally added a social element to the Activity app on the Apple Watch.

Previously, keeping track of your achievements and activities with the Apple Watch was pretty much a solitary affair but with watchOS 3.0 however, you can now add your friends and family using Activity Sharing.

Activity Sharing lets everyone in the list see how the other is doing and also allows you to send messages (or alternatively talk trash) to anyone in the list.

Call emergency services

Quick access to emergency services is always good in an emergency and this is what watchOS 3.0 introduces.

In watchOS 3.0, you can hold down the nameless side button for six seconds to bring up a context menu that includes an option to call emergency services.

Apparently, this feature will work worldwide and the watch will dial the appropriate emergency number in whatever country it's used in.