watchOS 7 to Include Kids Mode That Shifts Focus of Activity Rings Away From Calories Burned

Apple's upcoming watchOS 7 update is expected to include a Kids Mode that's aimed at children who have an Apple Watch for activity tracking purposes, with parents able to control and manage their children's devices.

applewatchactivityrings
According to code found in iOS 14 by 9to5Mac, when placed in Kids Mode, an Apple Watch will have different Activity Ring labels and goals than an Apple Watch in a normal adult mode.

While adults see Activity Rings for active calories burned (red), minutes exercised (green), and hours with standing movement (blue), an Apple Watch in Kids Mode will not focus on calories burned.

Instead, the red Activity Ring will track move time alongside exercise time and hours spent with some stand activity. So, for example, the Apple Watch will track a movement goal of 90 minutes instead of 500 active calories burned, providing children with a healthy target to achieve that does not focus on body image.

The new Kids Mode, which will include parental controls limiting access to certain Apple Watch features during school hours, is expected to be included in the watchOS 7 and iOS 14 updates.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Tag: 9to5Mac
Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

Small White Car Avatar
56 months ago

WOW, just wow! How does failing a 'calories burned' goal hurt more than failing a 'movement' goal.

Please include a participation trophy, each day, just for putting your watch on... even if you didn't.
Having kids focus on diet and calories is a fast track towards developing eating disorders which, of course, can lead to either anorexia or over-eating, neither of which is healthy.

In other words, this change is targeted at making children healthier and developing good eating habits for the rest of their lives.

And yet both of the first replies to this article thinks that’s a bad idea!

Incredible.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
56 months ago
I’d like the option to shift focus away from calories for adults as well, not everyone needs to lose weight. I’d like to be able to shift focus to cardio and fitness training.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alphaswift Avatar
56 months ago
People buy Apple Watches for their kids? Nice. Anyone want to adopt me?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KrisLord Avatar
56 months ago
I’m hoping this means it doesn’t need to be connected to a child’s iPhone.

I would get my daughter an Apple Watch before I got her an iPhone.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joniz Avatar
56 months ago
The movement away from calories with kids is a good idea because, I don’t know how many of y’all actually have kids, but they don’t think in terms of calories.

It’s Run! Run! Run! Play! Play! Play!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
enu Avatar
56 months ago
Wonder if there'll be a way for app developers to see if a watch is in "Kids Mode" so that 3rd party apps can also produce kid-friendly versions of complications or app interfaces.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)