Swelter 1.6.0 is out, and it brings a long-awaited feature: a brand new Apple Watch app! You can now view the current WBGT & wet-bulb temperature right on your wrist to see current heat conditions and guidance for exercise outdoors. Lots of athletes use Apple Watches, so bringing an athlete-focused heat safety app to the device was a natural fit. The app showcases current WBGT, heat conditions, UV index, precipitation, sunrise/sunset, and more — and it supports complications and Smart Stack widgets for information at a glance.
A Full App on Your Wrist
The watch app is not just a mirror for your phone. It contains a full copy of the same physics engine that powers the iPhone app’s WBGT & wet bulb temperature calculations. This means you can leave your phone behind, and as long as your watch has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, it uses GPS data to get heat and weather conditions for your current location. WBGT is calculated entirely on-device, and all weather metrics are displayed for your watch’s current location.
When you open the app you will be greeted by the current WBGT, the heat-risk verdict, and the “coach” guidance for the current moment. If you have a Pro subscription, you can scroll down to view more information including:
- Quick Metrics, with air temperature, heat index, UV, humidity, precipitation, and wind at a glance
- Best Window, showing the most favorable stretch of today for a run or any outdoor activity
- Heat index, feels-like, and wind chill, following the same color spectrum as the iPhone app
- UV index, wind speed and direction, precipitation, and sunrise and sunset times
Complications and the Smart Stack
You can also add complications to your watch faces to view the current WBGT/heat-risk guidance and Heat Index at a glance. Swelter for watchOS supports complications for modular and analog faces, small circular complications for WBGT and heat index, inline text complications, and a Smart Stack widget that shows the current outdoor heat conditions & coach verdict. The Smart Stack widget also ranks itself higher as heat risk rises, so it surfaces when it matters most.
Some complications and features are free, and some are part of Swelter Pro.
Available on the App Store
Swelter is free to download on the App Store, and the watch app installs alongside the iPhone app. If you want to see the math behind the number, try the free WBGT calculator right in your browser.
Thanks for using Swelter. I hope you enjoy the new Apple Watch app, and that it provides you useful heat & weather information to power your runs, bike rides, and outdoor athletics!
- Gavin, developer of Swelter