Sleep Score Coming To Apple Watch With WatchOS 26

At last week's "Awe Dropping" event, Apple introduced the Sleep Score feature available for various Apple Watch models, not limited to the Apple Watch Series 11. Here is an explanation of how this feature works and how users can try it.

Apple has shown its increasingly serious commitment to sleep tracking development since acquiring Beddit, although the product has finally been discontinued. Currently, full sleep tracking is done through Apple Watch and the Sleep app. This feature monitors the time users spend in bed, tracks the stages of sleep, and displays information in various visual formats.

The Sleep Score feature, available on watchOS 26 and iOS 26, improves the experience of sleep tracking to a more sophisticated level.

What Is A Sleep Score?

Sleep score is a numerical representation that shows how well users sleep every night. The closer users reach their sleeping target, the higher the score is obtained. After updating Apple Watch to watchOS 26 and iPhone to iOS 26 (version of candidate release before official launch on September 15), users can see a Sleep Score in the Sleep app.

Data from at least one night is needed to display a Sleep Score, so that the first score will appear the next day. For example, a user recorded a score of 84 on the first night, which was higher than the usual average.

This score is categorized as "high", indicating that users should feel quite fresh after sleep. The score also shows the achievement of one of the three sleeping targets, which is displayed on the donut graph at the top of the app.

By tapping the "i" button, users can see the details of the score, such as 40/50 points for sleep duration, 30/30 for bedtime, and 14/20 for sleep disorders. This data is also available on the Health app on the iPhone, in the sleep data section.

How The Sleep Score Works

Sleep scores are highly personalized, comparing sleep data every night with user historical data to produce relevant scores. Apple developed this feature in collaboration with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the National Sleep Foundation, and the World Sleep Society. This feature is also supported by an analysis of 5 million nights of sleep from Apple Heart and Movement Study.

This feature examines bedtime, sleep duration, consistency of bedtime, sleep disturbances, and duration at each stage of sleep, then compares it with the user's historical data.

Models That Support Sleep Scores

The Sleep Score feature does not require additional sensors, so it is not exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 11 or the Apple Watch Ultra 3. This feature is available for devices running watchOS 26, including the Apple Watch Series 6 and above, the Apple Watch SE 2 and above, and all Apple Watch Ultra models.

Users also need an iPhone 11 or a newer model with iOS 26. For users who are already using Apple's sleep tracking, they are most likely able to access a Sleep Score.

However, Apple Watch Series 11 offers advantages for sleep tracking, such as increasing the capacity of the first battery in Apple Watch history. Apple claims the battery now supports usage for up to 24 hours with faster charging. Filling for 5 minutes can support sleep tracking for up to 8 hours.

Apple will launch the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 on September 19, as well as watchOS 26 on September 15