Three ways the Apple Watch Ultra 2 just got better

There’s no Apple Watch Ultra 3 yet, with the gorgeous satin black finish the only hardware change to the Ultra 2. But Apple’s upgrading its Ultra line through software, with three new Apple Watch Ultra 2 features in watchOS 11. Here’s how the Ultra 2 just got better.

For 10 years, Apple Watch owners have been unable to play music, podcasts, or audiobooks through the device’s built-in speaker. Finally though, with the Apple Watch Series 10, support for media playback via speaker is now supported.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 benefits from this feature too.

If you have an Ultra 2 running watchOS 11, you can now listen to media with no AirPods or other headphones required. You don’t need the new Ultra 2, just your existing hardware and the software update.

Unfortunately, Ultra 1 owners miss out on this upgrade.

More powerful Action button

One of the key advantages the Apple Watch Ultra still has over the Series 10 is a dedicated Action button. And now, that button gets more powerful in watchOS 11.

By long-pressing the Action button, you can now navigate through a list of different actions to take. A quick press will still perform your default action, but for more options, the long-press gesture is a great addition.

Sleep apnea detection

Sleep tracking with the Apple Watch is harder with a non-Ultra model, since the battery life isn’t nearly as good.

Fortunately, the new sleep apnea detection built into the Series 10 Watch is available on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 as well.

It takes a solid month of sleep tracking before the Ultra can establish a baseline and provide sleep apnea detection. But for a condition that Apple says affects so many people but goes undetected, it’s very nice to have the Ultra 2 gain this feature.

New Ultra features wrap-up

I still sorely wish Apple had been able to launch an Apple Watch Ultra 3 last week. The Series 10 model makes a compelling case for being the new ‘best’ watch. But these new Ultra 2 features, combined with the titanium black finish, should keep Ultra buyers happy for the year ahead.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 is currently available for $689, down from the standard $799 price.

What new Ultra 2 feature are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.