Along with the iOS 16.2 update, watchOS 9.2 has started to roll out today. Race Routes and Automatic Track Detection are the two new running features that come along with it. Apple Maps and GPS are made use of in order to detect the exact lane of a running track a person is on. It lets you race against the past pace of the users. It can now add up to 17 hours in Low Power Mode while performing multisport activities.
The Automatic Track Detection can detect the arrival of a standard 400-meter outdoor track. Runners will be informed to select the lane in the beginning of an outdoor workout. While the workout is being performed, lap alerts will also be received by the person which can be submitted to the Fitness app later.
If a same route is run by a person, then the option to run on that route and perform better is notified. It can be accessed by the users by clicking on the three dots button present in the upper right side of an Outdoor Run workout. Two suggestion routers appear, but Route filter can be used to view the possible routes. While the workout is performed, an alert will be given by the watch to inform if the run is faster or slower than the previous performances. Also, this feature is not just for runners. It is available to cyclists too with Outdoor Cycling workouts.
The Apple Watch Series 8, second-gen SE and Ultra teased the Automatic Track Detection and Race Routes earlier this year. This is a part of the larger watchOS 9 that brought the advanced running metrics to Apple Watch. So, this feature is not limited to the new models and can be used in the older ones as well.
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