Updated

Updated · 9to5Mac · May 19

Apple Watch Automatically Tracks Time in Daylight Since 2023 via Ambient Light Sensor

Updated

Updated · 9to5Mac · May 19

Apple Watch Automatically Tracks Time in Daylight Since 2023 via Ambient Light Sensor

1 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · May 19

Time in Daylight has been logging automatically on Apple Watch since watchOS 10, estimating sunlight exposure through the device’s ambient light sensor without a separate app or workout mode.
Apple added the metric to the Health app with iOS 17 in 2023, and users may already have data stretching back to June 2023 if they have regularly worn the watch.
Health describes the feature as an estimate of time spent in sunlight when the watch is unobstructed, and the setting can be disabled even though it runs in the background by default.
The metric broadens Apple’s health tracking beyond exercise by quantifying outdoor exposure, a habit tied to physical and mental wellbeing.

Sources

Beyond sunlight, what invisible environmental threats will our watches be the first to warn us about?

Could tracking our 'Time in Daylight' expose a new form of health inequality tied to where we live and work?

As devices quantify our wellness, are we turning natural relaxation into another source of digital anxiety?

1 total