Yesterday, Khaos Tian reported that a text string saying com.apple.Mind had popped up in conjunction with the App Store ahead of WWDC.
Mark Gurman chimed in later saying that Mind is an updated version of Apple’s rather basic Breathe app.
Assuming Mind is being announced tomorrow as part of watchOS 8, I have some wishes for the app, as someone who uses Breathe more than most probably do.
I’d love to Mind be more expansive than Breathe in terms of the types of mindfulness exercises it offers. For the last couple of years, I’ve used the uber-popular Headspace app on my phone and like the variety of guided sessions it offers, especially the ones designed to be used while trying to go to sleep.
Naturally, this type of application would be more useful if it was also on the iPhone, where Breathe hasn’t shown up yet.
Currently, Apple Health can track “mindful minutes,” including those sent to Health via third-party apps like Headspace. However, this data is buried in the Health application. I’d like to see the Apple Watch gain the ability to have customized sets of rings. The Stand/Move/Activity set we’ve had since the beginning is great, but I’d love to have additional rings for things like mindful minutes or even water intake.
I don’t love my Apple Watch like I once did, but what keeps it on my wrist is its ability to track my fitness. This is particularly important to me right now as I continue to recover from surgery on my right foot that took place in the fall. It’s been a helpful partner during this time, but if Apple could make the Apple Watch more useful in terms of my mental health as well, it’d become all that much more valuable.