New Apple Watch models, WatchOS 2 coming on September 16

SAN FRANCISCO—Those of you who have bought an Apple Watch since they launched in April will soon be able to download your first major software update. Apple has announced that the final version of WatchOS 2 will be available to the public on September 16. To update the Apple Watch, open the app on your phone, tap General, and then tap Software Update.

Most of WatchOS 2's new features let third-party developers do stuff that Apple could already do with the hardware. This includes full access to the watch's sensors, the Digital Crown, the microphone, and the Taptic Engine. Developers will be able to build more complex animations, too—current WatchKit apps are much more limited by comparison, and they're largely made up of static cards.

Developers can't make custom watch faces quite yet, but they can design complications for Apple's existing faces. This still isn't as flexible as it could be, but it's a pretty obvious candidate for future WatchOS updates.