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   watchOS 4.2 Adds Apple Pay Cash and Moistens HomeKit

   Adam C. Engst

   Apple has released watchOS 4.2 with a few notable features. Most
   important, it now supports Apple Pay Cash, Apple's new person-to-person
   payment system. You can either send money in the Messages app on the
   Apple Watch (screenshots 1'3 below), or use Siri on the Apple Watch
   (screenshots 4'5). ('Hey Siri, send Adam Engst a dollar.' Just
   kidding!)

   [1][tn_watchOS-4.2-Apple-Pay-Cash.jpg]

   watchOS 4.2 also adds support for HomeKit sprinklers and faucets in the
   Home app, should you wish to automate your water. Combining automation
   and faucets strikes me as being fraught with unanticipated problems,
   but having the ability to turn things off remotely might be welcome for
   the anxious.

   Winter sports enthusiasts may soon be able to track details of downhill
   ski or snowboard runs with an Apple Watch Series 3 now that watchOS 4.2
   provides a workout type that third-party apps can use to monitor
   downhill snow sports. Sadly, Apple said nothing about support for
   cross-country skiing, although I did find [2]a mention in the HealthKit
   API listing it as a constant. Not sure what, if anything, that means,
   particularly given all the other workout types listed on that page
   (yay, curling!).

   watchOS 4.2 also fixes at least three bugs that Apple is willing to
   tell us about:
     * Asking Siri about the weather could sometimes cause the Apple Watch
       to reboot, presumably as Siri contemplated the question of what it
       really means when the forecast says there's a 40 percent chance of
       rain.
     * Scrolling in the Heart Rate app didn't work for some users.
     * It wasn't always possible to dismiss simultaneous timers or alarms
       independently.

   As with most updates, there are some security fixes as well, but Apple
   is sitting on the details for now, presumably until macOS 10.13.2 comes
   out.

   We haven't noticed any problems with watchOS 4.2, but there's no harm
   in waiting a few days to install watchOS 4.2, especially given Apple's
   quality control troubles of late.

   watchOS 4.2 is a 144 MB download that you install via the Watch app on
   your iPhone (in Watch > Settings > General > Software Update). Remember
   that the Apple Watch must be on its charger, charged to at least 50
   percent, and within range of your iPhone, which itself must be on
   Wi-Fi. Don't start installing if you'll want to use the watch again
   within an hour or so ' watchOS updates are poky. It's best done at
   night.

References

   1. http://tidbits.com/resources/2017-12/watchOS-4.2-Apple-Pay-Cash.png
   2. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/healthkit/hkworkoutactivitytype

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