MANILA, Philippines – Apple Watch users will soon be able to more accurately track how many calories they burn when dancing. 

Apple’s watchOS 7, through the Workout app, will now have heart rate and motion algorithms for dance movements. This is in addition to the usual fitness tracking that Apple Watch can do for running, cycling, swimming, and a number of other exercises. 

Apple explains the new feature: “To correctly capture calorie exertion for Dance, Apple Watch uses advanced sensor fusion, combining data from the heart rate sensor and inputs from the accelerometer and gyroscope, that accounts for the unique challenges of measuring different body-to-arm motions typical with dance.” 

To validate its dance-tracking abilities, Apple tested it on what it considered to be the most popular dance styles for exercise: Bollywood, cardio dance, hip-hop, and Latin. No Zumba, though? 

Dance tracking is among the 4 new workout types supported in the update. The other 3 are core training, functional strength training, and cooldown. 

Even without the update, a fitness tracker such as the Apple Watch can detect how many calories you’re burning. But with a tracker for a specific exercise type, the expectation is that the fitness metrics can be a little more accurate. – Rappler.com