What are you able to truly do with an Apple Watch?

So, you’ve got determined to spend money on an Apple Watch to accompany your iPhone. You are excited to get began and already know all of the fundamentals — you need to use the Apple Watch to trace exercises, obtain notifications out of your cellphone and companion apps, and, in fact, inform time. However there’s a lot extra an Apple Watch can do. It really works so seamlessly with an iPhone and may even perform with out one when you’ve got an LTE mannequin.

There are a couple of things you should do right away with an Apple Watch. However to get probably the most out of the smartwatch, you may need to leverage all of the options it has to supply, together with a few of the newest ones added with watchOS 11. Amongst these are additionally a few things you probably didn’t know your Apple Watch could do.

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Apple Watch Sequence 9

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Entry digital playing cards, IDs, tickets, and extra

Arrange Apple Pockets and Apple Pay

You would possibly already know that you need to use your Apple Watch to pay for objects at suitable service provider terminals, however the query is, have you ever set this up?

I admittedly went six months with my Apple Watch earlier than I lastly arrange Apple Pay on mine. I already had it on my cellphone and thought there was no large distinction — boy, was I flawed. I used to be kicking myself for not having finished it sooner. It is so handy to have the ability to faucet your wrist at a terminal to seize your espresso on the native café and even pay to your meals on the drive-thru with out worrying that you’re going to drop your cellphone or bodily card.

For many who commute through public transit, utilizing your Watch to faucet on and off for the subway, bus, or practice, is a game-changer. On a current journey to New York Metropolis, I cherished having the ability to do exactly that. In my hometown of Toronto, I faucet on and off the GO Prepare once I journey to the guts of town, then once more on the subway as soon as I’ve arrived to get from level A to level B.

What you won’t understand is that there are different playing cards, like ID playing cards, loyalty rewards playing cards, transit playing cards, and greater than you may load into Apple Pockets, too. Flip by means of them on the Watch’s display and faucet rapidly and simply. You’ll be able to even load issues like occasion tickets and flight boarding passes.

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Apple Pay makes purchases extra handy with only a faucet of your iPhone or Apple Watch. You can too checkout on-line with out digging out your pockets.

Navigate to locations

Get turn-by-turn instructions and prompts

Apple Watch works with not solely Apple Maps but in addition Google Maps and different suitable third-party navigation apps for offering detailed, turn-by-turn instructions as you navigate to locations. You are able to do this whereas driving, glancing over at your wrist as your hand is on the wheel to see the place your subsequent flip ought to be, or whereas strolling.

With the latter, it should buzz to advise you when the subsequent flip is developing. It is a easy strategy to navigate to unfamiliar locations or in unfamiliar areas, whether or not you take a stroll out of the country or driving your youngster to a neighborhood party.

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Set off your cellphone’s digicam

Take excellent group and particular person images

Activate the digicam app on the Apple Watch and it’ll set off your paired iPhone digicam. From there, you may take a selfie or change the digicam from rear to entrance to seize moments on a timer. It is an effective way to get group images or selfies with out outstretching your arm.

It is also a great way to put your cellphone the place you need it, like on a tripod. Then, sit again and set off the photograph with out having to push the cellphone’s digicam button and doubtlessly mess up your excellent set-up. Take into consideration establishing your cellphone at a toddler’s college live performance and utilizing the Watch to seize moments when you nonetheless take pleasure in a full view of the valuable occasion. Whereas we are able to hope {that a} future iteration of Apple Watch might have its own camera, for now, utilizing it as a set off for the iPhone digicam continues to be a useful function.

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Play music

Entry downloaded playlists with no cellphone

When you obtain music playlists to the Watch, you may join it on to Bluetooth headphones or a Bluetooth speaker and play tunes proper from the Watch itself with out an Web connection. It is particularly helpful whenever you’re on the health club, for instance, and also you need to go away your cellphone within the automobile or locker. Possibly you are going out for a run and need to be as mild as potential to beat your PR.

The newest Apple Watches have about 32GB of cupboard space for apps in addition to content material like music. It really works with Apple Music information and companies like Spotify with a Premium connection. However when you’ve got your cellphone close by, it’s also possible to stream from that system and use the Watch to manage playback. When you’ve got an Apple Watch Mobile version, you may stream even with out your cellphone utilizing the wearable’s personal devoted service plan and entry.

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Get helpful app notifications

Actual-time stay updates with the brand new Stacks

Apple launched Good Stack with watchOS 10, and the function has been up to date with watchOS 11. It now helps Reside Actions, so you may see issues like the most recent sports activities scores or get an replace on when your Uber arrives. There are additionally new widgets to ship issues like extreme climate alerts, Coaching Load information, and entry to the three most just lately used objects in an app, like songs in Apple Music or Exercise varieties.

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Test In for security

Let family and friends know you are okay

One of many many security options of the Apple Watch is known as Test In, which helps you to share your arrival standing at a vacation spot with pals or household in order that they know you’ve got arrived there safely.

It is nice for teenagers, the aged, or those that are venturing out on their very own in unfamiliar territory or late at night time. Open the Messages window and your dialog with a selected recipient. Faucet the “+” signal and select Test In. Set a desired timer based mostly on how lengthy it ought to take you to get to your vacation spot and ship the message. From there, Test In when you arrive.

You can too now do that proper from a exercise, ultimate for individuals who go for early morning runs earlier than the solar has come up or late-night walks or runs after the solar has gone down. Begin a Exercise from the Watch, like an Out of doors Stroll. As soon as the time begins, scroll proper, then down, and choose Test In. Faucet the icon with initials on the high, proper to decide on which contact you need to Test In with and choose the time — which is defaulted to When Exercise Ends. Then choose Ship.

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Make calls and obtain messages

Join with or with out your cellphone

Together with your iPhone in your individual or close by, whether or not you’ve got an Apple Watch + Mobile mannequin or not, you may make and receive calls right from the Watch. Incoming calls will come by means of as notifications on the Apple Watch, as many know. However it’s also possible to reply proper from it and speak by means of the Watch’s built-in speaker and mic or with a linked pair of Bluetooth headphones. This works with each mobile calls and FaceTime Audio calls. Conversely, you may choose anybody out of your contact record from the Watch and provoke a name to them as properly. With an Apple Watch + Mobile version, you are able to do this even when your iPhone isn’t with you.

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Get medicine reminders

Keep on high of your well being

The medicine reminders function is a good possibility for individuals who should take medication frequently. Set all the pieces up within the app, together with figuring out the precise medicine, how usually it’s essential to take it, at what time, and at what dosage. It’ll even embrace a cute photograph of the capsule or ointment, based mostly on what’s out there in Apple’s library.

Open the Apple Well being app, choose the Browse tab on the backside, proper, then Medicines. From right here, you may add medicines and even be taught of any potential drug interactions. When the time you’ve got set to take the medicine arrives, a notification pops up on the Apple Watch — take your medication, after which Log it proper from the Watch.

You’ll be able to even arrange Crucial Alerts for essential medicines for issues like your coronary heart, blood strain, diabetes, or different circumstances.

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Retailer Medical ID data

In case of an emergency

Within the occasion of an emergency, not solely does Apple Watch have options like fall and crash detection, it additionally has a spot the place your medical ID particulars could be saved. Set this to be viewable even when the cellphone is locked on the Emergency display, and first responders or anybody on the scene can discover out essential particulars about you. These may embrace allergic reactions to sure medicines, who your emergency contact is, what medicines you’re taking, and any medical circumstances you’ve got. It might be life-saving particulars.

So as to add this data, open the Apple Well being app in your iPhone and choose your Profile icon on the high, proper. Choose Medical ID and allow Share When Locked by tapping the slider on the fitting. Return to the earlier display and choose Well being Particulars to additionally add your blood kind — and even Fitzpatrick pores and skin kind — in addition to different related notes.

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Benefit from your Apple Watch

Now that you’ve got one, use its full potential

There’s much more an Apple Watch can do than simply monitor your exercises and vitals and ship notifications from a linked cellphone. Take advantage of out of the wearable through the use of all of the instruments it gives at your disposal.

Beneficial

Apple Watch Sequence 9