Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

20 Useful Tips for New Apple Watch Owners

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,557
30,887


If you recently got an Apple Watch or know someone who did, there are a lot of useful hidden little tips and tricks to take advantage of. We've rounded up 20 helpful tips that new Apple Watch owners should be aware of, and there may even be some tips and tricks seasoned Apple Watch owners don't know.



  • Rearrange Apps - In the main app grid, if you press and hold on an app, you can move it around to create a new app grid design. You can also rearrange apps in the Watch app on iPhone by going to App View > Arrangement.
  • Use List View - Hate the grid view? Open up the Watch app on iPhone, tap "App View" and then choose List View to see all of your apps in a list when you press the Apple Watch Digital Crown.
  • Delete Apps - When your watch is in List View, swipe from right to left to delete an app. This works for third-party apps. You can also do this by holding down on an icon in the grid view.
  • Quickly Access Favorite Apps - The side button on the watch opens up recent apps by default, but if you go to the Watch app on iPhone and tap "Dock," you can change it to show a selection of favorite apps instead.
  • Use Tapback for Messages - When you get a message, a Tapback is a quick and useful way to reply. Just press on any incoming message and you can select a response like like, dislike, laugh, and more.
  • Take Advantage of Smart Replies - Smart Replies are also useful for responding to messages on Apple Watch. In the Apple Watch iPhone app under Messages, tap on Default Replies. Tap on any item in the list to customize it, and then when you get a message, swipe down to get to your reply options.
  • Silence a Phone Call - You can silence an incoming call by placing a hand over the Apple Watch's display. This will make the ringing stop, but the call won't be declined.
  • Clear Notifications - Swipe down on the Apple Watch display to get to notifications, and then scroll all the way up through the list and you'll see a Clear All option to get rid of all of your notifications at once.
  • Jump Back to the Top of an App - If you're using an app and need to get back to the top quickly after scrolling down, just tap on the time in the right corner.
  • See Battery Life in Nightstand Mode - When your Apple Watch is charging in Nightstand Mode, tap on the battery icon. Make sure Nightstand Mode is on by opening up the Apple Watch app on iPhone, tapping "General" and then toggling on Nightstand Mode.
  • Swap Between Apps Quickly - Want to get back to the last app you used? Just double press on the Digital Crown.
  • Access Control Center - There are lots of quick tap controls on the Apple Watch in the Control Center. Swipe up from the bottom of the Apple Watch display to get to it. If you're inside an app, press and hold for a second or two and then swipe up.
  • Ping a Lost iPhone - Open up Control Center and then tap the little phone icon to ping your connected iPhone. It's a useful way to find an iPhone you've misplaced. When it's pinging, hold down on the phone icon if you also want to make the camera flash.
  • Skip the Workout Countdown - There's a three second countdown when launching a Workout. To skip it, tap on the display.
  • Pause a Workout - You can quickly pause a workout by pressing the Digital Crown and the Side button together. Press them again to unpause.
  • Mark Workout Segments - In some workouts, it's useful to mark segments. To do so, double tap on the Apple Watch's display during a workout.
  • Make the Mickey Face Tell the Time - If you're using the Mickey or Minnie Apple Watch faces, you can tap on the characters to have them read the time. Note that your sound needs to be on for this to work.
  • Have Siri Read the Time - With any watch face, tap and then hold with two fingers on the display and Siri will read the time. Sound needs to be on.
  • Make a Memoji - The Memoji app on Apple Watch, which looks like a little cartoon face, can be used to create Memoji characters right on the watch. Memoji can be set as watch faces.
  • Control AirPods - You can use Siri to control your AirPods, skipping songs and adjusting volume. If you have AirPods Max or AirPods Pro, Siri can also toggle on Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.
Have other useful Apple Watch tips that we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: 20 Useful Tips for New Apple Watch Owners
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/08/20-apple-watch-tips/
  • Like
Reactions: JoeyK and chscag
Z

Zanton68

macrumors 6502
Sep 24, 2012
306
191
UK
How do you get Siri to say the time ? I tap and hold with two fingers but get nothing
 
iPUBdude

iPUBdude

macrumors newbie
Jul 9, 2019
2
0
Pressing and holding the camera icon to start the camera light flashing doesn't work. I only repeatedly get the ping sound. Any suggestions?
 
N

n-cholas

macrumors member
Apr 16, 2009
32
39
What’s the use case for the double tap to read the time? It only seems to work once I’ve raised the watch at which point I’m looking at the time, so seems pretty pointless.
 
Apple_Robert

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
34,340
49,691
In the middle of several books.
n-cholas said:
What’s the use case for the double tap to read the time? It only seems to work once I’ve raised the watch at which point I’m looking at the time, so seems pretty pointless.
Click to expand...
If you are referring to the procedure for Siri to read the time, the watch doesn't need to be raised for that to work. You also don't need to double tap the watch face. Simply placing two fingers in the center of the dial should trigger Siri's action.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macguru212
M

Marx55

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2005
1,916
753
Wake me up then Apple Watch works without any dependency from any other device, including iPhone. In other words, a true standalone Apple Watch.
 
S

Sciomar

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2017
559
1,737
Apple_Robert said:
Enjoy your napping Rip VanWinkle. It will be a good long snooze.
Click to expand...
I don't think it'll be that long, they've been making progress towards that outcome. Physical storage size is pretty much there and battery tech is heading there, with some app tweaks I think they'd have a solid standalone device.
 
  • Like
Reactions: subi257
Apple_Robert

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
34,340
49,691
In the middle of several books.
Sciomar said:
I don't think it'll be that long, they've been making progress towards that outcome. Physical storage size is pretty much there and battery tech is heading there, with some app tweaks I think they'd have a solid standalone device.
Click to expand...
Progress is being made but, it is still spec bumps. I think battery technology is the biggest hurdle.
 
  • Like
Reactions: subi257, tonyko and PaladinGuy
S

Sciomar

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2017
559
1,737
Apple_Robert said:
Progress is being made but, it is still spec bumps. I think battery technology is the biggest hurdle.
Click to expand...
For sure, but we've seen great leaps made with processors and GPUs in short time. I'm sure there's companies with full research staff focused on improved batteries and/or improved charging techniques. I tried just using my watch for everything for half a day to see how the battery consumption was, it drained about 75% by 1. The wearables race is going on with glasses right now and I think that's where the push to overcome that hurdle will come from.
 
N

name99

macrumors 68020
Jun 21, 2004
2,194
2,013
iPUBdude said:
Pressing and holding the camera icon to start the camera light flashing doesn't work. I only repeatedly get the ping sound. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Not the camera icon, the phone icon!
Go to Control Center, find the phone icon.
If you just tap it, your phone will emit a "sonar" ping sound.
If you HOLD it, your phone will emit the ping sound AND the LED will flash as long as you hold.
 
A

Ajt888

macrumors newbie
Jan 10, 2021
1
0
MacRumors said:


If you recently got an Apple Watch or know someone who did, there are a lot of useful hidden little tips and tricks to take advantage of. We've rounded up 20 helpful tips that new Apple Watch owners should be aware of, and there may even be some tips and tricks seasoned Apple Watch owners don't know.


  • Rearrange Apps - In the main app grid, if you press and hold on an app, you can move it around to create a new app grid design. You can also rearrange apps in the Watch app on iPhone by going to App View > Arrangement.
  • Use List View - Hate the grid view? Open up the Watch app on iPhone, tap "App View" and then choose List View to see all of your apps in a list when you press the Apple Watch Digital Crown.
  • Delete Apps - When your watch is in List View, swipe from right to left to delete an app. This works for third-party apps. You can also do this by holding down on an icon in the grid view.
  • Quickly Access Favorite Apps - The side button on the watch opens up recent apps by default, but if you go to the Watch app on iPhone and tap "Dock," you can change it to show a selection of favorite apps instead.
  • Use Tapback for Messages - When you get a message, a Tapback is a quick and useful way to reply. Just press on any incoming message and you can select a response like like, dislike, laugh, and more.
  • Take Advantage of Smart Replies - Smart Replies are also useful for responding to messages on Apple Watch. In the Apple Watch iPhone app under Messages, tap on Default Replies. Tap on any item in the list to customize it, and then when you get a message, swipe down to get to your reply options.
  • Silence a Phone Call - You can silence an incoming call by placing a hand over the Apple Watch's display. This will make the ringing stop, but the call won't be declined.
  • Clear Notifications - Swipe down on the Apple Watch display to get to notifications, and then scroll all the way up through the list and you'll see a Clear All option to get rid of all of your notifications at once.
  • Jump Back to the Top of an App - If you're using an app and need to get back to the top quickly after scrolling down, just tap on the time in the right corner.
  • See Battery Life in Nightstand Mode - When your Apple Watch is charging in Nightstand Mode, tap on the battery icon. Make sure Nightstand Mode is on by opening up the Apple Watch app on iPhone, tapping "General" and then toggling on Nightstand Mode.
  • Swap Between Apps Quickly - Want to get back to the last app you used? Just double press on the Digital Crown.
  • Access Control Center - There are lots of quick tap controls on the Apple Watch in the Control Center. Swipe up from the bottom of the Apple Watch display to get to it. If you're inside an app, press and hold for a second or two and then swipe up.
  • Ping a Lost iPhone - Open up Control Center and then tap the little phone icon to ping your connected iPhone. It's a useful way to find an iPhone you've misplaced. When it's pinging, hold down on the phone icon if you also want to make the camera flash.
  • Skip the Workout Countdown - There's a three second countdown when launching a Workout. To skip it, tap on the display.
  • Pause a Workout - You can quickly pause a workout by pressing the Digital Crown and the Side button together. Press them again to unpause.
  • Mark Workout Segments - In some workouts, it's useful to mark segments. To do so, double tap on the Apple Watch's display during a workout.
  • Make the Mickey Face Tell the Time - If you're using the Mickey or Minnie Apple Watch faces, you can tap on the characters to have them read the time. Note that your sound needs to be on for this to work.
  • Have Siri Read the Time - With any watch face, tap and then hold with two fingers on the display and Siri will read the time. Sound needs to be on.
  • Make a Memoji - The Memoji app on Apple Watch, which looks like a little cartoon face, can be used to create Memoji characters right on the watch. Memoji can be set as watch faces.
  • Control AirPods - You can use Siri to control your AirPods, skipping songs and adjusting volume. If you have AirPods Max or AirPods Pro, Siri can also toggle on Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.
Have other useful Apple Watch tips that we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: 20 Useful Tips for New Apple Watch Owners
Click to expand...
Half of these don’t work, so interesting article but pointless
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom