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I don't believe that that is currently possible. Are you aware you can use your phone as a keyboard input for the watch?

Yes but I was thinking how cool it would be to have a little keyboard accessory for my watch so I can leave my phone at home. The only thing that's difficult with the watch is typing.
 
I don't believe that that is currently possible. Are you aware you can use your phone as a keyboard input for the watch?

Does anyone do that though? My first thought was "Oh cool! I need to remember this!"

But once I thought it through, I'm puzzled as to why anyone would bother to use their watch like a tiny external monitor for their phone when they could just use the phone directly.
 
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Imagine if Apple released an accessory that slid in like an apple watch band, but it was aluminum slab about three inches long and the width of the phone with a tactile keyboard. That would be the perfect dumbphone.
 
Phones quite a bit bigger than a pocketable keyboard accessory if one existed.
That keyboard must be rather mini considering even iPhone 16 Pro Max size would struggle to fit all keys (excluding number pad and extra keys of course) onto it. Besides, you probably can only use it while you are sitting down anyway.
Just a bit of my thought process.
 
Does anyone do that though? My first thought was "Oh cool! I need to remember this!"

But once I thought it through, I'm puzzled as to why anyone would bother to use their watch like a tiny external monitor for their phone when they could just use the phone directly.
Well, watch form factor does has its advantages compared to iPhone size. Strapping onto your wrist would be one of them as you can’t really strap your phone onto your wrist and be secure and comfortable. But then the watch itself probably doesn’t need to be an extension of the phone. Apple wants their watch to be an extension of their iPhone though. I’m not saying I don’t like it but it comes with significant battery life disadvantages.
 
Well, watch form factor does has its advantages compared to iPhone size. Strapping onto your wrist would be one of them as you can’t really strap your phone onto your wrist and be secure and comfortable.

What I meant was that typing on your phone while looking at the output on your watch doesn't make sense because once you bring your phone into it, why bother connecting it to your watch as an external keyboard? Even if you're using it as a virtual keyboard in landscape orientation, you still have more leftover space on the phone to work with than if you only used your phone to type, but kept your eyes on the watch.

It'd just be an awkward setup for no gain.
 
Yes but I was thinking how cool it would be to have a little keyboard accessory for my watch so I can leave my phone at home. The only thing that's difficult with the watch is typing.
Leaving the iPhone at home so don’t have to carry it. Bringing the keyboard instead. Umm…
 
Leaving the iPhone at home so don’t have to carry it. Bringing the keyboard instead. Umm…

I don't think that's as impractical as it sounds. There are already some very interesting compact keyboards form factors out there. Now with 3D printing and off the shelf electronic modules being miniaturized and readily available, the DIY enthusiast keyboard people have come up with some pretty interesting form factors. I'd be very surprised if someone doesn't already have some prototype of a one handed chorded keyboard that you can hold like a salt shaker.

I would be interested in something like that. With available software algorithms, you could even produce an ultra-compact one handed full QWERTY style keyboard with as few as 16 keys that any proficient touch typist could learn in a few days.
 
i have been pleasantly surprised at how well you can "swipe type" on the Watch's keyboard. when it doesn't quite recognize my pattern it's list of candidate words generally always contains the word i was trying to type.

which reminds me of T9. i wonder if there is a T9 Watch app...

and having a micro/mini keyboard for the Watch sounds like a great idea.
 
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