Interface question

[lkalliance]

Hey, all, expecting to purchase my first Apple Watch. I've got TWO interface questions, even though I left it singular in the thread title.

There are two apps of primary importance to me. They will both be very useful when I go cycling, which I do most weekends. One of these apps is more well-developed, it has a watch face complication which would make it really convenient to get that info without having to stop my ride. The other is a tracking and navigation app, like Strava but not Strava. Let's just assume I am not switching to Strava. So here are the questions:

(1) When the Watch goes into dimmed mode (I'm getting the Series 5), are complications (particularly third-party ones) still visible, dimmed? Or is the dimmed view only of the clock portion of the screen?

(2) Let's say I'm on a ride. The first app can give me info in the complication, so pending the answer to question (1), really easy to get with minimal effort. But the navigation app is providing me navigation, say. As I understand it, I have to be actually IN the app to access their functions. If I want to go to their app, which is actively running, what is the most convenient way to switch? Can I simply swipe from the watch face to this other running app, and swipe back? I hope it is that simple.

Thanks for any info!

 

[waw74]

1 - it depends, some disappear, some get dimmed. "personal info" tends to go away like calendar events or heart rate.
I believe the developers can specify what the complication does.
more info at this link under "how information appears" - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210428

2. a double tap on the crown will take you back to the last app.
if the app has a complication, most of the time tapping that will take you to the app.
Sometimes complications are only a "shortcut", there's no data displayed, it's just a quick way to get to the app.

I'm pretty sure third party complications don't update in real time, I think the best you get is once a minute. Might not be an issue for you, but something to think about and look into if that might be an issue for you.
when the display is "off" the definitely do not update as often.

also especailly when dimmed, and crusing down the road in bright sunlight, the complications can be a bit hard to read. Younger eyes might help with this.


you should check out whatever documentation this mystery app has, since we can't tell you too much more by guessing which app you're talking about.

 

[lkalliance]

1 - it depends, some disappear, some get dimmed. "personal info" tends to go away like calendar events or heart rate.
I believe the developers can specify what the complication does.
more info at this link under "how information appears" - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210428

2. a double tap on the crown will take you back to the last app.
if the app has a complication, most of the time tapping that will take you to the app.
Sometimes complications are only a "shortcut", there's no data displayed, it's just a quick way to get to the app.

I'm pretty sure third party complications don't update in real time, I think the best you get is once a minute. Might not be an issue for you, but something to think about and look into if that might be an issue for you.
when the display is "off" the definitely do not update as often.

also especailly when dimmed, and crusing down the road in bright sunlight, the complications can be a bit hard to read. Younger eyes might help with this.


you should check out whatever documentation this mystery app has, since we can't tell you too much more by guessing which app you're talking about.

Sorry to be coy about it; one of the apps is a medical one, and I don't like talking about personal medical issues in an open forum (my general guideline about anything I might put on the Web: if I wouldn't want my ex-wife to know about it, don't post it). Suffice it to say it's well-developed by a large company and is available as a complication, and that complication has information that does not require I enter the app for it to be useful to me.

The biking app is RideWithGPS, which as bike apps go is OK; I use it because Strava feels way too concerned with the social aspect of it, and I just want to log my stuff for me to see. I know you can make everything private in Strava, it's just built around social interaction and I'd just rather steer clear. But RideWithGPS has very limited resources in the Apple Watch area (I called and asked them if they have or are imminently going to have a complication. Their answer: "What's a complication?" I don't think one is coming soon, lol).

Anyway, this medical one is of use to me all the time. Having it on the watchface complication is a tremendous plus, even if it updates just once a minute. If it's not available on the dimmed watchface that makes it a little less valuable to me but still very valuable. And if I'm riding a route I know by heart, I won't have directions turned on in RideWithGPS anyway, so no problem. But I've had routes where I've needed direction, so it's not a non-issue.

I think using a double-tap of the crown ought to be OK, in any event. The app DOESN'T work without my phone (neither does, actually), so I think it's only channeling alerts. If it is better than current (stop riding, pull out phone, wake phone, tap to enter RideWithGPS, look at direction, put phone to sleep, put away phone) then it's a win!

Thanks for the info

 

[oeagleo]

Before you commit yourself to RidewithGPS, check an Apple Watch app called WorkOutDoors, that is fantastic, and once set up, it can tell you anything. Not only for riding a bike, but running, walking, or any other outside activity you may persue. No, it's not my app, but it's that good.

 

[waw74]

Anyway, this medical one is of use to me all the time. Having it on the watchface complication is a tremendous plus, even if it updates just once a minute. If it's not available on the dimmed watchface that makes it a little less valuable to me but still very valuable.

completely understandable about not wanting to share, I was assuming it was another exercise / navigation app,

since it is medical, it's probably not going to stay on the screen when it's dimmed, but it's a slight turn of the wrist, a light tap on the screen, or pressing one of the buttons to make it show up. This is done so people can't "wrist surf" you

If you just need directions, you can also use Apple Maps for bike directions, it's gaining a lot of routing features specifically for bikes in the update coming this fall.


another thing to look at is shortcuts, and see if your app supports it.
You can just say "hey siri, check my midichlorian levels" and she can say "They're really high, you Jedi master"
Headphones keep her from announcing the answer to the world. And I think you need AirPods or beats to make "hey siri" work, but I'm not 100% sure.

and if it does support shortcuts, you can also write it so that it takes different actions based on the levels returned
so if your level is in a certain range, it could give you a warning, and send a text to someone you specify and include the values returned.

 

[lkalliance]

completely understandable about not wanting to share, I was assuming it was another exercise / navigation app,

since it is medical, it's probably not going to stay on the screen when it's dimmed, but it's a slight turn of the wrist, a light tap on the screen, or pressing one of the buttons to make it show up. This is done so people can't "wrist surf" you

If you just need directions, you can also use Apple Maps for bike directions, it's gaining a lot of routing features specifically for bikes in the update coming this fall.


another thing to look at is shortcuts, and see if your app supports it.
You can just say "hey siri, check my midichlorian levels" and she can say "They're really high, you Jedi master"
Headphones keep her from announcing the answer to the world. And I think you need AirPods or beats to make "hey siri" work, but I'm not 100% sure.

and if it does support shortcuts, you can also write it so that it takes different actions based on the levels returned
so if your level is in a certain range, it could give you a warning, and send a text to someone you specify and include the values returned.

I had not thought of the security feature of sensitive information not being on the dimmed screen, but of course Apple thought of it and that's another example of why I like using Apple stuff.

Just heard back from RideWithGPS support, and the answer was a good one. Turn-by-turn directions will show up as alerts when I'm looking at the watch face, I do not need to be in the app. And those alerts are rich alerts, they contain the text of the next direction. The one downside is that the watch will not alert me audibly, the audible signal still comes from the phone.

I'd considered investigating Apple Maps for this purpose once the new cycling features arrive...but what is missing is something Google has had for a long time: the ability to customize a route by just dragging it into place. Maps just assumes you want to get there by the quickest route, not that you are planning a drive or ride that is itself scenic. "The journey is the destination," that sort of thing.