Using the Timer, Alarm, and Stopwatch Apps on Apple Watch

[MacRumors]

Apple has separated its three time-based categories into separate apps on Apple Watch. This allows you to quickly access the specific feature of the timer, alarm, and stopwatch you want with just a few taps.

While most of it is self-explanatory, we've got some tips for how to get the most out of each of these apps so they work the way you want, when you want.

Timer

The Timer app on Apple watch makes it possible for you to set a timer right from your wrist so you don't have to search out your iPhone to activate or even turn off the alert when time is up.

Tap the Timer app icon on Apple Watch to open it. Then rotate the Digital Crown to adjust the time. When ready, tap the Start button.

You can switch between a timer that goes from zero to 12 hours and a timer that goes from zero to 24 hours by firmly pressing the display screen.


Click here to read more...

Article Link: Using the Timer, Alarm, and Stopwatch Apps on Apple Watch

 

[keysofanxiety]

Next week's article: "How to use the home button on the iPhone"

 

[BillyTrimble]

Next week's article: "How to use the home button on the iPhone"

I found this to be a useful article. If you hate MR so much, why don't you just go elsewhere to complain?

 

[Arran]

Well, I didn't know you could force-touch on the timer.

Good article.

 

[Arran]

Next week's article: "How to use the home button on the iPhone"

It does a lot more than many people realize.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
Please stay on topic, a number of off topic posts were removed.

 

[cdm283813]

If you hate MR so much, why don't you just go elsewhere to complain?

Maybe he did not see the previous article on how to do that.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Well, I didn't know you could force-touch on the timer.

Good article.

I don't understand the purpose. It seems to me that it should use a 12 hour face if the user likes 12 hour time and 24 hour face otherwise. To indicate times of over 12 hours left on a 12 hour face, it can use a special secondary line style - it seems rare to me that anyone would ever have a timer of over 12 hours in the first place (I think I can honestly say I have never once seen a timer set for more than ~6 hours.)

 

[iTom17]

You know, it's kind of funny; before I got my Apple Watch I NEVER EVER used any of the tabs in the Clock-app on my iPhone. But now I use it almost every day, especially the timer. Using Siri, it works really quick and all. I just have to say something like "Set a timer for ten minutes" and I'm done!

Love this ability. Good that MacRumors brings some attention to it.

 

[laurim]

I've been enjoying using the Timer on my watch while I grill. I'll have to remember to use Siri to set the time because I've been gingerly using a clean finger to do it up until now so I didn't get grease or meat juice on my watch, lol.

 

[hipnetic]

laurim, as a matter of fact, grilling was my #1 use case for using the stopwatch functionality on my iPhone. I used the stop watch, instead of the timer, because there were actually several points in time that I wanted to keep track of, and using a timer would probably be too cumbersome. For example, if I'm putting two steaks on the grill (one for me and one for my wife), I want to flip them after 2-3 minutes, turn off the direct heat underneath the steaks after another 2-3 minutes, and then I would want to take my steak off the grill after about 10 minutes of total time, but leave my wife's steak on for a few minutes longer. So I use a stop watch and just frequently check on it.

FWIW, I didn't have much interest in getting an Apple Watch (for various reasons), but having access to a stop watch on my wrist for grilling was one use case I had for a smart watch.

Side note: I just recently purchased a Motorola 360 Android Wear smart watch because I: a) like the style of it better than the Apple watch, b) liked the $150 price tag much better, and c) was looking for another reason to try out the Android OS (I also bought a $150 Nexus 5 phone which I've been playing with).

 

[aberrero]

I came in here ready to knock this article, but I actually had no idea you could force touch on Stopwatch and Timer, so TYFT.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I found this to be a useful article. If you hate MR so much, why don't you just go elsewhere to complain?

There was no hatred expressed.

It was simply a light jostle at yet another help article for the Apple Watch. Also, there have been a huge number of articles about very basic functions of the Apple Watch, which suggests that what is supposed to be an easy-to-use device that simplifies your life is, in fact, the exact opposite.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Well, I didn't know you could force-touch on the timer.

Good article.

It suggests that force touch is fundamentally not a good idea, as you can't ever know what it is used for; the very opposite of a transparent user-interface, ironically, given the invisibility of its appearance.

 

[BillyTrimble]

There was no hatred expressed.

It was simply a light jostle at yet another help article for the Apple Watch. Also, there have been a huge number of articles about very basic functions of the Apple Watch, which suggests that what is supposed to be an easy-to-use device that simplifies your life is, in fact, the exact opposite.

That is a most absurd and illogical conclusion. Everything is more complicated today. Just because something can make our lives easier doesn't mean that no time needs to be devoted to understanding the features of a device. My old digital Casio watch was far more complicated to program and use than the apple watch.

These articles are designed to help even experienced users learn the subtleties that may not be obvious. And they are very useful to most. Those, like yourself, who love to complain and find fault with everything will of course not find these articles useful as that would prevent you from complaining all day long and your ego would prevent you from acknowledging that you don't know everything.

Your name continues to be instantly recognizable to myself and I'm sure many others. And it's recognizable is a very unflattering way. You moan and groan and find fault with everything. I was going to add you to my ignore list, but I will keep you around to be able to counter your absurdities.

 

[BillyTrimble]

I came in here ready to knock this article, but I actually had no idea you could force touch on Stopwatch and Timer, so TYFT.

Why would you want to knock the article? Even if you didn't learn something new, perhaps others would. These article are great. To bash something that is designed to help people learn how to use something is very telling about the basher, in a very negative and sad way.

 

[BillyTrimble]

It suggests that force touch is fundamentally not a good idea, as you can't ever know what it is used for; the very opposite of a transparent user-interface, ironically, given the invisibility of its appearance.

If force touch is so bad, why are we going to see it on new iPhones and trackpad devices? You are now condemning apple for using it on all sorts of devices. You want to stifle innovation and progress just because it isn't always obvious. How ridiculous. All sorts of programs have features and functions that aren't obvious.

Just look at Photoshop. There are innumerable features and uses and shortcuts that must be learned to take full advantage of this marvelous program. Using your approach, Photoshop wouldn't have all of these feature and would become 1/10 as useful as it is.

You seem to be a defeatist. I doubt there is anything that you won't make a disparaging comment about. You assume people are either too stupid to learn how to use something or too smart to need a basic tutorial.

 

[aberrero]

Why would you want to knock the article?

Because it smells of clickbait?

 

[C DM]

There was no hatred expressed.

It was simply a light jostle at yet another help article for the Apple Watch. Also, there have been a huge number of articles about very basic functions of the Apple Watch, which suggests that what is supposed to be an easy-to-use device that simplifies your life is, in fact, the exact opposite.

One doesn't necessarily imply the other.

 

[C DM]

Because it smells of clickbait?

Clearly not, and even if it might to you doesn't mean that's actually the case.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

If force touch is so bad, why are we going to see it on new iPhones and trackpad devices? You are now condemning apple for using it on all sorts of devices. You want to stifle innovation and progress just because it isn't always obvious. How ridiculous. All sorts of programs have features and functions that aren't obvious.

Just look at Photoshop. There are innumerable features and uses and shortcuts that must be learned to take full advantage of this marvelous program. Using your approach, Photoshop wouldn't have all of these feature and would become 1/10 as useful as it is.

You seem to be a defeatist. I doubt there is anything that you won't make a disparaging comment about. You assume people are either too stupid to learn how to use something or too smart to need a basic tutorial.

I prefer to wait until I see the finished article rather than leaping to judgement.

Force Touch may be great; I suggested that it wouldn't be, but didn't declare that it would be bad. Just as I reserve judgement for the real thing, perhaps you should be less hasty to judge me, lest you speak too soon.

 

[Arran]

If force touch is so bad, why are we going to see it on new iPhones and trackpad devices?

Because someone at Apple has forgotten about Mystery Meat Navigation: A frequent problem of 90's webpages when the site designer got too clever and hid things from the user.

Ref: http://www.zdnet.com/article/ipad-apps-bring-back-mid-1990s-mystery-meat-user-interface-problems/

 

[BillyTrimble]

Because someone at Apple has forgotten about Mystery Meat Navigation: A frequent problem of 90's webpages when the site designer got too clever and hid things from the user.

Ref: http://www.zdnet.com/article/ipad-apps-bring-back-mid-1990s-mystery-meat-user-interface-problems/

Then the solution isn't to abandon it but to educate and improve. New functionality is good. But I do agree that it must be easier to learn about and use that functionality.

But here is the real problem. MR puts out these how to articles that often give insight to less obvious functionality. That how to learn and educate. But Benjamin Frost and others bash these articles as "clickbait" and being too simplistic, and on and on. So you tell me what is the answer here given the Benjamin Frosts of this forum. Perhaps he thinks we should just return to the abacus and be done with it all.

And just think about this with regard to the watch. How much more complicated would it be to change or modify a watch face without force touch. A hell of a lot more difficult. So you and Benjamin want us to give up this relatively easy way to change the face instead of educating people how to use force touch.

 

[Arran]

Then the solution isn't to abandon it but to educate and improve. New functionality is good. But I do agree that it must be easier to learn about and use that functionality.

But here is the real problem. MR puts out these how to articles that often give insight to less obvious functionality. That how to learn and educate. But Benjamin Frost and others bash these articles as "clickbait" and being too simplistic, and on and on. So you tell me what is the answer here given the Benjamin Frosts of this forum. Perhaps he thinks we should just return to the abacus and be done with it all.

And just think about this with regard to the watch. How much more complicated would it be to change or modify a watch face without force touch. A hell of a lot more difficult. So you and Benjamin want us to give up this relatively easy way to change the face instead of educating people how to use force touch.

1. You're taking this too personally.

2. It needs to be designed better. Sporadic "education" on an obscure Internet forum is not really the solution.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I'm having a Blonde moment, well, and NOOB...

What does the Timer App look like?

EDIT: Got it. It was so obvious that it evaded me...