Apple watch tips
Ping Your iPhone...Like a Pro
One of the features that Apple Watch users love is the ability to ping their iPhone when you can't remember where you left it. This is one of the first things people learn to do when they get an Apple Watch. However, not many people know about the hidden option that exists to find your iPhone even quicker! To test it out, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to launch Control Center on your watch. Most people just tap the button to ping their phone but if you press and hold that button, your iPhone will play a sound and illuminate the flash on the back of your phone. This means you have a much better chance of finding your lost devices.
Water Lock for Swimming
If you are a keen swimmer, Water Lock is a feature worth knowing about. To enable it, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center on your Apple Watch, and then tap the raindrop icon. When enabled, the display on your watch is disabled to prevent accidental touches while swimming. To exit Water Lock, simply turn the digital crown. This vibrates the speaker on your Apple Watch to help dispel any remaining water that was still inside your watch.
Silence Notifications Quickly
Sometimes notifications arrive at very inopportune moments. An incoming phone call can be very distracting, even if you have muted the sound on your iPhone. To quickly silence that notification, all you need to do is place your palm over the screen of your Apple Watch. It works for phone calls, text messages, and any other kind of notifications.
Change the App View Layout
The iconic grid view of circular app icons is instantly recognizable, but not always very practical. Sometimes, it can be hard to find the app you want, especially when some apps like Timer and Stopwatch have very similar app icons. The good news is, an alternative does exist. It's called List View, and it puts all your apps in a handy vertical list that is sorted alphabetically. Here's how to enable it.
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch
- Scroll until you get to App View and then tap to select it
- Choose List View Once enabled, you can scroll through your apps by swiping on the screen or turning the digital crown on the side of your watch.
Stronger Vibrations for Notifications
The haptic engine on the Apple Watch is the technology that is used to send vibrations to your wrist when you get a new notification. However, depending on how you wear your watch, the vibrations may not be as strong as you might want. In fact, many people miss notifications because they didn't feel the buzz on their wrist. Here's how to fix that:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch
- Scroll down to Sounds and Haptics and tap to select this option
- Under Haptics, tap Prominent Once you have enabled this setting, vibrations from notifications will now be stronger and more noticeable. It might seem too strong at first, but try it for a couple of days before you make the change back to the default settings.
Remote Camera Shutter
The iPhone is great for selfies, but sometimes your arm just isn't long enough to capture everyone in a group shot or to capture everything you want in the background. For times like this, your Apple Watch is here to save the day because it allows you to trigger your iPhone camera remotely from your wrist. Here's how.
- Prop your iPhone up against a wall or set it on a tripod
- Open the Camera Remote app on your Apple Watch
- Tap the 3-second timer button to start a countdown
- Your photo will be captured when the timer gets to zero It's worth noting that the Camera Remote app is not just for photos. It also works for portrait photos, video, slo-mo and time-lapse captures. Simply select the correct mode on your iPhone before you trigger the timer on your watch.
Set Portraits Watch Face on Your Apple Watch
The watch face is designed to intelligently recognize faces in photos and highlight the subject. Using the multi-layered effect, it animates portrait images so that they appear stunning on the smartwatch.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone > Face Gallery > Portraits > Choose Photos to set Portraits watch face. After that, choose up to 24 portrait images and customize the watch face using the available complications. Finally, tap Add to finish.
Share Photos from Your Apple Watch
To share any image right from your wrist, open the Photos app on your Apple Watch > select an image > Share button > Choose Messages app or Mail app > select a contact > write a short message (optional), and send it.
Set a Focus on Your Apple Watch
Focus mode is what you should use to keep all the distractions away while working or having a peaceful time.
Swipe up from the watch face on your Apple Watch to access Control Center and then tap on Focus (the crescent moon) icon. Next, tap on the Focus you wish to turn on > tap the length of time you wish the Focus to be active, and you are all set!
Create a Focus Schedule
After creating a Focus on your paired iPhone, you can customize schedules for it right from your wrist. Based on your needs, you can customize the schedule to automatically invoke a custom Focus at a specified time and even choose whether or not a Focus activates on certain days.
To set a Focus schedule on your Apple Watch, open the Settings app > Focus > specific Focus > Add new. Next, set the start/end time and also fine-tune the “Repeat” for days.
