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25 tips that every Apple Watch user should know

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If you are using an Apple Watch Series 7 or older, these quick tips will help you get more out of it. 

Listening to music 

You can listen to music through your watch with watches running WatchOS 4.1 or higher. They include songs, playlists, albums and Apple radio stations in Apple Music. You can also use apps like Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio.

To set up, first connect your earbuds, headphone or speaker via Bluetooth. Open the Apple Music app on your watch and go to your music library through it. You can pause, resume, skip ahead, go back, and volume control through the player. With the built-in radio feature here, you can tune Apple Music 1 and listen to certain news and music stations. 

Third-party music app must be downloaded through the app store of your watch. Every apple is different, but the process is the same. Fire up the app to access your stations or library. Some watch apps allow paid subscribers to listen to offline music.

To listen to the Podcast 

Apple has their own Podcasts app. You can download the required podcasts to your iPhone through it and listen through the watch. This requires watchOS 5 or higher. If you have an LTE-enabled Apple Watch, you can listen to podcasts without hopping to a nearby Wi-Fi network.

Open the Podcasts app on your watch and swipe through subscribed podcasts or individual episodes in your library. Through the podcast player, you can resume, pause, jump ahead 30 seconds, alter the speed, go back 15 seconds, and change the volume. 

You can play podcasts through your phone using your watch as a controller. If you’re not crazy about Apple’s Podcasts app, you can include Downcastr, Overcast and Pocket Casts alternatives.

To track your workout 

The Apple Watch is famous for its fitness and health capabilities and one of its best features is that you can track your workout. Using the built-in workout app here, you can track your process in various activities. These include activities inside and outside the gym, such as biking, hiking, walking, rowing, elliptical, jogging, swimming, stair stepper and yoga.

To monitor your heart rate 

You can monitor your heart rate through the built-in Heart Rate app on Apple Watch. Open the app, and it will measure your current heart rate. As long as your watch is in display mode, or your glance at the face, your rate record will be obtained periodically by measurements. Touch the arrow on the upper left and then the app will show your current rate, resting rate, average rate and specific rates based on your activities.

To take an ECG 

With the Apple Watch Series 4, you can get an electrocardiogram and check your heart rhythm to detect things like atrial fibrillation due to the irregularity of the rhythm. This is not something you should do every day or always. This is important for you only if you have a heart condition or experiencing some type of symptoms.

To get an electrocardiogram from your Apple Watch, open your ECG app and tap OK. Hold your finger on the Digital Crown. The app will countdown like taking an ECG. After 30 seconds, sinus rhythm and heart rate will be shown on your display. To ensure the reading, make sure your watch is on the wrist. You can also leave a note about your symptoms in the app.

If you have chest pain or other similar problem, do not waste time on this app and call an emergency service. But depending on certain circumstances, the app can flag possible issues that you can convey to your doctor. 

Measure the oxygen level of your blood

If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or 7 and watchOS 7 or later, the built-in oximeter will measure your blood oxygen level. That way, you can make sure that your brain and other organs are getting proper oxygen. The typical reading here is between 95% and 100%. Blood with low oxygen percentage can be a sign of pulmonary or cardiac issue or other problems. 

To setup the blood oxygen sensor, open the Watch app and tap Blood Oxygen on your iPhone. Make sure Blood Oxygen Measurements is turned on. Also, you can control the sensor and enable or disable background reading in sleep mode and theater mode.

To get a reading, open the Blood Oxygen app on your watch and tap the start button to start the scan. The sensor starts with a 15-second countdown. If the measurement is successful, the screen will indicate your blood oxygen level percentage. For good results, make sure that your watch is not lower than the wrist and that it is comfortable. Keep your hand and wrist as much as possible between reading. 

Although you can’t rely on this sensor, you can find out if there are any symptoms that you should talk to your doctor about.

To get the Hand Washing time 

Washing your hands is the best way to prevent the spread of germs and prevent infection and it is also the best way to fight the covid-19 pandemic. Experts say that you should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially if you have been in contact with someone who can transfer germs in a public place.

To complete this goal, watchOS 7 has provided a handwashing tool that detects if your hand is under running water and provides a 20-second countdown from start to finish. To enable this handwashing reminder, go to the settings of your watch and go to handwashing. Then turn on the switch of the Handwashing Timer. 

You can also enable location based reminders. This will prevent you from forgetting to wash your hands when you get home. The next time you start washing your hands, this timer will kick off and reward you with a chime and “Nice one” if you wash your hands for 20 seconds.

To protect your Hearing 

Loud noises are annoying and affect your hearing. The Apple Noise app introduced with WatchOS 6 can give you an alert whether the noise around you is affecting your hearing problem or not. By setting a certain decibel threshold, you can get a notification if the ambient sounds are too high through the app.

To set this up, go directly to settings on your watch and go to noise. Then tap on environment sound measurements and turn on the switch to Measure sounds. Go to the previous screen and tap on the Noise Notification option. There you can set the decibel level. If your watch determines the noise around you is too high, a notification will pop up to warn you.

To Practice Mindfulness 

If you need a quick break from your daily grind, turn on the Mindfulness app on your Apple Watch. It frees you from normal stress and strain to focus on something else. Use Reflect mode to think about something in your life. That is, about a challenge, a success, a difficulty, an opinion, an idea and ruminate on it for a minute or more. 

Breathe mode tells you to breathe in and out for a minute to ease your mind and body. You can set the deep breathe mode to automatically remind you to practice deep breathing several times a day.

To track your sleep 

Many third-party sleep tracking apps are available for Apple Watch to help you track your sleep. But Apple introduced their own built-in sleep tracker app with watchOS 7. It allows you to see how long you sleep at night and analyze your night-time schedule to help you get a good night’s sleep. And to record your sleep pattern.

To set it up, open the health app on your iPhone. Swipe down on Summery and tap the Get Started button to Sleep Set Up. You can set the number of hours you want to sleep as a goal. Create a bedtime and wake time weekly schedule and create any alarm you want. 

You can automatically turn on Do not disturb in your bedtime sleep mode. Also, the Wind Down mode eliminates distractions for several minutes before bedtime. And you can enable sleep tracking through your watch.

Turn on Do not Disturb 

Like iPhone, Apple Watch also supports Focus mode with Do Not Disturb. Therefore, you will not be bothered by phone calls, text messages or other notifications. That is, Focus setting on your watch is like a mirror on the iPhone. 

You can do Focus and Do Not Disturb in a couple of ways through your watch. Go to setting and then focus. Tap the Do Not Disturb category. Next, enable it, add new or setup a schedule. A half moon icon is displayed at the top of the screen to indicate Do Not Disturb mode.

Swipe up from the bottom of the watch screen to Control Center and tap the half-moon icon. On the next screen, select the duration of Do Not Disturb until you turn it off, one hour, until the evening or until you leave the current location. 

Call Emergency Services 

If you own a cellular version of Series 5, Series 6, or Series 7, you can call emergency services directly from your watch. This feature also supports international calls to emergency service. It depends on your carrier or your location. That is, if you are an American traveling in London, your watch will call 999 to get help, not 911.

Press the side button for a few seconds until you see power off, Medical ID and Emergency SOS. You can slide Emergency SOS to the right or continue holding down the side button. After a short countdown, your watch will call emergency services. If you accidentally start the countdown, release the side button. If you accidentally started the emergency call, press down on the screen and tap End Call. 

As an added feature, you can enter the emergency contact in the Health app on your iPhone through the Medical ID screen. When you finish the emergency call, a text message will be sent to that person with your location.

Setting up the watch for a family member You must have an iPhone to set up and use an Apple Watch. But with watchOS 7, Apple introduces a family member who does not have an iPhone to set up an Apple Watch. Then that person can make and receive calls and text messages, use built-in features and run third-party apps on the watch. 

You need an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 14 or higher for this to work. And the family member must have an Apple Watch Series 4 or later. Also, the related features require a cellular connection in the person’s watch.

To set up, place your watch next to the iPhone and open the watch app. Tap the all watches link above. Next tap Add watch and select set up for a family member. Follow the next steps and enable or modify the necessary features and settings. 

When you do that, your family member can use his watch without an iPhone. You can manage his watch through your phone.

Talking to Siri

You can talk to Siri through the watch. Siri can speak to you again with Apple Watch Series 3 or later. When you long press on the Digital Crown, Siri appears and waits for your command or question. With WatchOS 7 or higher, you can make different types of requests to Siri. Among them there are things like translating word or phrase.

You can get Siri’s attention by voice. Go to Settings on your watch, then General to Siri. Enabling Hey Siri allows you to say “Hey Siri” to your watch. To enable Raise Speak, you can raise the watch to your mouth and then you can say “Hey Siri” to chat with the voice assistant. 

To run a Siri shortcut

If you use Siri Shortcuts on your iPhone, you can trigger it even faster with the Apple Watch. Shortcuts app has been added to Apple watch with WatchOS 7 or higher. By opening the app, you can see all the support shortcuts that can be started through your watch. Choose the specific shortcut that suits you. Then you can run and manage them with your wrist.

Find your iPhone 

Lost your Apple iPhone? Use your Apple Watch to find it. Access the control center by swiping up the bottom of your watch face. Look at the icon that resembles a ringing phone. Tap that icon, then that icon will turn blue. Your phone will start making a pinging noise. You can go up there and find the phone.

To find a family member 

Do you want to track a family member or friend? You can find their whereabouts using the Find People app on your Apple Watch. After you open the app, the family members who have agreed to share their location with you will appear there. By tapping on that person, you can enter the address on the map. You can also get turn-by-turn directions to their location and see if they leave their current spot.

To get access to contacts 

With WatchOS 8, Apple will finally include the contact app in the Apple watch. You can now view, edit, and manage from your wrist with the onboard Contact app. 

View the info card at the top of the screen or swipe down to view all your contacts. Tap the specific contact you want to see their name, address, phone number, and more. By swiping the bottom, you can share, edit or remove contact information with others.

To browse photos 

You can view various photos on your iPhone through your watch. Also, you can view the photos you have named as favorites by default on the watch. But you can change the album. To do this, open the watch app on your iPhone and go to the My Watch section. Tap Photos and change a synced album of your choice. 

By opening the photo app on your watch, you can see the thumbnails of all your synced photos. They can be zoomed by Tapping or Digital Crown. By swiping left or right you can go through them and select the desired photo and zoom in.

To dictate an email or text 

There are several ways you can enter a text on your Apple Watch. You can use a QuickPath keyboard with Series 7 or later. Scribble characters with any series watch or tap them out with the iPhone. But the fastest way to create a text is to dictate. In the Mail or Messages app, for example, tap on the create message, add message or imessage field. Tap the microphone and say the text you want. Tap on the field and then tap the Backspace key to correct any mistakes. When your message is complete, send it.

Organize your app 

Your home screen can quickly become cluttered with apps, but you can rearrange these apps into a layout that suits you. Open the watch app on the iPhone. Go to App Layout in My Watch section and move your icons to different spots.

To do this, on your watch, go to the home screen and press down on any app until they start jiggling. You can now move this icon to different places. Or press down the home screen and select the list you want instead of the grid view to view your apps in an alphabetical list. 

Access apps through Dock

You can quickly access your favorite or most used apps through the dock. Press the side button and scroll down until you find the right app in the list. You can add apps to the Dock. If you want to remove something, swipe it to the left and tap on the X. 

Open the watch app to manage Dock apps through your iPhone. Tap the entry for Dock in the My watch section. Then tap the edit link. You can remove any app by tapping the minus sign. An app can be added by tapping the plus sign.

To change and customize your watch face 

Tired of seeing the same watch face every day? You can easily change and customize the Apple Watch face. Swipe left or right on your watch face to see a different watch face. Open the watch app on your iPhone to set up the new face. Go to the Face Gallery section and tap on a face. You can then jazz it up with different colors and styles and then you can tap add and add the face you want. At the top of the My watch screen, tap Edit next to My faces. Here you can remove unnecessary faces and change the order of faces.

Changing the brightness and text size 

If you are not impressed with the text and brightness of your screen, you can change them as you want. Go to the settings of your watch and go to Display & brightness. Tap the left or right icon on the brightness scale and increase or decrease the brightness. You can also control this by turning the digital crown. Tap the text size. Tap the icon on the text size scale and change it. Or turn the Digital Crown. For more visibility, turn on the switch to make the text bold.

Control your watch with hand gestures 

It is not always feasible to control the watch automatically by tapping and pressing your watch face and buttons. If you cannot use your other hand, you can use the watch wearing hand instead to navigate your watch through the gesture. To set this up, go to settings, then Accessibility via AssistiveTouch and turn on the switches.

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