Apple Watch Newbie

Duh! I tried getting it into pages (no luck) but your suggestion worked. Thanks, Simon!

1 Like

Interesting, thank you. Some of mine are like yours, but not all. I have:
Sun 6:45pm, 8:48pm, 11:00pm
Mon 1:02am, 4:44am
Tue 8:22am
Wed 12:20am, 2:04am, 12:04pm
Thu 12:04am, 2:04am, 4:04am, 8:55am, 11:28am, 1:37pm, 2:07pm

Watch is typically worn ~15-18 hours/day. I fell asleep with the watch on Sunday night and Wednesday night, and stayed up late Tuesday night. Since Sundayā€™s and todayā€™s readings were consistent like yours, I wonder if it just fell into a weird period in the between times. Iā€™ll have to keep experimenting. The ratings out of 10.0 itā€™s reporting seem roughly right to me based on rest, nutrition and exercise, regardless of the reporting interval.

1 Like

Hereā€™s a PDF of that list.

I just got my first Apple Watch too, so this has also been a great thread for me.

4 Likes

Hold your breath. I have been tracking my watch use since this thread started and did the initial brain dump.

I am now working on an updated version. Will publish soon!

1 Like

Oh I printed it out already but I have lots of paper. Thank you, Simon!

I have looked at my (also incidental) use of the watch since this thread started. Hereā€™s the updated list.

The exercise actually caused me to uninstall a number of not used apps on the watch.

I have mentioned Apps I use where possible.

Some of the options are UK specific, but I am sure everyone can find a local alternative providing similar functionality

My main and incidental uses are:

  • It wakes me up in the morning (Alarm)
  • No notifications or incoming calls overnight (only immediate family)
  • Open my computer (MacOS)
  • Authenticate logins w/ 1Password and Authenticator
  • Listen to music/podcasts/audiobooks/radio while walking (Overcast/Music/RadipPlayer/TuneIn Radio (with AirPods))
  • Show train tickets (Trainline)
  • Check actions in Omnifocus
  • Dictate to Drafts
  • Start EV charging at public charging points
  • Take phone calls (because you can. feels like calling KITT in Nightrider, or asking Scotty to beam me up!)
  • As camera remote (trigger)
  • Camera Remote incl settings in ProCamera
  • Command Siri around
  • Homekit control (lights, temperature etc) (Home+/HomeDash/HomeCam/HomeRUn/Heatmiser)
  • Homekit accessory lookup codes ((HomePass)
  • Check my Cameras (Ring and HomeCam)
  • Media controls (Apple Music, Vox, AppleTV, Overcast)
  • AppleTV Remote (Remote)
  • ApplePay (Use it for nearly all daily expenses)
  • Public Transport (Citymapper is great)
  • Directions while walking (Apple Maps)
  • Weather (All Carrot complications are great, created a separate watch face for everything weather)
  • Loyalty card scans in shops (Wallet or Store App)
  • Control my car (Open, close, pre-heat, send satnav instructions)
  • Timers (while cooking)
  • Activity (close my rings)
  • Track workouts
  • Sleeptracker (I wear an old Series 3 overnight)
  • Do mindfulness exercises during the day (Breath, Calm. Endel)
  • Check water consumption (Waterminder)
  • Use currency calculator (Currency+)
  • Check deliveries (Parcel and Deliveries)
  • Run shortcuts (Shortcuts/Pushcuts)
  • Translate audio (AE Mate, Translate Now)
  • Read, write and dictate messages in iMessage
  • A quick glance at email (Airmail/Outlook) and sometimes quick replies
  • Walkie Talkie with my other half
  • Check calendar (Fantastical)
  • Add appointments to calendar (Fantastical)
  • Buy coffee at Starbucks (using a Starbucks card)
  • Read, write and dictate messages and replies in WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram
  • Start and stop Toggl timers
  • Run a Pomodoro (Pomodoro Pro)
  • Location-aware pop-ups and reminders
  • The watch helps me count to 20 while washing my hands
  • Calculate blue hour and sunrise. sunset time and location for photoshoots (SolarWatch)
  • Did I say Check Deliveries? Sometimes even Amazon feels slow ā€¦
  • Repeating reminders for daily chores (take medicine, waste collection) (Due)
  • Get breaking news (switched back on to follow recent events) (CNN, BBC)
  • Have travel itineraries available at a glance (Tripit, App in the Air)
  • Track flights (FlightStats/Flightradar24)
  • Keep track of train delays (National Rail/Trainline/Citymapper)
  • Activate/Deactivate home alarm
  • Check the markets (Stocks)
  • Check heart rate during exercise and do regular ECG
  • Using Find My to find my wallet, keys, backpack and other half
  • Get noise warnings in loud environments
  • Listen to Calm/Endel (mindfulness and white noise)
  • Keep track of my blood pressure readings (connected to Withings Health Mate)
  • Timezone management (separate watch face just for that) SFO, NYC, AUA, GMT, AMS, DEL, HKG
  • Check who rings the doorbell (Ring notification/HomeCam)
  • Use PCalc when my brain is fried and forgets about basic 1+1
  • Record my voice or short meetings (Voice Memos/Just Press Record/EZAudioCut)
  • Havenā€™t played recently, but itā€™s a great companion to the GolfLogix app during a round of golf
  • Track my car parking session (JustPark/PayByPhone/Ringo)
  • Quick check my bank balance or add an expense (MoneyWiz)
  • Checking my mobile phone allowances (Provider app)
  • Fun: checking the Nigh Sky using Night Sky X - find that star, planet
  • Find and check the status of nearby EV charge points (Plugshare/ChargePoint)
  • Use as a PowerPoint remote during a presentation.
  • What song is this? (Shazam)
  • Classic stopwatch
  • Quickly gauge my what3words location
  • Did I say Check Deliveries? Still waiting for my Mac Studio to arrive
  • I used to page Ubers, but they have unfortunately stopped supporting the AppleWatch
  • Soon hope to use it for the first time use it as a Hotel room key (Hyatt). Have already used my phone as a room key before.

oh ā€¦ as a free bonus it tells me the current time as well.

ā€¦ and I donā€™t have to adjust for DST. It figures it out.

Actually - compiling this - it surprised me how integrated the watch has become in my daily life. I havenā€™t worn a classic watch for a long time.

My wife uses her phone all the time, I can cope without using it for long stretches.

Also:

My Watchface changes several times a day:

  • Overnight in sleep focus mode (low light, large clock)
  • At wake up, it shows my calendar, weather, news
  • During commute showing Transit, Citymapper, Starbucks card and Overcast (to control podcast)
  • During work: calendar, messages, reminders, water tracker
  • early evening: exercise rings and exercise app
  • at night: just the time, no complicationsā€¦

My battery hovers around 10% when I go to bed
I kept an old series 3 around that I use overnight as a sleep tracker whilst the Series 4 charges and functions as a bedside table alarm clock.
The Series 3 is on silent vibration alarm to wake me up without disturbing my other half

TIP: select different cards as Express Travel Card in Wallet on the phone and watch to separate personal and work travel expenses
TIP: check out Truphone offerings if you want to use watch cellular abroad. (Need to put the watch in Family Setup mode)

watch this if you have a Series 7: Apple Watch Series 7 Tips, Tricks & Hidden Features | You ABSOLUTELY MUST Know!! - YouTube

Think itā€™s about time to upgrade to a new watch. I got my monies worth from the Series 4

PS PDF attached for @Katie

7 Likes

This is a very, very bad post ā€¦ Iā€™m meant to be doing other things this weekend. What will my daughter think at her birthday tomorrow when her dad is playing with his watch and phone?

:laughing:

4 Likes

Iā€™ve been building these habits over 4 years, so pls take your time ā€¦

Alternatively give her an Apple Watch for her birthday and get some quality time doing things together as a bonus :zipper_mouth_face:

2 Likes

Thanks EVER so much, Simon! That ought to keep me busy! :smiley:

2 Likes

Iā€™ll add another use Iā€™ve just found, for anyone who does parkrun, you can now have the barcode on your Apple Watch.

Iā€™ve used a similar function on my Garmin but good to see this on try AW as well. It adds a card to your wallet and then the AW as well.

Iā€™d imagine sheā€™ll be thinking she is not the only one with cool toys!

1 Like

@simonsmark just seen your new list - OMG - remarkable. Iā€™m still settling down into mine!

Is there a shortcut to get direct access to the all apps screen? Have a feeling Iā€™m missing something somewhere?

Not sure my list will be as long as yours after 4 years!

1 Like

Iā€™m not 100% sure what youā€™re asking, but I press the ā€œCrownā€ button and it shows me a list of my apps.

In the Watch app on the iPhone, tap on ā€œApp Viewā€ and then choose ā€œList Viewā€ instead of ā€œGrid Viewā€ (aka ā€œhoneycomb viewā€).

Thank you! Just what I was l looking for!

Oh I didnā€™t know about this. It seems to only allow alphabetical sorting which isnā€™t ideal - I only use a couple of apps that arenā€™t a complication, the main one being Sleep Cycle which is way down the list.

I find I end up pruning watch versions of apps to keep that list faster to scroll. I also use the side button menu of recent apps as a de facto app draw roughly ordered by frequency of use (unless itā€™s been a busy watch day.)

3 Likes

I use the AW extensively:

  • Telling the time without the need to grab my phone from my pocket
  • Dictating a thought in Drafts when out running
  • Tracking my fitness activities
  • Monitoring heart rate during runs
  • Seeing upcoming calendar events and tasks
  • Creating reminders, events, and notes via Siri by pushing in the crown
  • Responding to short text messages from family
  • Setting timers
  • Adding items to the shopping list
  • Viewing weather conditions (temp/rain)
  • Walking directions when in another city
  • Adjusting volume on Podcasts, fast-forwarding past ads on podcasts
  • Fall detection (I used this once during a run)
  • Emergency SOS if never needed
  • Open my computer
  • Use ApplePay with my watch
  • Take an occasional phone call when I donā€™t have my phone nearby

Edited to add:

  • Flashlight
  • To silence incoming calls
1 Like

no one has mentioned

  • flashlight

a tip for new users: cover face to mute alarms

1 Like

Ha, I use both but forgot to list them. :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like

And to reject calls. My dentist always chats to me about the latest tech. He was impressed when I explained I had received and rejected a call while laying back in his chair and he didnā€™t even notice.

2 Likes