Apple Watch
The Whole World on Your Wrist
Unpair Your Apple Watch from an iPhone
Unpair your Apple Watch from your old iPhone before pairing it to a new phone. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab at the bottom of the screen, select All Watches, then tap on the info icon (the letter
“i” with a circle around it). Tap Unpair Apple Watch, and confirm by tapping Unpair [Your] Apple Watch. When you unpair the watch, the data automatically backs up to your iPhone. Create an iCloud backup of your old iPhone, and transfer that content to your new phone.
Pair Your Apple Watch to a New iPhone
It's easy to pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone—nearly as simple as connecting any other Bluetooth-enabled device. Unpair your Apple Watch from the old phone (see tip above) before pairing it to the new phone. Then, open the Watch app on your new iPhone and follow the on-screen directions. When asked, make sure to select Restore from Backup and select the most recent backup to transfer your content back to Apple Watch. Congrats, you've paired your Apple Watch with a new iPhone!
Update WatchOS on Your Apple Watch
First, make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and your iOS is up to date. Make sure your Apple Watch is on its charger and at least 50 percent charged. Leave your Apple Watch connected to and in range of your phone. On your iPhone, open the Watch app. Tap My Watch > General > Software Update > Download and Install. Enter your iPhone or Apple Watch passcodes if asked. A progress wheel will appear on your Apple Watch and remain during the update. Don't restart your iPhone or Apple Watch until it's complete.
Open Your Apple Watch with Your iPhone
Knowing how to unlock your Apple Watch from your iPhone not only saves you from entering your passcode each time you unlock your smartwatch but also offers the convenience of not having to type on your tiny screen. Open the Watch app on your iPhone. In the My Watch tab, scroll until you see Passcode and toggle on Unlock with iPhone. Enter the Apple Watch passcode on your watch screen. Now, your Apple Watch will unlock every time you unlock your iPhone if they're in Bluetooth range of each other.
Turn Off Background App Refresh
Background App Refresh immediately displays the most recent information when running background apps. When turned off, you save battery life, but only apps used in the complications of your watch face will continue to refresh in the background. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and select the My Watch tab.
Tap General > Background App Refresh, then toggle off Background App Refresh. You can also turn off Background App Refresh for specific apps.
Turn Off Automatic Downloads
When you download an app on your iPhone, it automatically downloads to Apple Watch if there's an available watch version. This communication between devices takes up battery power. Turn off these automatic downloads to save battery power and instead manually add apps you want to see on your Apple Watch within the My Watch tab instead. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and ensure you're on the My Watch tab. Tap General. Toggle off Automatic App Install.
Remove Unused Apple Watch Apps
If your Apple Watch battery drains too fast, select some apps to remove. Most Apple Watch apps have to communicate with your iPhone, which can drain your battery life and use storage. You can't remove Apple's own apps, but for any other app, tap and hold the app icon until it enters jiggle mode. Tap the X to remove it. Tap Delete app to confirm.
Check Apple Watch Storage from Your iPhone
With any device, you'll want to keep an eye on your storage. To check your watch storage on your iPhone, launch the Watch app on your iPhone and select the My Watch tab. Tap General > About to display your storage usage breakdown and see your watch's total capacity and storage space available.
Check Storage Availability on Your Apple Watch
You can also check your storage right on your Apple Watch, which can be very handy if you don't mind the small screen. Go to Settings and tap General. Scroll down to Usage. This shows how much storage is available, how much you're using and how much space each app is taking up.
How to Delete Content
Launch the Watch app on your iPhone, select the My Watch tab, tap Photos, select Photos Limit and decrease the limit on pictures stored. In the Music or Audiobooks menu, tap Edit, then the Delete icon to remove individual songs or audiobooks, then tap Done. Tap Podcasts, then toggle off stations or shows you want to remove. From your watch Home screen, tap the Music app, then tap Library. Swipe left and tap Remove to delete playlists, all music by a specific artist, whole albums, or songs.
Share Your Location from Your Apple Watch
Your Apple Watch with GPS enables you to share your location. An Apple Watch with GPS + Cellular can perform this tip without an iPhone! Open the Find People app > Share My Location. Dictate a name (microphone icon), select a name from your contacts (contacts icon), or enter a phone number (keypad icon). Choose the contact and length of time to share your location. You'll find the contact and sharing timeframe in your Find People home screen.
Transfer a Call to Your iPhone
Taking a call from your Apple Watch isn't always ideal, but you can transfer your call to your iPhone. Tap the three dots to the right of the green phone icon, then select Answer on iPhone to place the call on Hold, giving you time to find your phone and answer it. Alternately, answer the call on your Apple Watch, then locate your phone. Select the call (easily seen by the bright green bar at the top of the screen) on the iPhone; it will automatically transfer.
Unlock Your iPhone with Your Apple Watch with a Mask On
Face masks are essential these days, but they've made using Face ID to unlock your iPhone impossible until now. To get started, you'll need an iPhone with Face ID, updated to iOS 14.5 and an Apple Watch updated to watchOS 7.4. Your Apple Watch must be on your wrist, have a passcode, be unlocked, and be near your iPhone. Open the Settings app, tap Face ID & Passcode, enter your iPhone's passcode, and toggle on Unlock with Apple Watch.
Set a Timer on the Apple Watch
Open the Timer app. Tap one of the preset options or scroll down and tap Custom. Tap the minute, hour, or seconds clock wheels and adjust them by swiping, or tap a clock wheel and use the Digital Crown to choose the desired time. Tap Start. Press Reset to restart the timer. Tap Pause to stop the timer and Resume to restart it. When the timer is done, your Apple Watch will ring and vibrate. Select Stop or Repeat. You can find timers you customized and used in Recents, above the Custom button.
Use Pictures for Your Watch Face
Apple has a decent array of fun watch faces you can use, my favorite being Mickey Mouse. To change your watch face, complete a hard press on the watch face screen. Swipe left and tap New, then scroll to the Photo option and tap it. By default, photos you've tagged as Favorites on your iPhone will randomly shuffle as your watch face. Tap the heart on photos in your iPhone's Photos app to add photos to Favorites.
How to Set Up Apple Pay
Did you know you can use Apple Pay on your Watch even when your iPhone isn't present? Enable Apple Pay on your iPhone, then open your phone's Watch app and tap Wallet & Apple Pay. Select a card or choose Add Credit or Debit Card. Set up a passcode if you don't already have one. Choose your default card. From then on, you'll be able to double-tap the large watch button (next to the Digital Crown) to quickly access Apple Pay with your default card. Once it says Ready, hold your wrist up to the Apple Pay terminal.