The Unofficial Guide to Using Apple Watch (7 page)

To add music, connect your watch to its charger, then open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Next, tap Music (it’s near the bottom). After that, tap “sync playlist,” and choose the songs you want to add.

To play music directly from your watch, open the music app and press firmly on the screen when the app opens. This will open a new menu with four options: Shuffle, Repeat, Source, and Airplay. Select “Source.” Next select Apple Watch. It will now walk you through pairing your watch with Bluetooth headsets to listen to the music.

From the previous menu, you can also select Airplay to pair your watch with an Airplay enabled speaker.

One of the features that Apple is really promoting with the Apple Watch is Activity; one of the reasons to wear the watch, if you are to believe Apple, is to get you to move more.

The app is divided up into three fitness goals: stand up for at least one minute of every hour, hit your calorie burn goal by moving more (you can set your goal), and accumulate 30 minutes of an activity that requires movement above a brisk walk. Each of these goals make up rings; as you complete these goals, the rings begin to fill up, and by the end of the day they should ideally be full.

To get started, go to your home screen and tap the Activity app. The first time that you open the app, it will give you a very short tutorial on what the app is and how it helps you live a happier, healthier life. Once you finish the tutorial, you’ll have to enter some personal information—this is for your eyes only and you only do it once. It will help ensure the app is as accurate as possible. For each section, turn the Digital Crown to enter your information.

After you’ve finished, you will indicate your activity level; you can change this later, so if you aren’t sure, then go for lower—not higher. Next you’ll see your suggested goal, which you can accept or adjust. When you are done, tap Start Moving. Your app will now be tracking you in the background. There’s no need to start anything each day.

You can access the Activity app at any time by tapping on it from your home screen, but you can also get to it by swiping up from your watch face to see it in your Glances. The first thing you’ll see is all the rings together. You can swipe to see each ring individually.

At any time, you can change your goals by opening the app, then pressing firmly on the display. You can also have reminders sent to you to encourage you to complete your goal.

In the Activity app on your iPhone, you can view your Activity history, and see more detailed reports about what you’ve done. The measurements will get more accurate as you wear the watch more, and it gets to know your behaviors.

Workout is kind of a companion to Activity even though there’s a separate app for it. The point of it is to help you track progress during a workout session and help you hit new milestones.

From your Home screen, tap the Workout app and you’ll immediately see dozens of different workouts. They range from brisk walks to more intense workouts—both indoor and outdoor. For indoor and outdoor running or walking and outdoor cycling, you can also set a distance goal. You can also choose no goal and simply get started.

Once you hit Begin, the watch will immediately count down to the start. During your workout, a ring will steadily fill in here as you approach your goal.

To pause or end the workout, just press firmly on the display and press End or Pause. When you end the workout, you can scroll through a full summary. You can either save the data or discard it.

To get the best results with your heart rate, make sure the watch is tight enough to touch the skin, but not too tight. From your watch face, swipe up and go to the Heartbeat glance; next tap the heart to take a reading.

If you are in a workout, you can check your heart rate by swiping on the lower half of the Workout progress screen.

If you want to set an alarm, go to the Alarm Clock app from your watch’s home screen. Once it’s open, press firmly on the display, then tap New +. Tap Change Time (remember to also change AM / PM); you can use the Digital Crown knob to adjust the hours and minutes. Finally tap Set. You can tap the < in the upper left corner to return to the alarm settings, where you can repeat an alarm, push snooze, or label it.

To adjust an alarm, tap the Alarm Clock app, then tap the alarm in the list that you want to change. Tap next to the alarm to turn it on or off. You can delete an alarm by tapping on then alarm, then scrolling to the bottom and tapping Delete.

To use the watch’s timer, go to the home screen and tap Timer; timers can be set for up to 24 hours. To set a timer, open the app, tap hours or minutes, turn the Digital Crown knob to adjust the time, and finally tap Start. If the timer will be more than 12 hours, then while adjusting the timer press firmly on the display and tap 0-24 hours.

If you want to use the stopwatch to time things like the time of a track lap, then go to your home screen and tap Stopwatch app. To start the watch, tap the Start button; tap the lap button to split the time or record a lap.  Timing will continue as you switch between them. When you are finished, tap Reset.

You can also pick the format for the stopwatch; there are four different ones: Analog, Digital, Graph, and Hybrid.

A lesser-known fact about the watch is that it doubles as a remote control iTunes and Apple TV.

Before you begin make sure both your watch and your device are using the same network; if your phone is using one Wi-Fi and your watch is using another, then they won’t work.

If you’d like to use the watch as a remote for iTunes on your Mac, open up the Remote app; next tap the Add Device+.

In iTunes on your computer, click the Remote button near the top of the iTunes window; it will ask you to enter the 4-digit code that is now displayed on your watch. (Note: if you look for the Remote button in iTunes before you tap Add Device on the Apple Watch, you’ll be waiting a long time—it will only appear after you tap Add Device; also make sure iTunes is up-to-date.)

If you’d like to use the watch as a remote for iTunes on your Apple TV, open up the Remote app; next tap the Add Device+. (Note: remember you must be using the same Wi-Fi Network.)

On your Apple TV go to Settings, and then General, and finally Remote, and select the Apple Watch; enter the passcode that’s currently on your watch.

Like every Apple product, the Apple Watch has accessibility features to help people with disabilities.

It works very similar to your iPhone; to access the features, go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then My Watch, then General, and finally Accessibility.

VoiceOver helps you use the watch even if you can’t see the watch. It will read back everything that’s on the watch for you. You can turn it on by going to the Settings app on the watch’s home screen, then General, Accessibility, and finally VoiceOver.

When VoiceOver is on, you can move your finger around the display and listen to the name of each item you touched. VoiceOver also uses different gestures; you can go back by using two fingers to draw a “Z” shape on the display. To open an app, you will double tap it instead of single tap. To pause the VoiceOver from reading what’s on the screen, tap the display with two fingers; tap with two fingers again to resume play.

When you set up your watch for the first time, you can use VoiceOver as well. When you turn on the watch for the first time, press the side button; after it turns on, triple click the Digital Crown knob.

The watch is a small display—perhaps even smaller than you thought it would be—so it’s understandable that you might want the display a little bigger. If that’s the case, go to the Settings app, and then turn on General, Accessibility, and Zoom.

To zoom in or out when Zoom is enabled you will double-tap the display with two fingers. To move around (or pan) the display, you will drag with two fingers.

Putting the text in boldface is another way to make reading the text on your screen a little easier. You can make the text boldface by going to the Settings app on your home screen, then tapping General and Accessibility and turning on Bold Text; the watch will need to be restarted before this goes into effect.

To change a band, press the band release button on the Apple Watch, and slide the band across, then slide in the new band. You should never force a band into the slot, as this could get it stuck.

It is recommended that you fit the band so it is close to your skin, but not so tight that it is squeezing your wrist.

Apple recommends that you clean the leather portions of bands with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth that is, if necessary, dampened with water. The band should not be attached to the watch. After cleaning, let the band dry before reattaching to the watch. Do not store leather in direct sunlight or in high temperatures or high humidity; you also should not soak the leather in water as it is not water resistant.

For all other bands, Apple recommends cleaning the same way, but the band should be dried with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth.

In very rare cases, the Apple Watch may freeze or need to be force restarted. If this ever happens, hold down the side button and Digital Crown knob at the same time for ten seconds. When the Apple Logo appears, you can let go.

If you want to reset the watch settings and make the watch new (remember this erases everything) then go to the Settings app from the Home screen, then go to General, Reset, and finally Erase All Content and Settings. Once it’s reset you will need to pair it with your phone again. Make sure you do this if you ever sell or give your watch or phone away, as your vital information (like credit cards) will be available to that person if you don’t.

If you need to know what model number your watch is, what software version it is, what its serial number is, or what its capacity is then go to the Settings app from your Home screen, and then General and About.

Much like the iPhone and iPad, updates to the Apple Watch software are done over the air—meaning you won’t need to plug anything in.

To see if there’s an update, open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, then tap My Watch, General, and finally Software Updates. It will tell you if there’s an update, and then you just follow the steps. Updates don’t happen very often—usually just a handful of times each year.

What’s a watch without its band? Unlike traditional bands, the Apple Watch makes it remarkably easy to switch out bands. And unlike any other Apple product, you have
lots
of options; normally an Apple product comes in two or three colors; with the watches there are several dozen ways to mix and match.

Below is a guide to all the different ones you have to choose from. (Note: when purchasing a band, remember that a 42mm band won’t be compatible with a 38mm band or vice versa). Unless otherwise noted, all bands are available in both 38 and 42mm. Some bands are not one size fits all.

Sport Band ($49)

It’s available in black, space gray, white, pink, blue, green. The band is obviously best for working out; it's also the cheapest band available. It’s made of fluoroelastomer, a synthetic rubber known for performing well in heat. Because this band isn’t one size fits all, the chart below helps you make the right choice:

Classic Buckle ($149)

This band is made of "Dutch leather" from a tannery in the Netherlands. Apple promises the mill gives it a distinctive texture. The closer is made of stainless steel.

Milanese Loop ($149)

Apple says the inspiration for this stainless steel mesh band was a mesh band from 19th century Milan. The band is completely magnetic and easy to put on.

Modern Buckle ($249) - three sizes: small, medium, and large

It’s available in brown, black, pink, and midnight blue. The leather for this stunning band comes from a French tannery established in 1803. How are the modern and classic bands different? The leather is slightly different, but the most noticeable difference is the buckle. The classic is a strap with holes; the modern is a magnetic band that helps you have a more precise fit.  Because this band isn’t one size fits all, the chart below helps you make the right choice:

Link Bracelet ($449.00)

The most expensive and complex band, this stainless steel band has over 100 parts. Apple claims the craftsmanship is so complex that it takes nine hours to assemble a single case. The magnetic closure is one size fits all.

Leather Loop ($149) - Only available for the 42mm band.

It’s available in stone, light brown, bright blue, and black. Made of Venezia leather and handcrafted in Arzignano, Italy, this band has a soft and gilded feel. The magnetic loop is easy to put on. Because this band isn’t one size fits all, the chart below helps you make the right choice: