If you only use your Apple Watch to count steps and read texts, you’re missing out. A powerful, pint-sized computer that lives on your wrist, the device can be used for everything from checking your heart rate to checking out at the grocery store. And, yes, it makes for a sleek, regular-old timepiece, too.
Whether you own the budget Apple Watch SE or the high-end Apple Watch Ultra 2, the tips below can help you harness the many sensors, built-in tools, and customization options to make the model better meet your needs.
To access the latest features and user experience, be sure your watch is updated to the most recent version of WatchOS 11.
If you’re still debating which Apple Watch to buy, we have a guide to help you decide. We also highlight a few of the best-rated models at the bottom of this story.
In our Smartwatch Ratings, available to CR members, we offer the full test results for more than 60 models—scored on metrics like versatility, scratch and water resistance, and the accuracy of the step count and heart rate monitoring. Health and Fitness
Harness your watch’s sensors and features to level up your fitness.Pause Your Rings
You’re no doubt familiar with the three colorful Apple Rings that display your daily progress toward your movement, exercise, and stand goals. If you’re fond of closing those rings to maintain a streak, you can briefly pause and preserve that campaign when you’re sick or traveling long-distance.
In the Fitness app, click on your Rings and scroll down to Pause Rings.
You can also adjust the Ring goals to make them more or less challenging.
In the Fitness app on your phone, tap your profile picture on the top right and select Change Goals.Turn Your Watch into a Hiking Companion
Within the Maps app, you can view turn-by-turn navigation on thousands of hiking trails, marked with trailheads and data like the route type and elevation changes. Download the map from your phone before you leave home and you can even consult it when you’re far from cell or WiFi service.
In the Maps app on your iPhone, tap on the finder icon and then your picture in the top right. Tap Offline Maps and select the portion of the map you’d like to have available on your watch.
Your Apple Watch can also connect to third-party iOS hiking maps like AllTrails or WorkOutDoors, which have more detailed trail information.
Don’t forget to log your hike as a workout from the beginning, too. That allows you to review detailed workout info, like your mapped route, mileage, elevation change, heart rate, and more.
Set Up a Sleep Schedule
Good sleep is foundational for good health, and your Apple Watch can help you get more hours of quality slumber. As you likely know, if you wear your watch to bed, you can pore over your sleep stats in the Health app the next morning. But you can also create a sleep schedule that alerts you via your watch when it’s time to wind down and get ready for bed. You can change your schedule for weekends and weekdays, too.
You’ll find the Schedule setting within your sleep data in the Health app. And don’t forget to turn on Sleep Focus before bed, so notifications don’t keep you up.Monitor Your Workout Intensity
Unsure whether to push yourself during today’s workout? Apple’s Training Load feature analyzes the strain you’ve put on your body over the last week, relative to the last 28 days, letting you know if you’ve pushed way above or way below baseline.
To make use of the Training Load feature, you need to log effort scores for your workouts after completing them. (Fortunately, you can add the scores retroactively, too.) Review Training Load data within the Fitness app on your iPhone or watch. Safety
Better protect yourself using these Apple Watch tools.Protect Your Hearing
Repeated, long-term exposure to noise levels at or above 85 decibels can permanently damage your hearing, according to the World Health Organization. Your watch alerts you when ambient noise levels spike, allowing you to take proactive steps to protect yourself.
To change the decibel threshold at which your watch notifies you, go to the Watch app on your phone, select Noise, and then make a selection at Noise Threshold.
If you don’t want to be pinged about high noise levels, you can turn the feature off from the same settings menu. Connect to Emergency Contacts
You can reach your emergency contacts quickly by holding down the side button on your watch and dragging Emergency Call to the right, which will alert both authorities and your designated contacts. The watch can also alert the emergency contacts if it detects a fall.
To set up your emergency contacts, go to the Medical ID section of your phone’s Health app.Shine a Flashlight
When fumbling for your keys in a parking lot after dark or walking around your house late at night, you can turn your watch into a convenient on-wrist flashlight. Just press the side button to open the Control Center and tap the flashlight icon. You can swipe right to change the flashlight’s mode, choosing between a regular, red, or flashing light. To adjust the brightness, turn the digital crown on the side.View Hands-free GPS Navigation
You can view step-by-step GPS directions on your watch display. This is handy if you need to, say, safely stay off your phone while driving or cycling. Begin navigation via the Maps app on your watch or phone. You can also ask Siri to start navigation on your watch using a voice command.Productivity
Save time and reduce how often you have to fiddle with your phone.Pare Down Notifications
Given the chance, your watch will buzz day in and day out with all manner of alerts from your phone. To prevent it from becoming a nuisance, you can limit notifications to those you truly want to see. Ideally, this also reduces how often you pick up your phone.
Go to the Watch app on your iPhone, choose Notifications, then toggle off all unwanted apps. To further reduce distractions, turn on Do Not Disturb or Personal modes as needed.Tap to Make Purchases
Like your iPhone, your Apple Watch is equipped with NFC technology that lets you securely make purchases at checkout. You need to have your debit or credit card information stored in your iPhone’s Wallet app. Once that’s set up, you just double-click the side button on your watch and hold the display up to the contactless card reader. A haptic buzzing confirms that the payment went through. You can also review any purchases made with your Apple Watch in the Wallet app.Personalization
Make your watch work better for you by making it your own.Choose Your Favorite Watch Face
Don’t be afraid to show off your style. There are dozens of custom watch face options for the Apple Watch. Some spotlight activity goals, the local weather, or even the lunar cycle. Others look like a traditional analog watch. Tap and hold down your display and scroll to the right until you see “New” with a plus symbol. From there, you can browse Apple’s options and add ones you like to your personal collection.Swap Out the Complications
The tools and apps displayed on your main watch face—aka the complications—are easy to swap out. Just hold your finger down on the display until you enter editing mode. From there, you can choose between dozens of complications—like the weather, your day’s schedule, the watch’s battery percentage, or your text alerts. These easy-access apps spare you from tapping around on your watch more than necessary.Scale Up Text Size
Struggling to make out the tiny text on the display? Press the side button on your watch to open the Control Center. Then select Aa and scroll to select the text size that works for you. You can make other changes to your watch’s appearance, too. From the Accessibility section in Settings, you can increase the color contrast, change the color filters, adjust the minimum brightness of your display in low-light conditions, and more.Make the Vibration More Prominent
If you don’t notice the buzz on your wrist, you can make the vibration stronger. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, and select Prominent haptics. Keep in mind that a stronger vibration can drain the battery faster.