10 tricks every Apple Watch owner should know

Metro

11-07-2025

Hiyah Zaidi Published July 9, 2025 4:31pm Link is copied Comments Having a smart watch is a very useful way to track your health, and could be a solid addition to having an iPhone. It's also a great way to use a hands free feature to make payments, check messages and it even allows you to play music, all without needing to get your phone out – perfect in crowds or if you're in a rush. But, did you know there are a few other features the Apple Watch allows you to do? Below are 10 features which may come in handy (Picture: Getty) Although there are times where hearing your watch ping could be useful, you don't want it constantly going off. So enabling this one feature would help quieten things down – and all you have to do is cover the watch display with your hand for three seconds. To enable this, go into your iPhone, then go into My Watch > Gestures > and then toggle to Cover to Mute (Picture: Getty) Despite it being a watch, you don't have to have the time as your display. If you would prefer something else, you can change the display to show any app you'd like. You can do this by going onto settings in your phone, then selecting General > Return to Clock. If you scroll down, you should be able to see On Screen Raise Show Last. This will allow you to choose from While in Sessions, Within 2 Minutes of Last Use, Within 1 Hour of Last Use, and Always (Picture: Getty) Let's say, hypothetically, you want to keep track of your running time, but want to document it somewhere other than your phone. You can simply take a screenshot of your Apple Watch by simultaneously pressing both the side button and Digital Crown (the dial). Now you can share any drawings from your Digital Touch too (Picture: Getty) On most Apple Watches, you can't directly type. But the good news is, you can set up a few pre-composed responses via your iPhone, and these can be tapped on during conversations to auto-send. If this sounds like something you want to do, simply go to the Apple Watch app on your phone, then go to My Watch > Messages > Default Replies, where you can add or remove pre-composed responses (Picture: Getty) The convenience of having an Apple Watch is that you don't need to be constantly distracted by something lighting up beside you – such as your phone. But if have a phone call coming in, and you don't want to speak into your watch but can't find your phone, all you need to do is swipe up when you have an incoming call. Then you should see an option that says 'answer on iPhone' which will place the caller on hold until you can find your phone (Picture: Getty) If you have a friend or family member, and they also have an Apple Watch, why not try the walkie talkie app? You both will need to have an Apple Watch Series 1 or later with watchOS 5.3 or later, and FaceTime will need to be activated. Then simply, launch the app, select a contact, send them an invitation, and once they have accepted, just hold down the talk button and speak. Sounds fun...over. (Picture: Getty) Even if you don't have a severe medical issue, this may be a handy feature to add. To add in an emergency contact, open the health app on your phone, tap on the profile picture, then go into Medical ID. From there, Edit > Emergency contacts > Add then save (Picture: Getty) If you need a little bit of light, you can use your watch as a flashlight. This is great if you're trying to leave a room, or find your phone in the dark. All you need to do is press the side button, tap on the flashlight icon, and swipe left or right to choose a mode – a steady white light, flashing white light, or steady red light. To adjust the brightness, turn the digital crown (Picture: Getty) It's really important to wash your hands. Properly. Despite the Covid Pandemic, many people do not practise good hygiene when washing their hands – which must be done for 20 seconds at least for effective cleanliness. So, Apple has a way of encouraging you to do that. Simply go onto the settings app on your watch, tap on handwashing, then handwashing timer, and when the Apple Watch detects that you've started washing your hands, it starts a 20-second timer. If you stop washing in less than 20 seconds, you're encouraged to finish the job. Please clean your Apple Watch regularly too (do not wash it, or any other electronic device, try wiping them down with antibacterial wipes or similar) (Picture: Getty) If you prefer your apps in a list, you can change how your watch looks. One way to do this is by pressing the Digital Crown to go to the Home Screen, scroll down to the bottom, and choose List View. To go back to the honeycomb grid layout, scroll down to the bottom of the list and choose Grid View. Alternatively, you can open the Settings app on your Apple Watch and tap App View to switch between grid and list views or open the companion app on your paired iPhone, select the My Watch tab, hit App View, and select List View or Grid View (Picture: Getty)