6 Great Apple Watch Tricks


The Apple Watch has been available for a couple of months now, and more and more people are getting their hands on the wearable gadget with each passing day. As with most of Apple’s devices, the Watch has plenty of great features and functionality that can have a positive impact on our daily lives, sometimes without us even noticing. But not all of that functionality is evident at first, with some of the more useful features actually hidden away. Here are 6 great Apple Watch tricks that all owners should know.

Organize Apps

At first glance, the Apple Watch’s home screen can appear to be quite a mess. Most of the apps seem to be simply thrown onto the screen in haphazard fashion that resembles colorful chaos in digital form. This can make it extremely difficult at times to find the one app that you actually want to use, although this problem can be rectified to a degree. Just like any other iOS device, pressing and holding on an app icon will allow you to move it to any other spot on the screen. This works surprisingly well, although it can be tough to get things just the way you like on such a small display. If you want to truly get things organized, use the Watch app on your iPhone instead. The “App Layout” option gives you complete control of how the apps are displayed.

Take a Screenshot

Just like with the iPhone, it is possible to take a screenshot of whatever is displayed on the Watch’s screen at any given time. To do this, simply press and hold the side button and then quickly tap the digital crown at the same time. The display will actually flash briefly, and you’ll hear the sound of a camera shutter before the Watch returns to normal operations. When you’re ready to review your handiwork, the screenshots are stored in the Photos app on the iPhone tethered to the Apple Watch.

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Clear All Notifications

 

Collecting and displaying notifications from email, text messages, and apps is just one of the many conveniences that the Apple Watch provides. But all of those notifications can add up, and manually dismissing them all can take forever. Thankfully there is a quick and easy way to clear your pending notifications, and involves using Force Touch. With the notifications tray open on your watch, simply press hard on the display to get the Force Touch option to clear all. Tapping that choice will immediately clear all pending notifications.

Manually Adjust Time

Generally speaking, the Apple Watch sets the time automatically based on the iPhone that it is paired with. But, Apple allows us to manually adjust that time as well. To do this, launch the Settings app on the Watch and select the “Time” option. Next, tap on the button that reads “+0 min” and use the digital crown to set the time as you’d like. This is especially helpful for those who always find themselves running a few minutes behind, giving them a better chance of staying on schedule.

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Quickly Return to Your Last Used App

The mobile operating system that powers the Apple Watch is not always as easy to navigate as I’d like. In fact, I often find that it takes quite a few extra clicks and swipes to accomplish some tasks that should be quick and easy. But one simple trick can come in handy when trying to get things done. If you double-click the digital crown button you can jump back to your last used app. This can save a lot of time and effort, particularly when you’re in the middle of a workout or otherwise occupied.

Share Your Location

Sharing your location with friends and family is a great way to find one another. To send your current location from your Apple Watch, simply open the Messages app, select the person you want to share the information with, and Force Touch the screen. You’ll be greeted with several options, one of which is “Send Location.” Tapping that choice will immediately share your GPS coordinates with the other person, who will be able to see where you’re at on the Maps app.

Also Read:

5 Ways the Apple Watch Will Change Your Life
5 Places to Use Your New Apple Watch

Kossi Adzo

Kossi Adzo is a technology enthusiast and digital strategist with a fervent passion for Apple products and the innovative technologies that orbit them. With a background in computer science and a decade of experience in app development and digital marketing, Kossi brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the Apple Gazette team.

One Comment

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  1. Thank you for these useful tricks.
    Maybe you can help me with another watch problem.
    Even the time zone is fixed to my hometown in the IPhone ICal the calendar notifications in my watch are related to the local time zone.

    For a frequent traveler the watch calendar is useless and confusing.

    Many thanks in advance for your help.
    Michael Faulhaber