From your iPhone

To use the Apple Watch App Store on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. On your iPhone, tap the Apple Watch app.

   The black icon with a silver Apple Watch is preinstalled on all iPhones. Tapping the app launches the App Store for Apple Watch.

2. Tap the Discover tab along the bottom of the screen. Then tap Explore Watch Apps, at the bottom of the screen.

   You see some recommended apps to get you going.

3. Find apps to download based on what’s featured or by category.

   For example, you can tap the See All tab beside Get Started to open a list of popular apps. Alternatively, tap the Search tab (as shown in Figure 11-2) in the lower right of the iPhone screen if you’d prefer to look for something by keyword instead of browsing.

   Other tabs at the bottom of the screen include: Today (a collection of apps highlighted each day), Games, Apps, and Arcade (which requires a subscription to the Apple Arcade gaming service).

Note: Despite the fact the App Store is accessible inside the Apple Watch app on iPhone, be aware not all these apps work with Apple Watch (some are for iPhone only). But you see which ones are supported before you download.

Directly to your Apple Watch

To use the Apple Watch App Store on your Apple Watch, follow these steps:

1. Tap the App Store icon on Apple Watch to launch the store.

2. If you haven’t done so already, sign into the App Store. Tap Password and use the virtual keyboard (on a nearby iPhone) or Scribble feature to type it (only required once).

   You might also be prompted to add a passcode to your Apple Watch to download apps, if you haven’t already set that up.

3. Browse through all the content to find something to download and try.

   Search using Scribble or Dictation, or rely on your Siri voice assistant. Read reviews, look at the overall star rating, and check out screen grabs.

After it downloads, the app is available on your Apple Watch Home screen. You may be prompted first with a message like “Double click [side button] to install” or “Requires iPhone to complete setup.” Just follow along! See Figure 11-3.

Many of the Apple Watch apps are free, and some require a nearby iPhone to get the most from them. Just remember that most Apple Watch apps have a companion app for iPhone; therefore, you need to have enough storage on your iPhone — not just on the watch — for many of them.

While at the App Store on your Apple Watch or iPhone, it’s a good idea to read the full description of the app and check out the screenshots before you download it to ensure it’s for you before you waste your time, data, and, perhaps, money. Also, read reviews by those who’ve already used the app.

You can also update the Apple Watch’s operating system directly on the watch. Tap the Settings app icon, followed by Software Update, and if there’s a newer operating system to download, it prompts you to download the update.

As most Apple Watch apps also install an iPhone version, after you download it, it syncs between devices. In other words, you don’t need to do anything to copy apps over to the watch (if you downloaded Apple Watch apps to iPhone) or vice versa (if you downloaded to Apple Watch directly). The moment the Apple Watch and iPhone are synced over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, whatever you downloaded is transferred to your wrist.

Deleting apps

To manage the apps on your Apple Watch — to delete ones you no longer want, for example, or perhaps to tweak the layout of them — you can do this in one of two ways.

• Use the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Simply launch the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and then tap My Watch, where you can uninstall apps you no longer want on your Apple Watch.
• Delete apps directly off Apple Watch. From your Apple Watch’s main Home screen — where you see all the circular icons in “Grid” view — simply press and hold lightly on an icon and they all start jiggling. If the app has a little “X” in the corner, you can tap it to delete it off Apple Watch. See Figure 11-4.

If the app doesn’t have a little “X,” which is most (but not all) of the built-in Apple Watch apps, you can’t delete them.

Unless you have a generous data plan, only download large apps on your iPhone when you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot. A couple megabytes is fine if you’re using cellular data, but you should use wireless broadband for anything larger than that. Some games can be a couple gigabytes in size (1 gigabyte is roughly 1,000 megabytes).

Settings and personalization

Instead of tapping the App Store tab in the lower right of the Apple Watch app on iPhone where you download Apple Watch apps, tap the My Watch tab in the lower left to open the settings and personalization options for the watch.

From within My Watch, you can perform the following actions:

• Change the orange App View of the apps on your Apple Watch’s Home screen (Grid View, which is on by default, or List View).
• Near the top of the screen, where you can see what Apple Watch you have (such as 44mm Case - Aluminum), you can unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone.
• You see the various Watch/Clock Faces illustrated at the top of the screen. Tap to select one.
• Select Complications to change what info you see on your favorite clock faces.
• The Notifications tab lets you customize what notifications you want pushed to the watch.
• Select Dock to see (and customize) what apps you want to see when you press the side button.
• Adjust brightness and text size for the watch in the blue-and-white Brightness & Text Size section. As shown in Figure 11-5, use the slider to adjust each setting and choose to bold text or not.

  

• Enable or disable sounds and vibrations in the red-and-white Sounds & Haptics area (also shown in Figure 11-5). You should have options for Alert Volume, Mute, Cover to Mute (covering your watch with your hand to mute it), Haptic Strength, and Prominent Haptic for more pronounced vibrations.
• The purple Do Not Disturb tab turns off all alerts, sounds, and haptics to the watch, whereas the orange Airplane Mode disables the wireless connection between Apple Watch and the iPhone. When enabled, the Mirror iPhone option automatically turns off Apple Watch’s wireless radios whenever you do the same on the iPhone.
• You should also find options for Accessibility, Siri, Passcode, Emergency SOS, and Privacy.

Have fun exploring what you can customize on Apple Watch. There’s quite a bit.

General options

Under General options for Apple Watch, you should find the following information:

• About: Software version installed and other information.
• Software Update: To look for and download the latest watchOS update.
• Automatic App Install: For watchOS and app updates.
• Watch Orientation: Left or right wrist and whether the Digital Crown button is on the left or right side. You have the ability to change this, as shown in Figure 11-6.
• Accessibility: Options/aids for seeing and hearing impaired and more.
• Language & Region: Choose the System Languages, Region, and Calendar type (which by default is Gregorian).
• Apple ID: The account you’re signed in to.
• Enable Handoff: When this is on, your iPhone picks up where you left off with supported apps on your Apple Watch.
• Wrist Detection: When this is on, Apple Watch automatically shows you the time and latest alerts when you raise your wrist.

Other settings are here, too, such as Wake Screen (how and when to wake the Apple Watch screen), Enable Dictation (to enable on-device dictation), Usage, Diagnostic Logs, and more.

Accessibility options

Those living with visual or aural impairments can take advantage of a number of accessibility options on Apple Watch. Just as Apple has done with its iOS and OS X products (and the Safari web browser), Apple’s smartwatch provides several features you can enable in the Accessibility area of the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, as shown in Figure 11-7. More details are available at Apple’s website for these options (www.apple.com/accessibility/watch), but the following provides a quick summary:

• Visually impaired users can enable VoiceOver, a screen reader available in one of several languages.
• Enlarge the Apple Watch fonts in Font Adjustment (ideal for the Mail, Messages, and Settings apps), add Bold Text, and opt for the Extra Large Watch Face option with bigger numbers to read.
• Other visual tweaks include Zoom (magnification), Grayscale (no color), Reduce Transparency (increases contrast), On/Off Labels (easier to see if setting is on or off), and Reduce Motion (the Home screen is easier to navigate).
• For those with impaired hearing, Apple Watch lets you enable Mono Audio (sending both audio channels to both ears and letting you adjust balance for greater volume in one ear or the other).
• Apple Watch’s Taptic Engine can be enhanced with Prominent Haptic, a setting that gives a slightly more noticeable vibration and “preannouncement” for some alerts, such as calendar appointments, messages, phone calls, and more. A preannouncement means the watch sends you an additional haptic vibration before the main one.
• There is also a Tap to Talk feature (Walkie-Talkie app), Air Pods tap options, Chimes (when to hear chimes per app), Side Button Click Speed, and Touch Accommodations (on or off).

You can also adjust some accessibility options on Apple Watch itself by triple-tapping the Digital Crown button.

Security options

Beginning with watchOS 6, Mac users have the ability to leverage your Apple Watch as an extra security tool.

As shown in Figure 11-8, the Mac includes an option to approve security prompts by tapping on the side button of Apple Watch, when prompted, to confirm it’s really you logging in! Enable this option via the Mac’s System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy area.

You can also use Apple Watch to display Apple ID verification codes, for when you need to log in to your Apple account on a new device or browser (“two factor authentication” combines something you know, such as a password, with something you have, such as Apple Watch).

You can also have your Apple Watch automatically verify you to unlock your Mac and apps. Make sure your Mac has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on and then sign into iCloud with the same Apple ID as your Watch.

Note: You must have two-factor authentication enabled on your Mac, and your Apple Watch is using a passcode.

On your Mac, choose Apple menu ⇒ System Preferences. Now click Security & Privacy. Select “Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac” or “Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac.”

First-party app options

Of course, multiple options and settings can be explored in each of the first-party apps installed on Apple Watch, such as: Activity, Calendar, Clock, Contacts, Health, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Phone, Photos, Reminders, Sleep, Stocks, Weather, Wallet & Apple Pay, and Workout. Some examples of what you can change include:

• Clock: You can select 12- or 24-hour (military) time; Push Alerts from iPhone (if enabled, Apple Watch lets you know about iPhone alerts); Notifications Indication (if enabled, a red dot appears at the top of the watch face when you have unread notifications); Monogram (choose a one- to four-letter monogram to appear as a monogram complication on the Color watch face); and City Abbreviations (specifying different acronyms for the default ones provided for your chosen cities for the World Clock complications).
• Activity: You can choose to turn on or off Stand Reminders (notified 50 minutes into an hour of inactivity); Progress Updates (set a time interval to receive an update on your Activity progress, such as every five hours); Goal Completions (on or off); Achievements (on or off); and Weekly Summary (on or off — received every Monday).
• Messages: You can see all the default replies or change them to anything you like.
• Music: You can select Synced Playlist (this playlist syncs when Apple Watch is on its charger) and Playlist Limit (such as changing it from 2 gigabytes to 1 gigabyte).

Mint

The Apple Watch app for this popular finance tool lets you view your monthly spending goals at a glance as well as track your progress toward meeting them. And for those trying to stick to a budget, you can choose to receive weekly alerts with insight on how well you’re doing (or not).

ESPN

One of the most popular sports apps for iPhone is available for Apple Watch. Select which sports matter to you — such as baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, or tennis (or all of these) — and stay up to date with breaking sports news, real-time scores, and more, as shown in Figure 11-9.

Target

As one of the first retailers to support Apple Watch, Target has an app that lets you build and view a shopping list on your watch so you can glance down to see what items you need — even if your phone is tucked away in your purse or pocket. When you enter a store, the Target app also tells you where to find the items you’re looking for.

OneDrive

Although once bitter rivals, Microsoft has embraced Apple’s iOS platform — and now the watchOS too. Based on Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud service, this Apple Watch app lets users see their stored photos on their wrist — even when an iPhone isn’t nearby.

Marriott Bonvoy

As shown in Figure 11-10, one of the cooler apps is Marriott Bonvoy, which lets you unlock your hotel door by waving your Apple Watch at the sensor. A room key isn’t required. The official app can also provide directions to your hotel, check you in, show your points balance, and more.

Chirp for Twitter

While Twitter mysteriously pulled its Apple Watch support in 2017, you can see your Twitter feeds right on your wrist — with the help of a third-party app, Chirp for Twitter. And because they’re only a couple of hundred characters, tweets fit perfectly on Apple Watch’s small screen. Feel a gentle tap whenever new tweets are posted; plus you can retweet and favorite tweets from your Apple Watch. You can also send and receive direct messages, see the latest trending topics, or search by hashtag. See Figure 11-11.

OpenTable

Hungry? The OpenTable app supports Apple Watch, which lets you see information about your upcoming dinner reservations by simply looking down at your wrist. The app can also help guide you to the restaurant with turn-by-turn directions.

Evernote

A popular productivity tool, Evernote for Apple Watch lets you view your stored notes, dictate a new one, set reminders, and search by keyword if you’re looking for something in particular. Because Evernote stores your notes in the cloud, you can view your dictated notes in other Evernote apps — perhaps on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

American Airlines

How do you know when it’s time to leave for the airport? Or if your flight has been delayed, cancelled, or changed gates? American Airlines (AA) has an Apple Watch app that can alert you to any and all of these things. The AA app also lets you check in for your flight, view a map with your estimated time of arrival, view baggage claim and connection details, and more, as shown in Figure 11-12.

BMW i Remote

Own an electric BMW i vehicle? The official Apple Watch app lets you remotely check on the charge status or notifies you when your car has been fully charged and is ready to go. This smartwatch app also lets you check your miles (to prevent “range anxiety”), see door-lock status, get service reminders, and view your cabin temperature.

CNN

News junkies, rejoice! The official CNN app for Apple Watch gives you the information you need wherever life takes you. Select to receive breaking news and developing stories based on 12 categories of interest — such as Top Stories, U.S., World, Politics, Health, Entertainment, Sports, and Technology — plus your watch can even launch CNN TV live on your iPhone.

eBay

The world’s largest marketplace is now a tap away. eBay on Apple Watch helps you keep up with the auctions you’re watching — whether you’re bidding on something or selling merchandise. The app conveniently lets you send and receive alerts without having to fumble through your phone, tablet, or personal computer.

Citymapper

If you rely on public transit, the Citymapper app for Apple Watch always shows you the best bus and train routes based on your location and where you want to go. You should see step-by-step instructions, including a list of the next three arrival times for your mode of transportation so you can decide when to leave, and you should feel a vibration on your wrist when it’s time to get off at your stop. See Figure 11-13 for a look at the Citymapper app.

TripAdvisor

Find that hidden gem of a restaurant on your next trip. Unearth dozens of things to do while discovering a new town. Everything that makes TripAdvisor the perfect travel companion is now on your Apple Watch. Get instant information on hundreds of nearby restaurants, sights, and tourist destinations.

NPR One

Fans of NPR can make their favorite station even more personal. The NPR One app shows you relevant news and curated stories based on your interests, along with access to your playlist (on your iPhone), and you can search for specific shows by using dictation and control basic playback functions with your fingertip.

Fandango

The popular movie ticketing app is now on your wrist. After you’ve purchased tickets to a flick, the Apple Watch app can display the movie time and theater location, phone number, and other information you might need.

Things

If you wear a watch — and a smartwatch, no less — it might not be a stretch to assume you like to be organized. But that doesn’t mean you’re good at it! If you need a little help, an app called Things is an excellent to-do manager for iPhone, and it supports Apple Watch too. Organize your life with daily tasks, which you can easily sort into sections like Today, Upcoming, and Anytime. Specifically, the Apple Watch app focuses on your current tasks, which can be displayed as a watch face complication or in the app itself, and lets you tick off items when completed.

PayByPhone Parking

You can use the PayByPhone Parking app on Apple Watch to pay the meter, check on the time remaining, and deliver an alert ten minutes before the meter expires. If you’re not done with your errands, your watch lets you add more time to the meter without your having to go back to your car.

Sky Guide

Watch the skies! And your wrist. As shown in Figure 11-14, the Sky Guide app for Apple Watch is great for armchair astronomers. Receive alerts about upcoming celestial events — such as meteor shows and eclipses — and it even alerts you when the International Space Station is about to fly over your location.

Lutron Caséta

Your smartwatch can control your smart home. The Lutron Caséta app for Apple Watch lets you control the lights in your home even when you’re not there so you can make it look like you’re home when you’re on vacation. Or on the flipside, if you accidentally leave the lights on when you leave, you can get an alert on your wrist to turn them off.