7 smart ways your Apple Watch and iPhone can work together
If you need a primer on how your Apple Watch and iPhone can work together to make your life easier, we have good news. Apple just launched a list of ways your gadgets can work together and you’re going to want to learn these tricks stat.
You can already do some pretty cool thing with Apple Watch, like personalizing its face. Tap or click here for 3 ways to customize your Apple Watch display.
But, it can do so much more, including being used to monitor your heart, as a remote, to help with navigation, or even pay for things via Apple Wallet. If you want to get the most out of your Apple Watch and iPhone, check out the list below to learn some of the niftiest tricks this Apple tech combo has to offer.
1. Answer the phone and chat on your Apple Watch
You may already know that you can text or chat via your Apple Watch, but did you know that you can still do this even if you’ve left your iPhone in another room?
Well, you can, and you can also opt to continue the conversation via your iPhone if it goes on longer than expected. You won’t even have to hang up to do it. All you’ll need to do is tap your iPhone and continue the conversation there — and you can even opt to turn it into a FaceTime call if you so choose.
RELATED: 5 secrets to master the Apple Watch
2. Control your iPhone camera remotely
If you’re trying to snap a photo with you in it and don’t want it to look like a selfie, you can actually control your iPhone camera remotely via your Apple Watch. All you have to do is set up your shot on your iPhone, then snap the photo or set a timer from your wrist — which will give you time to look at the camera if you’re in the shot.
You can also zoom in, zoom out, turn on and off HDR, the flash, or Live Photos, and even perfect your framing by turning the Digital Crown via your Apple Watch. You can also switch between the front and back cameras on your iPhone via your Apple Watch, which means you can get the perfect picture, all without touching your phone.
3. Stream music from the Apple Music library
Do you like to workout with music without having to keep your iPhone on hand? Do you often go on runs with AirPods in and music blaring, but worry that having your iPhone in your pocket will lead to a shattered screen? Well, you can stream music directly from the Apple Music library simply by using your Apple Watch.
If you have an Apple Watch with cellular, you can easily stream your favorite songs, albums, and playlists and can even ask Siri to play what you want — and you won’t have to have your phone anywhere near you to do it.
4. Use your Apple Watch as a remote for your music
Do you regularly connect your iPhone to a Bluetooth speaker to blast music? If you have crowned yourself king or queen of the music at the BBQ, you can use your Apple Watch to control the tunes. All you have to do is lift your wrist to shuffle, skip, favorite, and turn a song up — way up. Your neighbors may hate it, but you will love it.
5. Monitor your heart
Your Apple Watch can monitor your heart — and not just when you’re working out, either. If you want to get a clear picture of things like your resting heart rate or heart trends over time, you can use your Apple Watch in conjunction with the Breathe app to measure your heart rate.
You can even use your Apple Watch for heart health notifications, which will let you know when your heart rate seems too high or too low. Plus, the Health app on your iPhone will allow you to see charts and graphs of your heart rate data over time based on the data gathered by your Apple Watch.
You can easily and accurately check your heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation with the ECG app on your watch and then create a PDF and send the results to your doctor from your iPhone. Pretty cool, right?
RELATED: How to use Apple Watch fitness tracking
6. Get directions directly from your Apple Watch
Going on a hike or a jaunt? Well, if you’re wearing your Apple Watch, you can get tap and turn directions directly from your watch.
If you pull up the directions on your iPhone, they also show up on your Apple Watch, and you’ll even get a gentle tap when it’s time to turn. It makes navigating new places a simple task, and may even allow you a little breathing room to take in the scenery without losing your way.
7. Use your Apple Watch for contactless payment
If you’re trying to pay for your things via Apple Pay and don’t want to pull out your phone, you can use your Apple Watch. You can use any of the cards stored in your virtual wallet, right from your watch, and will even get a notification on your Apple Watch about the purchase amount and how much Daily Cash you’ve earned.
This is especially handy right now, at a time when the whole world is trying to limit the amount of contact made between parties to stop the spread of COVID-19. But it’s also just a handy way to pay in general — and it’s secure, so you don’t have to worry that the wrong people will end up with your credit card info by doing it.
Bonus: Add an Apple Watch to your arsenal
Don’t have an Apple Watch yet? No worries, here are a couple of great options from Amazon.
Check out this Apple Watch Series 5. It comes with the latest technology that you’re sure to love.
Want to save a little cash? Here is an Apple Watch Series 3 model that will let you keep some coin in your pocket.
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Tags: Amazon, Apple, Apple AirPods, Apple iPhone, Apple Pay, Apple Siri, Apple Watch, contactless payment, COVID-19, directions, fitness tracking, gadgets, spread, technology