Before the Apple Watch, most people envisioned a “computer on your wrist” as either a tool used by divers — both the sea and sky varieties — or as a fictional gadget that includes a laser or two-way radio. Now I see Apple Watches wherever I go, worn by everyday people who want to track their time and health and make an affordable fashion statement. And those are just a few surface-level things Apple’s popular timepiece can do.
Swipe from the edge to switch between faces.
However, the regular method involves more steps (touch and hold the face, swipe to change, tap to confirm) and people realized that the occasional surprise watch face change wasn’t really so bad. Therefore, as of version 10.2, including the current WatchOS 11.2, you can turn the feature on by toggling a setting: Go to Settings > Clock and turn on Swipe to Switch Watch Face.
Wearing your Apple Watch while sleeping offers a trove of information — and not just about how you slept last night. If you don the timepiece overnight, it tracks a number of health metrics. A new feature in WatchOS 11 gathers that data into the Vitals app that reports on the previous night’s heart rate, respiration, body temperature (on recent models) and sleep duration. The Vitals app can also show data collected during the previous seven days — tap the small calendar icon in the top-left corner.
(If you own a watch model sold before Jan. 29, 2024, you’ll also see a blood oxygen reading. On newer watches in the US, that feature is disabled due to an intellectual property infringement fight.)
Bring up the Smart Stack using the crown or by swiping.
The Smart Stack is a place to access quick information that might not fit into what Apple calls a “complication” (the things on the watch face other than the time itself, such as your Activity rings or the current outside temperature). When viewing the clock face, turn the digital crown clockwise or swipe from the bottom of the screen to view a series of tiles that show information such as the weather or suggested photo memories. This turns out to be a great spot for accessing features when you’re using a minimal watch face that has no complications.
The Smart Stack is also where Live Activities appear: If you order a food delivery, for example, the status of the order appears as a tile in the Smart Stack (and on the iPhone lock screen). And because it’s a timely activity, the Smart Stack becomes the main view instead of the watch face.
Add specific widgets to the Smart Stack.
The widget appears in the stack, but it may get pushed down in favor of other widgets the watch thinks should have priority. In that case, you can pin it to the top of the list: While editing, tap the yellow Pin button. That moves it up, but Live Activities can still take precedence.
You’ve probably used the flashlight feature of your phone dozens of times, but did you know the Apple Watch can also be a flashlight? Instead of a dedicated LED (which phones also use as a camera flash), the watch’s full screen becomes the light emitter. It’s not as bright as the iPhone’s, nor can you adjust the beam width, but it’s perfectly adequate for moving around in the dark when you don’t want to disturb someone sleeping.
To activate the flashlight, press the side button to view Control Center and then tap the Flashlight button. That makes the entire screen white — turn the Digital Crown to adjust the brightness. It even starts dimmed for a couple of seconds to give you a chance to direct the light away so it doesn’t fry your eyes.
Give yourself a break when needed and pause your exercise rings.
When you’re ready to get back into your activities, go to the same location and tap Resume Rings.
Many workouts start with a three-second countdown to prep you to be ready to go. That’s fine and all, but usually when I’m doing an Outdoor Walk workout, for example, my feet are already on the move.
Instead of losing those steps, tap the countdown once to bypass it and get right to the calorie burn.
Don’t forget, the Apple Watch is a small computer on your wrist, and every computer will have glitches. Every once in a while, for instance, an app may freeze or behave erratically.
On a Mac or iPhone, it’s easy to force a recalcitrant app to quit and restart, but it’s not as apparent on the Apple Watch. Here’s how:
