This tutorial shows you how to route audio from your Apple Watch to your Bluetooth or AirPlay speakers.
How to play music from your Apple Watch to Bluetooth or AirPlay speakers
Apple Watch Tips
Apple Watch tips every user should know. Learn how to get the most out of your Apple Watch by reading these simples tips and tricks.
How to make Apple Watch play nice with your iPhone on a 5Ghz Wi-Fi network
Although not quite new, we reported this morning that Apple Watch can't connect to a 5Ghz Wi-Fi network. It's not a bug or anything. It's just a limitation of the current hardware found in Apple Watch. For those users that are not aware of this limitation, it can cause problems when believing that because you are on a known Wi-Fi network, Apple Watch and iPhone should still be able to connect even if they're out of Bluetooth range.
There is just no way to make your Apple Watch connect to a 5Ghz Wi-Fi network, but there are ways to work around that limitation. I've actually been helping people with that specific issue for a few days now, and because I've seen misinformation going around, I thought it would be best to just get things cleared up and explain how you can have both your iPhone and Apple Watch play nice with each other, even if your iPhone is connected to a 5Ghz network.
How to choose which notifications are sent to Apple Watch
In this post, we'll show you how to configure both stock apps and third-party apps to send or not send notifications to your Apple Watch.
How to use glances as app shortcuts
Glances are the quick information summaries of apps that are accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the watch face on your Apple Watch. In a previous post we told you all about glances, how to use configure them and how to use them.
But there's an additional thing that you should know about glances that is proving to be extremely useful for Apple Watch users. You see, a glance can be used as a direct shortcut to the app that it represents.
In this post, which is a part of our larger Apple Watch guide, we'll show you how to use glances as app shortcuts on your Apple Watch.
How to enable or disable Handoff on Apple Watch
Learn how to use Handoff on your Apple Watch to move what you're doing on your wrist to the bigger screen of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
How to locate your iPhone using your Apple Watch
Learn how to use your Apple Watch to find your misplaced iPhone by getting exact directions to it, playing a sound on it, or activating its LED flash.
How to use Handoff to move between Apple Watch and iPhone
Handoff—a feature that allows you to quickly move between devices and pickup right where you left off—first appeared with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. It allowed you to seamlessly move between an iPhone and an iPad, and iPhone and a Mac, Mac and an iPad, etc.
Unsurprisingly, Handoff is now available on the small screen with Apple Watch. It will allow you to do things like check email on Apple Watch, and seamlessly switch to your iPhone to has out a reply. Have a look at our tutorial inside for a walkthrough on how it works.
How to access Apple Watch diagnostic port
Contrary to some reports, shipping Apple Watch units do feature a hidden diagnostic port inside the groove of the bottom strap connector slot. It looks a lot like Lightning I/O, bit it's not Lightning.
Featuring a six-dot brass contact, it's believed to be aimed at service technicians for diagnostics purposes, while potentially providing direct access to the Watch OS and demo software installation on demo units in Apple Stores.
This tutorial explains how you can access the 6-pin port using just a sewing needle. Before we get to it, keep in mind that doing so could impact the water resistance of your Apple Watch and might void your warranty.
The many things Apple Watch can do on its own when connected to Wi-Fi
iPhone and Apple Watch work hand in hand, and while the former can be used on its own without losing any of its abilities, the latter will need to be paired with an iPhone in order to be used to its fullest. With that said, Apple Watch doesn't always need to be paired to an iPhone to be useful, as there are many things the wearable can do on its own. In a previous post, we highlighted a few things Apple Watch can do without its paired iPhone, including tracking workouts, playing music, being used to make purchases with Apple Pay, and more.
One of the most underrated features of Apple Watch is its ability to connect to known Wi-Fi networks, independently of its paired iPhone. It means that if you've ever been connected to a specific Wi-Fi network on your iPhone and Apple Watch, your Apple Watch will remember that network, even if its paired iPhone is nowhere nearby, giving you limited access to the web.
In this post, I will show you a few things you can do on Apple Watch when it is connected to a known Wi-Fi network, even if it's currently not paired with your iPhone. Granted, these are mostly known Siri-based queries, but to my surprise, you can do more than just inquire about the weather.
How to filter iPhone and Apple Watch screenshots in the Photos app on Mac
As you might imagine, I take tons of screenshots on a weekly basis for work. Instead of connecting my iPhone to my Mac and importing screenshots manually, or instead of using AirDrop, I simply use Photo Stream to do the grunt work.
Photo Stream allows me to access any photo taken with my iPhone, including screenshots, directly from the Photos app on my Mac. Just a few seconds after taking a picture with my iPhone, the photo appears on my Mac. This is great for quickly grabbing iPhone screenshots, and it even allows you to easily access screenshots taken on the Apple Watch.
In this post, I'll show you how I set up a simple Smart Album to separate screenshots—Apple Watch screenshots included—from regular photos.
Watch OS 1.0 lacks the necessary security features to dissuade thieves
The Apple Watch contains security measures to prevent thieves from accessing your data, but it doesn't include the necessary features to dissuade thieves from trying to steal your device to begin with.
The problem stems from the lack of an Activation Lock-like feature on Watch OS 1.0.
Unlike the iPhone, if someone steals your Apple Watch, they can easily reset the device (bypass the passcode), and pair it with a new iPhone logged in to a different iCloud account. In other words, it's totally feasible to steal an Apple Watch and set it up on a different device as if you just purchased it from an Apple Store.
Why you should be using a passcode on your Apple Watch
There seems to be a bit of misunderstanding when it comes to using a passcode on the Apple Watch. I've seen more than a few comments about how inconvenient it would be to have to "enter a passcode on that tiny screen every time I want to use the watch." Indeed, it would be inconvenient if that were a true statement; thankfully, it's not.