How to Use Your Apple Watch

This wikiHow teaches you how to use your Apple Watch's basic features, as well as how to get the most out of your Apple Watch.

EditSteps

EditPreparing to Use Your Watch

1. Retrieve the iPhone that you want to use with the Apple Watch. You'll need an iPhone that you can pair with the Apple Watch in order to set up the Apple Watch.
   
   • You must have at least an iPhone 5S, and the iPhone must be running at least iOS 10.
2. Make sure that your iPhone is updated. If your iPhone hasn't been updated to the latest available operating system, update it before you attempt to pair it with the Apple Watch.
   
3. Enable your iPhone's Bluetooth. Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone's screen, then tap the Bluetooth icon if its circle is white or grey. This will turn on Bluetooth and allow the Apple Watch to "find" your iPhone.
   
4. Re-download the Watch app if necessary. The Watch app was automatically installed on any Apple Watch-compatible iPhone in October of 2016. If you accidentally deleted the app, re-download it by doing the following:
   
   • Open your iPhone's App Store
   • Tap Search
   • Tap the search bar.
   • Type in
   • Tap Search
   • Find the "Watch" app with "Utilities" written below its title.
   • Tap GET
5. Set up your Apple Watch. The process of setting up your Apple Watch will vary based on your personal preferences, so follow the instructions in the linked article. Once you've set up your Apple Watch, you can proceed with the rest of this article.
   

EditUnlocking Your Apple Watch

1. Understand what prompts your Apple Watch to lock. Your Apple Watch will be locked the first time you open it after setting it up with a passcode, and your Apple Watch will lock whenever you take it off of your wrist. It will also lock when being turned back on after being powered off.
   
   • Aside from the instances mentioned above, your Apple Watch shouldn't lock or require your password as long as it's on your wrist.
   • If the Apple Watch is off of your wrist, it will lock whenever the screen turns off.
   • Keep in mind that you cannot manually lock the Apple Watch.
2. Put the Apple Watch on your wrist. To ensure that your Apple Watch stays unlocked, you'll want to keep it on your wrist.
   
   • Failing to place the Apple Watch on your wrist will result in the Apple Watch locking itself whenever the screen turns off.
3. Wake up the Apple Watch's screen. Raise your wrist to do so. You should see the Watch Face appear.
   
   • You can also press either of the Apple Watch's buttons to wake up the screen, though doing so may open the passcode keypad.
4. Tap the screen. Doing so will prompt the passcode keypad to appear.
   
   • If you don't see a little blue padlock icon at the top of the Apple Watch's screen, your Apple Watch is already unlocked.
5. Enter your passcode. Type in the passcode that you set for your Apple Watch during the setup process.
   
6. Press the Digital Crown. The Digital Crown is the dial-shaped button on the right side of the Apple Watch's screen. Doing so will open the app page. Your Apple Watch is now unlocked, and will remain as such until you either turn it off or take it off of your wrist.
   

EditLearning Apple Watch Basics

1. Charge your Apple Watch. Your Apple Watch has a built-in battery that needs periodic charging, which you can do using the charger that came with your Apple Watch.
   
   • You can check your Apple Watch's battery charge to determine whether or not it's time for a charging session.
   • It's a good idea to charge your Apple Watch once it gets down to around 25 percent or so.
2. Scroll or zoom with the Digital Crown dial. When there are multiple options on the Apple Watch screen, turning the Digital Crown dial will scroll through them.
   
   • Scrolling will zoom in and out on certain screens as well, such as the Home screen or a map.
   • You can still scroll by swiping across the screen if you'd prefer to do so.
3. Swipe and tap the screen like an iPhone. You can use the Apple Watch screen just like you would an iPhone screen: swipe the screen to switch between views, and tap objects to select them.
   
4. Press the Digital Crown to return to the Home Screen. When in an app, pressing the Digital Crown once will return you to the app page, much like pressing the Home button on your iPhone takes you to the Home Screen.
   
   • Pressing the Digital Crown while on the app page will take you back to the Watch Face screen.
   • If you press the Digital Crown while a notification is on the screen, the notification will be dismissed.
5. Switch between your Watch Face screen and an app. Press the Digital Crown twice quickly to switch back and forth between the Watch Face and the last app you were using.
   
6. Force-press your Apple Watch's screen to open additional options. The Apple Watch has a pressure-sensitive display, and you can usually access additional options by firmly pressing something on the screen.
   
   • For example, firmly pressing the app page will bring up a menu that allows you to choose how the apps are arranged.
7. Respond to notifications. When a notification comes in, it will automatically open if your Apple Watch is unlocked. You can open the notification in an app by tapping the notification, or you can dismiss the notification by tapping Dismiss.
   
   • Swiping down on the notification or pressing the Digital Crown will also close the notification.

EditChanging Your Apple Watch's Appearance

1. Wake up the Apple Watch's screen. Raise your wrist, or press either of the Apple Watch's physical buttons.
   
   • If you're on the app screen and need to get back to the Watch Face, press the Digital Crown once.
   • Press the Digital Crown twice if you have an app open.
2. Force-press the Watch Face. Doing so will cause the Watch Face to zoom out and display a row of available Watch Faces.
   
3. Scroll through the Watch Faces. Swipe left or right over the current Watch Face to scroll through the currently available Watch Faces until you find one that you like.
   
   • If you don't find one that you like, you can add a new Watch Face instead.
4. Select a Watch Face. Tap the Watch Face that you want to use. Doing so will apply the Watch Face to your Apple Watch.
   
   • If you want to customize your selected Watch Face, instead tap Customize below the Watch Face, then change the Watch Face's preferences to your liking.
5. Replace your Apple Watch's band. If you want to change your Apple Watch's physical look, you can use a different wrist strap. There are numerous aftermarket bands that you can buy for your Apple Watch, and installing a new band requires no tools or previous experience.
   
   • It's best to stick with Apple-manufactured bands, since they're guaranteed to work with your Apple Watch and you can always receive a replacement if the one you buy is faulty.

EditDownloading Apps onto Your Watch

1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap the Watch app icon, which resembles a black-and-white side view of an Apple Watch.
   
   • While you can't download apps directly onto your Apple Watch, you can download and transfer them from your iPhone by using the Watch app.
   • Any Apple Watch-compatible apps that were already on your iPhone will be on your Apple Watch once you complete the setup process.
2. Tap . It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Doing so brings up the app search page.
   
3. Tap the search bar. This is at the top of the screen. Your iPhone's on-screen keyboard will appear.
   
4. Type in the name of an app. You can also type in a keyword or phrase if you don't have a specific app in mind.
   
5. Tap . It's a blue button in the lower-right side of the keyboard. This will search the App Store for Apple Watch-compatible apps.
   
6. Find an app to install. Scroll down through the search results until you find an app that you want to install on your Apple Watch.
   
7. Tap . It's a blue button to the right of an app.
   
8. Confirm the download. Scan your fingerprint when asked for your Touch ID, or enter your Apple ID password and tap Install if you don't use Touch ID for App Store purchases. The app will start downloading onto your iPhone.
   
9. Wait for the app to finish downloading. Once the app finishes downloading onto your iPhone, it will begin copying onto your Apple Watch.
   
   • You can watch the app's download progress on the Apple Watch's app screen.
   • Be sure to keep your iPhone within a few feet of your Apple Watch until both downloads are complete.
   • Keep in mind that the app must stay on your iPhone if you want it on your Apple Watch.

EditActivating Siri

1. Press and hold the Digital Crown. As long as your Apple Watch is unlocked, this will request Siri to appear.
   
2. Wait for Siri to appear. It can take up to a second of holding the Digital Crown before the multicolored Siri ribbon will appear on-screen.
   
3. Release the Digital Crown. You can now proceed with using Siri.
   
4. Say aloud a request or a question.
   
   • For example, you might say "Call Mom" to prompt Siri to initiate a phone call to your mom.
5. Wait for Siri's response. Depending on the nature of your request or inquiry and your current connection strength, Siri may take a few seconds to respond.
   
   • You may have to respond with a follow-up command confirmation (e.g., "Yes").

EditMaking a Phone Call

1. Open your Apple Watch's app page. Press the Power button, then tap All Apps.
   
2. Find and open the Phone app. Tap the Phone app icon, which resembles a white receiver on a green background.
   
3. Select a recipient category. Tap one of the following options:
   
   • Favorites
   • Recents
   • Contacts
   • Keypad
4. Select someone to call. Tap a contact's name to do so. This will open the selected contact's page.
   
   • If you tapped Favorites, tapping a person's name will instantly call them.
   • If you tapped Keypad, type in the phone number for your selected person or business.
5. Tap the "Call" button. It's a grey button with a phone receiver on it. Doing so will prompt your Apple Watch to begin calling the selected contact.
   
   • If you tapped Keypad earlier, you'll instead tap the green phone receiver icon.
6. Keep your Apple Watch near your face during the call. The Apple Watch's microphone is on the left side of the Apple Watch's screen, so you'll need to keep the Apple Watch within a foot or so of your face for optimal sound quality.
   
   • You can hang up by tapping the red circular button that's near the bottom of the screen.

EditSending a Text

1. Open your Apple Watch's app page. Press the Power button, then tap All Apps.
   
2. Find and open the Messages app . Tap the Messages app icon, which resembles a white speech bubble on a green background.
   
3. Select a conversation. Scroll through the conversations until you find one for which you want to send a text, then tap the conversation. This will open the conversation.
   
   • If the Messages app opens to a conversation, tap the "Back" button in the top-left corner of the screen to exit it and open your Messages' list of conversations.
   • If you want to send a new message, force-press the screen, tap New Message when prompted, add a contact by tapping Add Contact and selecting a contact, and then tap Create Message before continuing.
4. Select a preset message. Scroll down through the preset messages, then tap the one that you want to send. Doing so will immediately send the selected message to your selected conversation.
   
   • If you started a new text conversation, you'll have to tap Send after selecting your conversational preset.
5. Record your own message. If you'd rather send a custom message, tap the microphone-shaped icon that's near the middle of the screen when you open the conversation, speak aloud your message, and tap Send.
   
6. Add an emoji. Tap the smiley face-shaped icon to the right of the microphone icon, then find an emoji that you want to use and tap it. Doing so will immediately send the emoji to your selected conversation.
   
   • If you started a new text conversation, you'll have to tap Send after selecting your emoji.

EditUsing Apple Pay

1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap the Watch app icon, which resembles a black-and-white side view of an Apple Watch.
   
   • If you've never added a card or payment method to your iPhone's Wallet, instead open the Wallet app and set it up. Since doing this will add a card to your account, you can proceed to paying after doing so.
2. Tap . It's in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Doing so opens your Apple Watch's page.^[1]
   
3. Scroll down and tap . You'll find it in the list of apps that are on your Apple Watch, which is below the Privacy option that's near the middle of the page.
   
4. Tap . This option is near the top of the page.
   
5. Tap when prompted. It's near the bottom of the screen. The card scanner will open.
   
6. Lay your card face-up on a flat surface. This will make it easier to scan the card with your iPhone's camera.
   
7. Scan the card. Position the card in the rectangular frame that's in the middle of the iPhone's screen, then wait for the card's information to scan.
   
   • You can also enter the card's details manually by tapping Enter Card Details Manually at the bottom of the screen and then typing in the card's number, expiration date, and so on.
8. Enter any required information. Depending on the type of card and the quality of your scan, you may be asked to verify some of your card's information (e.g., your card's security code) by typing it into the "Card Details" page.
   
   • If you don't see the "Card Details" page appear, skip this step and the next one.
9. Tap . It's in the top-right corner of the screen. This should take you to the Terms and Conditions page.
   
   • If asked for additional information, enter it, tap Next, and repeat until you arrive at the Terms and Conditions page.
10. Tap . It's in the bottom-right corner of the "Terms of Use" page. Doing so will prompt Apple Pay to begin adding your card.
    
    • Your specific card's terms of use will most likely differ from other cards' terms of use pages.
    • If asked to verify your card, select a verification method (e.g., text message), wait for your bank to send a code to you, retrieve the code, and enter it.
11. Find an Apple Pay-supported vendor. If you want to use your Apple Watch to pay for something (e.g., groceries), the store of your choosing must have a card terminal that supports Apple Pay.
    
12. Press the Power button twice. This button is on the right side of your Apple Watch's screen, just below the Digital Crown. Doing so will bring up your default Apple Pay card.
    
13. Select a card. Swipe left or right to select the card you want to use. You'll be able to select from any of the cards you've added to Apple Pay.
    
14. Wait for the payment information to scan. Hold the Apple Watch's face about an inch from the reader, twisting your wrist if necessary. After a moment, you should feel a vibration, and the payment will be processed.^[2]
    

EditUpdating Your Apple Watch

1. Place your Apple Watch on a charger. In order to receive a software update, your Apple Watch must be at 50 percent charge (or more), and it must be connected to Wi-Fi.
   
   • Your Apple Watch will update more quickly if it's on the charger than if it isn't.
   • If your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, your Apple Watch should be as well.
2. Open the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap the Watch app icon, which resembles a black-and-white side view of an Apple Watch.
   
   • You cannot prompt your Apple Watch to update without using your iPhone's Watch app.
3. Tap . It's in the bottom-left corner of the screen. This will open your Apple Watch's page.
   
4. Scroll down and tap . This option is near the middle of the page.
   
5. Tap . It's near the top of the page. Doing so will prompt the Watch app to begin scanning for available updates; if one is available, it will begin downloading.
   
   • If no update is available, you'll see a message on the page that says your Apple Watch is up-to-date.
6. Wait for the update to download. This can take several minutes. Once the update finishes downloading, you'll see an Install button appear near the bottom of the page.
   
7. Tap . It's near the bottom of your iPhone's screen.
   
8. Enter your iPhone's passcode when prompted. This will confirm that you're ready to install the update on your Apple Watch.
   
   • If this doesn't work, try typing in your Apple Watch's passcode instead.
9. Tap . It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Doing so will prompt the Apple Watch to begin updating.
   
10. Wait for your Apple Watch to update. The update process can take anywhere from a few minutes to over half an hour, so make sure that the Apple Watch stays on its charger until the update is complete.
    
11. Tap when prompted. You'll do this on your iPhone's screen. This message signifies that the update is almost complete; once you see your Apple Watch's Watch Face appear, the update has been installed.
    

EditTurning Off Your Apple Watch

1. Wake up the Apple Watch's screen. Raise your Apple Watch wrist, or press either of the Apple Watch's physical buttons.
   
2. Press and hold your Apple Watch's Power button. It's on the right side of the Apple Watch's screen.
   
3. Release the button when the menu appears. When you see the "POWER OFF", "MEDICAL ID", and "EMERGENCY SOS" switches appear, you can release the Power button.
   
4. Swipe the "POWER OFF" switch to the right. This will prompt your Apple Watch to shut down.
   
   • You can turn back on your Apple Watch by pressing the Power button once. If your Apple Watch turns off due to a drained battery, this will prompt the Apple Watch to display a red battery outline until you connect the Apple Watch to a charger.

EditTips

• Pressing and holding your Apple Watch's Power button will also bring up the Medical ID and Emergency SOS shortcut switches.
• You can view a list of your currently open apps by pressing the Power button once. Once the list is open, you can close the apps as you please.

EditWarnings

• If you don't regularly update your Apple Watch, it will eventually function differently than described above.

EditSources and Citations

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