It’s been a week since the Apple Watch has been released and customers are getting acquainted with the many features onboard but there are a number of hidden features to look out for as well.
Customers are getting to know the new device and the idea of having notifications and apps on their wrist instead of having to check their iPhone.
Apple Watch has a touchscreen that also has Force Touch which means it can tell the difference between a touch and a tap.
The other controls include the digital crown which you can use to scroll and zoom. It is also the home button.
And the other button is the Friends button which can take you to your favourite contacts.
Here are some hidden features of the Apple Watch.
LAUNCH APPS WITH YOUR VOICE
Siri is also onboard the Apple Watch and it can be launched by either saying “Hey Siri” or by pressing and holding the digital crown. From here you can ask Siri to “launch” or “open” an app.
PING YOUR PHONE
Ever misplaced your phone at home or in the office? One of the Glances on the Apple Watch – which can be accessed by swiping up on the clock face – allows you to make your iPhone make a pinging sound to help you locate it.
DELETING EMAILS
Just like on the iPhone, if you are scrolling through emails on the Apple Watch and want to delete the ones you don’t want you swipe to the left and you’ll see the option to trash the messages. And, of course, it will be trashed on your iPhone as well.
Within the message you can also do a Force Touch and see the option to delete the message.
SWITCH BETWEEN APPS
It’s easy to move from one app to another recent app by double tapping the digital crown. Doing this goes back to the last app you were using. You can also switch between the watch face and your last app by doing the same thing.
FOCUS YOUR iPHONE’S CAMERA
The Remote Camera app on the Apple Watch makes it possible to activate your iPhone camera, see whatever the camera sees and – if you touch the live preview on the Apple Watch’s screen – you can set the focus and exposure.
COMPOSE A TWEET
The Twitter app for Apple Watch lets see your feed and check out what’s trending but what if you want to write a tweet? With a Force Touch the Tweet option is displayed and you can dictate what you want to say and also add emojis and your location.
USING AIRPLAY
In the music app a Force Touch brings up a list of options including choosing your source and directing the music to another device using AirPlay. Clicking on the AirPlay icon displays a list of compatible targets.
SWITCH CALENDAR VIEW
If you’re in the Calendar app on the Apple Watch do a Force Touch on the screen to switch between list view and day view. You can even Force Touch on a calendar event to email the organizer.
CLEAR ALL NOTIFICATIONS
Notifications can be accessed on the Apple Watch by sweeping down from the watch screen. You’ll know there are new notifications when you see a red dot at the top of the watch face. Once you’ve read all these notifications it is easy to clear them all. Force Touch the screen and you can clear all notifications at once.
TAKE A SCREEN SHOT
Just like you can capture a screen shot on the iPhone, you can do the same thing on the Apple Watch. Just press both the digital crown and the friends button at the same time. You’ll hear a camera shutter sound and the picture will appear in your iPhone’s camera roll.
START A NEW MESSAGE
We all know messaging is a big part of the Apple Watch and you can reply to incoming messages with preset messages, emojis and by dictating your response. But to start a new message just Force Touch inside the Messages inbox.
SWITCH APPLE WATCH TO SILENT
Like your iPhone, the Apple Watch sometimes needs to be muted if you receive a call or other notifications. You can do this by placing your palm on the display for at least three seconds. You’ll feel a tap to confirm. Be sure Cover to Mute is on in Apple Watch app.
UNLOCK APPLE WATCH WITH YOUR iPHONE
You can setup Apple Watch to automatically unlock when you’re wearing it every time you unlock your iPhone. Go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone > My Watch > Passcode > Unlock with iPhone.
