Apple Watch: Are you wearing one yet?
Updated: Feb 11, 2021
You've left the house, forgotten your phone...what do you do?!
It’s a scary thought for a lot of you reading this right now. I'd like to give you a peek into my phoneless adventures and realize sometimes it's okay to "forget" your phone. My watch helps me by staying on time with calendar invites and reminders, quickly changing the volume of my music or podcasts both in my headphones or remote speakers, tracking my steps or workouts while taking calls, responding to emails and texts. Glancing at my watch gives me the information I need throughout the day using the Siri watch face; including ETA to my next destination, any remaining appointments in the day I have, when sunset will be, my wind down and bedtime reminders, any news I should know and a reminder to BREATHE every once in a while. I personally love using my Apple Watch; it reduces my phone usage, allowing me to stay engaged with those around me. It might sound like a lot because it is; this is no longer only a glorified notification bracelet.
Health and Fitness
Most people are familiar with Fitbit wearables that track your steps, heart rate and calories burned. The Apple Watch is able to do these and more, with more precise recordings. In fact, Apple Watch has saved lives of those who we’re having irregular heartbeats during idle or active times and giving users a very early heads up of a possible issue. Another life saving feature is fall detection. If you or a loved one takes a fall, the Apple Watch uses its accelerometer to detect the speed and impact of the fall to detect if it's been an unexpected or urgent fall. If you or your loved one does not tap on the "I'm okay" the watch will count down 10 seconds and call 911, and text anyone included in the emergency contact list with an alert that you have fallen, 911 has been called with the location of the person wearing the watch. Here is a quick rundown showing some of the what the Apple Watch can track beyond steps and distance:
Heart Rate Variability
Low, High, Irregular Heart Rate Notifications
ECG (Series 4 or later)
Recovery Heart Rate
VO2 Max
Times Fallen
Mindful Minutes
Noise & Loudness
Workouts & Activity
Okay, we might not all be surfing... Everyone works out in there own way; Apple Watch offers a whopping 90 different workouts to track. Some examples include yoga, strength training, swimming, surfing, running, open walks, biking, tennis, american football, soccer, strength training, gaming fitness and more. Don't be afraid to jump in the pool or lake to practice your strokes, or leave it on in the shower! The only place we don't recommend would be a hot tub due to the jets. Workout summaries and trends in the Activity app give you deeper look into your progress & stats between your everyday movement and your workouts to continue your drive to stay active!
Sleep Tracking
Having a consistent sleep schedule gives your body the rest it needs daily. With the new wind down feature, your watch and iPhone will remind you it's time to start winding down for the night. Your notification screens will be blacked out with a blur only indicating the current date and time, letting you know DND is on and letting you know your apple watch battery if it's on the charger nearby, finally shortcuts to only those apps or actions you choose before bedtime and turn on do not disturb to help you stay on track, not checking those neverending red dots. For those with emergency contacts, they will bypass your sleep setting and come through to alert you to not miss any possible emergencies.
Phone Calls, Music, Reminders & More
Apple Watch has many features quickly accessible when you don’t want to bring your phone with you! Keep in mind these features I’m about to refer to work without your phone if you’re using the Apple Watch with cellular data, and an even better experience with Airpods.
Making phone calls, sending or replying to messages, streaming your music or listening to downloaded podcasts/audio books and setting reminders are all things you do on your iPhone, all these actions are just as easy and available on your watch! There’s even a Walkie Talkie app that works with friends and family who also have an Apple Watch, so you can quickly get in touch with someone on the go!
Photo and information source: https://www.apple.com/watchos/watchos-preview/