9 Most Useful and Unnoticed Apple Watch Features According to Reddit

If you’re only using your Apple Watch for notifications and fitness tracking, you’re missing out. A smartwatch can do so much more, and the wonderful folks at Reddit r/AppleWatch have highlighted many of the device’s most useful hidden and/or overlooked features . These are not party tricks: once you start using them, you will find it hard to live without them.

Use Apple Pay from your watch

Many Redditors have mentioned using Apple Pay directly from the watch. Like your phone, you can hold your Apple Watch at a checkout kiosk at a grocery store or cafe to scan your next flight boarding pass or pay for public transit tickets in certain cities. It should work wherever Apple Pay is accepted.

Unlock your iPhone and Mac with Apple Watch

If you wear an Apple Watch, you can set it to automatically unlock your iPhone and Mac . This feature is not enabled by default, but if you take a couple of minutes to set it up, unlocking your Apple devices becomes an easy task. (You can also use your Apple Watch to quickly lock your iPhone in an emergency .)

Get directions without looking at your wrist

When you use Apple Maps on your Apple Watch, you don’t have to constantly look at your wrist to know where to go. It uses different vibration signals for left and right turns, so whether you’re walking, biking, or driving, the tactile sensations can tell you how to get to your destination – after you’ve learned how, of course. each one is felt.

Find your iPhone quickly

You can easily ping your iPhone from Apple Watch . This is how a Reddit user found out that their cat thought the iPhone was a good bed. To do this, simply swipe up from the bottom of your Apple Watch screen and tap the iPhone icon to hear the beep.

If you press and hold the button , your iPhone’s flashlight will also be activated. This is great for finding iPhone in the dark or when people with hearing impairments are trying to use the feature.

Use Siri to set timers

When you’re cooking, you can use Siri to set the timer. This way, your Apple Watch and food can be kept at a safe distance from each other.

Use your Apple Watch as a viewfinder for your iPhone camera.

Your Apple Watch can be a great device for taking group photos with friends or family. Once your iPhone is in place and the camera is on, open the Camera Remote app on your Apple Watch. This will allow you to use the watch as a viewfinder for your iPhone’s camera, which means you can also use it to see hard-to-reach places (like when you’re looking for a lost remote under the couch).

Make the clock tell you the time out loud

When you tap and hold any watch face with two fingers, Apple Watch tells you the time aloud. This is a great feature for those with low vision or those using a dial that is difficult to read under certain conditions. Note that this won’t work if the Apple Watch is in silent mode.

Skip past promotional podcasts

Apple Watch shows a neat “Now Playing” widget when playing audio on iPhone, with a forward button for 30 seconds that can be used to quickly skip ads while listening to a podcast. Unfortunately, it can’t be used when you encounter YouTube unskippable ads, but in such cases, you can use the Digital Crown to quickly adjust the volume.

Quickly identify songs

When you hear a song but can’t recognize it, ask Siri on your Apple Watch to do it for you. To launch this option faster, you can add a Shazam extension to your watch face.