My husband bought me an A
pple Watch for Christmas last month after having one himself and really appreciating it. I was excited, but didn’t really know what to expect from it. In the weeks since I started wearing it, I’ve been surprised by some of the features that make a difference for me. So I thought I’d share here 6 Things I Love About Having an Apple Watch, in case owning one is on your bucket list.
1. Not scrambling for my iPhone.
I hadn’t realized how much having an Apple watch would save me from having to run across the house to answer my phone (because I’m always misplacing it). The beauty of the Apple Watch is that it is basically like having a phone attached to your wrist. While some might view that as disruptive, I’ve found it far more of a convenience. If it’s not a call I want to answer, I can simply dismiss it. Of course, an Apple Watch is not actually a phone, so unless you’re wearing wireless headphones, your call is being broadcast to everyone around you and it can be hard to hear the person on the other end above other noises in the room. For those reasons I still use my iPhone directly for outgoing calls.
2. Having a heart rate monitor for better cardio exercise.
I previously wore a Fitbit Alta, which was good for motivating me to reach the 10,000 step goal. But it wasn’t necessarily pushing me to work hard while moving. Even when doing elliptical workouts at the gym, I often didn’t break a sweat. In other words, I can be a wimp. The Apple watch activity tracking, on the other hand, records both steps and “exercise.” So if my heart rate isn’t elevated, I’m not getting credit for exercising. And I want that credit! My kids’ elementary and junior high gym classes used heart rate monitors as a means for gauging the effectiveness of their participation/exercise in class. And now I see how that makes a difference. During my last workout at the gym, I not only recorded it on my Apple watch, I also tracked my heart rate and tried to keep it within a healthy zone for cardio fitness.
3. Paying in stores.
I use Apple Pay on my phone about 25% of the time. It’s handy if I have my phone out and the register accepts Apple Pay. However, with an Apple watch, I find myself using Apple Pay much more often. It just takes a double-click of the side button and holding your wrist to the card reader. I’m pretty sure that’s one of my husband’s favorite features too.
4. Walkie Talkie
Not everyone will appreciate being able to use their watch as a walkie talkie, but it’s something I’ve actually used (besides goofing around with my Mom, because Dick Tracy). My husband and I are DIY’ers when it comes to house projects and repairs. More than once this has involved one of us being in one location of the house watching the status of something (electricity and water, most often), while the other makes adjustments. So we do a speakerphone call on our iphones and have to awkwardly keep our phones nearby during the process. Since most repairs and projects require working with tools and/or materials, the less you have to carry or hold, the better. Apple Watch Walkie Talkie is fitting the bill for those situations for us.
5. Now Playing
With this feature, I’m able to easily listen to audiobooks in my car. My phone automatically connects to my car’s speakers, but in the past I’d have to fish it out of my bag or purse to hit play. Now, I just scroll to the Now Playing app and hit play. And I can hit pause just as easily. I’ve started using it while listening to music and books around the house too.
6. Find my iPhone.
I misplace my phone daily, sometimes multiple times in a day. It’s slim enough to easily disappear under a notebook or couch cushion. I leave it in random rooms as I move about the house and forget where I had it last. Previosly I’d have a family member call. Then Alexa became my go-to phone finder. But the Apple watch makes it even easier! With a swipe up to the Control Center I can hit the phone locator icon to sound a tone on myphone. So easy!
How about you? If you have a smart watch, what features do you most use and appreciate? If you’re hoping to get a smart watch one day, what do you anticipate using it for most?
