Apple Watch User Manual

Apple Watch

User Guide

Everything you need to know
about AppleWatch

watchOS 8.6

Contents

Your Apple Watch 7

Your AppleWatch 7

What’s New 12

What’s new 12

Set up and get started 17

First steps with AppleWatch 17
AppleWatch gestures 19
Set up and pair your AppleWatch with iPhone 19
The AppleWatch app 23
Charge AppleWatch 24
Turn on and wake AppleWatch 28
Lock or unlock AppleWatch 30
Change language and orientation on AppleWatch 33
Remove, change, and fasten AppleWatch bands 34
Get a move on 35
Keep tabs on your health 37
Keep in touch 39

Set up Apple Watch for a family member 41

Set up a family member’s Apple Watch 41
Set up reminders on a family member’s AppleWatch 45
Get started with Schooltime 45
Play music 47
See health and activity reports 47
Use Apple Cash Family 49

2Apple Watch User Guide

Basics 50

Apps on AppleWatch 50
Open apps 53
Organize apps 55
Get more apps 57
Tell time 58
Status icons 58
Control Center 60
Use Focus 66
Adjust brightness, text size, sounds, and haptics 68
See and respond to notifications 70
Change notification settings 72
Manage your Apple ID 74
Use shortcuts 75
Create an emergency Medical ID 76
Manage fall detection 77
Set up Handwashing 78
Connect AppleWatch to a Wi-Fi network 79
Connect to Bluetooth headphones or speakers 80
Hand off tasks from AppleWatch 82
Unlock your Mac with AppleWatch 83
Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch 84
Use AppleWatch without its paired iPhone 85
Use your AppleWatch with a cellular network 87

Siri 88

Use Siri 88
Listen and respond to notifications 90
Announce calls with Siri 91

Apple Watch faces 92

Explore the Face Gallery 92
Customize the watch face 93
Share AppleWatch faces 96
Faces and features 97

3Apple Watch User Guide

Apple Fitness+ 126

All about Apple Fitness+ 126
Subscribe to Apple Fitness+ 128
Set up Apple Fitness+ on Apple TV 130
Browse Fitness+ workouts and Meditations 131
Start a Fitness+ workout 134
Pause and resume a Fitness+ workout 136
End and review a Fitness+ workout 136
Work out together using SharePlay 137
Change what’s on the screen during a Fitness+ workout 139
Download a Fitness+ workout 140

Apps 141

Activity 141
Alarms 146
Audiobooks 149
Blood Oxygen 151
Calculator 153
Calendar 154
Camera Remote 156
Compass 158
Contacts 159
Cycle Tracking 161
ECG 162
Find People, Devices, and Items 163
Heart Rate 169
Home 172
Mail 175
Maps 180
Memoji 185
Messages 186
Mindfulness 192
Music 195
News 202
Noise 203
Now Playing 205
Phone 206
Photos 212
Podcasts 216

4Apple Watch User Guide

Reminders 219
Remote 220
Sleep 222
Stocks 225
Stopwatch 227
Timers 228
Tips 229
Voice Memos 230
Walkie-Talkie 231
Wallet and Apple Pay 233
Weather 247
Workout 249
World Clock 257

Accessibility and related settings 259

VoiceOver 259
Set up AppleWatch using VoiceOver 261
AppleWatch basics with VoiceOver 262
AssistiveTouch 263
Use a braille display 266
Zoom 267
Tell time with haptic feedback 268
Adjust text size and other visual settings 269
Adjust motor skills settings 270
Set up and use RTT 271
Accessibility audio settings 272
The Accessibility Shortcut 273

Restart, erase, recover, restore, and update 274

Restart AppleWatch 274
Erase AppleWatch 275
Recover AppleWatch 275
Restore AppleWatch from a backup 276
Update AppleWatch software 276
If you forget your passcode 276

5Apple Watch User Guide

Get help 277

Sell, give away, or protect a lost AppleWatch 277
Get information about AppleWatch 279
Other ways to view this user guide 280
AppleWatch Support site 280
Learn more, service, and support 280

Safety and handling 281

Important safety information 281
Important handling information 285
Band care information 288
FCC compliance statement 288
ISED Canada compliance statement 289
Ultra Wideband information 290
Disposal and recycling information 290
Apple and the environment 291

Copyright 292

6Apple Watch User Guide

Your Apple Watch

Your AppleWatch

This guide helps you get started using AppleWatch and discover all the amazing things it
can do with watchOS8.6, which is compatible with the following models:

AppleWatch Series7

7Apple Watch User Guide

AppleWatch Series6

8Apple Watch User Guide

AppleWatchSE

9Apple Watch User Guide

AppleWatch Series4 and AppleWatch Series5

10Apple Watch User Guide

AppleWatch Series3

Note:See the Apple Watch manuals webpage to learn about earlier AppleWatch models.

11Apple Watch User Guide

What’s New

What’s new in AppleWatch and watchOS8

The largest and most advanced display, most durable AppleWatch, and fast charging

(AppleWatch Series7) The latest AppleWatch features more screen area, with smaller
borders and a refractive edge effect. With the included USB-C cable, AppleWatch Series7
charges faster than any previous AppleWatch model. See Charge AppleWatch.

Note:Fast charging is not available in all regions.

Explore new watch faces Switch things up with new watch faces for AppleWatch—World
Time, which makes it easy to see the time across the globe, Portraits, which brings your
favorite portrait photos front and center, Unity Lights, a face inspired by Afrofuturism, and,
on AppleWatch Series7, Contour and Modular Duo. See Faces and features.

Edit on the fly To correct errors in text, use the Digital Crown to scroll precisely to the spot
you want to edit. See Compose a text message.

12Apple Watch User Guide

Scribble and dictate, all on one screen In Mail and Messages it’s easier than ever to
make your point by seamlessly switching from Scribble to dictation and back again. See

Compose a message.

QWERTY and QuickPath keyboard (U.S. English and Simplified Chinese only, AppleWatch
Series7 only) Enter text with the full QWERTY keyboard. Just tap each character or use
QuickPath to swipe between letters without lifting your finger. See Compose a message.

Enjoy a mindful moment The new Reflect feature in the Mindfulness app helps you
establish a meditation practice by focusing on a short, thought-provoking theme. With an
Apple Fitness+ subscription, listen to guided Meditations right on AppleWatch. See Start a

Reflect or Breathe session and Listen to guided Meditations.

13Apple Watch User Guide

Try new workouts Strengthen your core with the new Pilates workout, and clear your mind
and reduce stress with Tai Chi. See Work out with AppleWatch.

See your respiratory rate as you sleep Your AppleWatch can track your respiratory rate
when you’re sleeping. Knowing your sleep respiratory rate can give you greater insight into
your overall health. See Review your sleeping respiratory rate.

Keep keys on AppleWatch Store your car, home, workplace, and hotel key in the Wallet
app on your watch. See Use digital keys.

Store and present your vaccination card (watchOS 8.1) Add a vaccination record in the
Health app on your iPhone, add it to the Wallet app, and double-click the side button on
AppleWatch to present your card when you need to show proof of vaccination. See Use

vaccination cards in Wallet.

ID in Wallet (iOS15.4 and watchOS8.4) In participating states, securely add your driver’s
license or state ID to the Wallet app, then use your iPhone or AppleWatch to present your
license or ID at select TSA security checkpoints. See Use your driver’s license or state ID.

Better control your home In watchOS8, the Home app has been redesigned to make it
easier than ever to control the smart devices in your home by highlighting the accessories
you’re most likely to use based on the time of day. See Control your home.

Locate misplaced devices and items In addition to finding your friends, you can now
locate your missing Apple devices and AirTags with the new Find Devices and Find Items
apps on AppleWatch. See Find misplaced devices.

14Apple Watch User Guide

Rediscover significant people, places, and events Photo highlights from your Memories
and Featured Photos now automatically sync to your watch, serving up something new
every day. See View photos.

Stay focused Focus helps you stay in the moment when you need to concentrate, allowing
only the notifications you want. Choose from preset Focus suggestions like working or
exercising, or sync a custom Focus you’ve created on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. See

Use Focus.

Navigate your watch with AssistiveTouch People who have limb differences can use
Apple Watch and its built-in motion sensors to answer calls, control an onscreen pointer,
and even launch a menu of actions—all through hand gestures. See Use AssistiveTouch on

Apple Watch.

Make contact Use the new Contacts app to quickly browse, add, or edit contacts right on
your AppleWatch. See Add and use contact information.

15Apple Watch User Guide

Create multiple timers When making a multicourse meal, timing is everything. In the
Timers app, start multiple timers as you begin cooking and use Siri to give each one a label.
See Create multiple timers.

Request music using only your voice (watchOS 8.3) A new subscription option,
AppleMusic Voice, offers access through Siri to the Apple Music catalog, playlists,
personalized mixes, and more. See Play music.

Check the volume In watchOS8 you can see real-time headphone audio levels in Control
Center when you’re listening to media. See Monitor your headphone volume.

Not all features are available in all areas and on all models.

16Apple Watch User Guide

Set up and get started

First steps with AppleWatch

Get started

It takes just a few minutes to get up and running with AppleWatch.

17Apple Watch User Guide

Pair AppleWatch with your iPhone

To set up your AppleWatch, put it on your wrist snugly, then press and hold the side button
to turn it on. Bring your iPhone near your watch, then follow the onscreen instructions. To
prepare an AppleWatch for a person in your family, tap Set Up for a Family Member.

Choose a watch face

AppleWatch comes with many attractive and useful watch faces. To switch to a different
face, swipe left or right across the screen. To see even more available faces, touch and
hold the display, swipe left until you see , tap the button, then scroll through the faces.
Tap Add, customize the watch face if you choose to, then press the DigitalCrown to use it.

Open an app

Your AppleWatch comes with a variety of apps for staying on top of your health, working
out, and keeping in touch. To open an app, press the Digital Crown, then tap the app. To
return to the Home Screen, press the Digital Crown again. You can download more apps
from the AppStore on AppleWatch.

18Apple Watch User Guide

Quickly change settings

Control Center gives you instant access to silent mode, Do Not Disturb, Wi-Fi, flashlight,
and more—just like on iPhone. To open Control Center, touch and hold the bottom of the
display, then swipe up.

Want to learn more? Start with Set up and pair your AppleWatch with iPhone, Set up Apple

Watch for a family member, Choose a different watch face, Customize the watch face,
Open apps from the Home Screen, and Control Center.

AppleWatch gestures

You use several basic gestures to interact with AppleWatch.

Tap: Touch one finger lightly on the screen.

Swipe: Move one finger across the screen—up, down, left, or right.

Drag: Move one finger across the screen without lifting.

Set up and pair your AppleWatch with iPhone

To use your AppleWatch Series3 or later with watchOS8, you need to pair your
AppleWatch with an iPhone 6s or later with iOS15 or later. Setup assistants on your iPhone
and AppleWatch work together to help you pair and set up your AppleWatch.

If you have difficulty seeing your AppleWatch or iPhone, VoiceOver or Zoom can help—
even during setup. See Set up AppleWatch using VoiceOver or Zoom.

WARNING:To avoid injury, read Important safety information before using your

AppleWatch.

Turn on, pair, and set up your AppleWatch

1. Put your AppleWatch on your wrist. Adjust the band or choose a band size so your
AppleWatch fits closely but comfortably on your wrist.

For information about changing the band on your AppleWatch, see Remove, change,

and fasten AppleWatch bands.

2. To turn on your AppleWatch, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.

3. Bring your iPhone near your AppleWatch, wait for the AppleWatch pairing screen to
appear on your iPhone, then tap Continue.

Or open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone, then tap Pair New Watch.

19Apple Watch User Guide

4. Tap Set Up for Myself.

5. When prompted, position your iPhone so that your AppleWatch appears in the
viewfinder in the AppleWatch app. This pairs the two devices.

6. Tap Set Up AppleWatch, then follow the instructions on your iPhone and AppleWatch
to finish setup.

To learn more about your AppleWatch while it’s syncing, tap Get to Know Your Watch.
You can learn what’s new, view AppleWatch tips, and read this user guide, right on your
iPhone. After your AppleWatch is set up, you can find this information by opening the
AppleWatch app on your iPhone, then tapping Discover.

Activate cellular service

You can activate cellular service on your Apple Watch during setup. If you don’t wish to,
you can activate it later in the AppleWatch app on your iPhone. See Use your AppleWatch

with a cellular network.

Your iPhone and AppleWatch must use the same cellular carrier. However, if you set up

an Apple Watch for someone in your Family Sharing group, that watch can use a cellular

carrier different from the one used on the iPhone you manage it with.

Cellular service not available in all regions.

Trouble pairing?

• If you see a watch face when you’re trying to pair: Your AppleWatch is already paired to
an iPhone. You need to first erase all Apple Watch content and reset settings.

• If the camera doesn’t start the pairing process: Tap Pair AppleWatch Manually at the
bottom of the iPhone screen, and follow the onscreen instructions.

• If AppleWatch isn’t pairing with iPhone: See the Apple Support article If your Apple

Watch isn’t connected or paired with your iPhone.

20Apple Watch User Guide

Unpair AppleWatch

1. Open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone.

2. Tap My Watch, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.

3. Tap next to the AppleWatch you want to unpair, then tap Unpair AppleWatch.

Pair more than one AppleWatch

You can pair another AppleWatch in the same way you paired your first one. Bring your
iPhone near your AppleWatch, wait for the AppleWatch pairing screen to appear on your
iPhone, then tap Pair. Or follow these steps:

1. Open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone.

2. Tap My Watch, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.

3. Tap Add Watch, then follow the onscreen instructions.

See the Apple Support article Use more than one Apple Watch with your iPhone.

To learn how to set up a watch for someone in your Family Sharing group, see Set up Apple

Watch for a family member.

Quickly switch to a different AppleWatch

Your iPhone detects the paired AppleWatch you’re wearing and automatically connects to
it. Just put on a different AppleWatch and raise your wrist.

You can also choose an AppleWatch manually:

1. Open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone.

2. Tap My Watch, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.

3. Turn off Auto Switch.

To see if your AppleWatch is connected to your iPhone, touch and hold the bottom of the
watch screen, swipe up to open Control Center, then look for the Connected status icon .

21Apple Watch User Guide

Pair AppleWatch to a new iPhone

If your AppleWatch is paired to your old iPhone and you now want to pair it with your new
iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Use iCloud Backup to back up the iPhone currently paired to your AppleWatch (see the

iPhone User Guide for more information).

2. Set up your new iPhone. On the Apps & Data screen, choose to restore from an iCloud
backup, then select the latest backup.

3. Continue iPhone setup and, when prompted, choose to use your AppleWatch with your
new iPhone.

When iPhone setup completes, your AppleWatch prompts you to pair it to the new iPhone.
Tap OK on your AppleWatch, then enter its passcode.

For more information, see the Apple Support article How to pair your Apple Watch with a

new iPhone.

Transfer an existing cellular plan to a new AppleWatch

You can transfer your existing cellular plan from your Apple Watch with cellular to another
AppleWatch with cellular by following these steps:

1. While wearing your AppleWatch, open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone.

2. Tap My Watch, tap Cellular, then tap next to your cellular plan.

3. Tap Remove [name of carrier] Plan, then confirm your choice.

You may need to contact your carrier to remove this AppleWatch from your cellular
plan.

4. Remove your old watch, put on your other AppleWatch with cellular, tap My Watch, then
tap Cellular.

Follow the instructions to activate your watch for cellular.

For more information about setup and pairing, see the Apple Support article Set up your

Apple Watch.

If you need to charge your AppleWatch before setup, see Charge AppleWatch.

22Apple Watch User Guide

The AppleWatch app

Use the AppleWatch app on your iPhone to customize watch faces, adjust settings and
notifications, configure the Dock, install apps, and more. For information about getting
more apps from the AppStore, see Get more apps.

Open the AppleWatch app

1. On your iPhone, tap the AppleWatch app icon.

2. Tap My Watch to see the settings for your AppleWatch.

If you have more than one AppleWatch paired with your iPhone, you see the settings for
your active AppleWatch.

Learn more about AppleWatch

The Discover tab in the AppleWatch app includes links to AppleWatch tips, a helpful
overview of your AppleWatch, and this user guide, all viewable on iPhone.

23Apple Watch User Guide

Charge AppleWatch

Set up the charger

1. In a well-ventilated area, place your charger or charging cable on a flat surface.

Your AppleWatch comes with the AppleWatch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable
(AppleWatch Series7 only) or the AppleWatch Magnetic Charging Cable (earlier
models). You can also use a MagSafe Duo Charger or AppleWatch Magnetic Charging
Dock (sold separately).

2. Plug the charging cable into the power adapter (sold separately).

3. Plug the adapter into a power outlet.

Note:Fast charging is not available in all regions.

Begin charging AppleWatch

Place the AppleWatch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C cable (included with AppleWatch
Series7) or AppleWatch Magnetic Charging Cable (included with earlier models) on the
back of your AppleWatch. The concave end of the charging cable magnetically snaps to
the back of your AppleWatch and aligns it properly.

You hear a chime when charging begins (unless your AppleWatch is in silent mode) and
see a charging symbol on the watch face. The symbol is red when AppleWatch needs
power and turns green when AppleWatch is charging.

You can charge your AppleWatch in a flat position with its band open, or on its side.

• If you’re using the AppleWatch Magnetic Charging Dock or MagSafe Duo Charger: Lay
your AppleWatch on the dock.

• If your battery is very low: You may see an image of the AppleWatch Magnetic Fast
Charger to USB-C Cable or AppleWatch Magnetic Charging Cable and the low battery
symbol on the screen. For more information, see the Apple Support article If your

Apple Watch won’t charge or it won’t turn on.

24Apple Watch User Guide

AppleWatch Series7

AppleWatch Series6

AppleWatchSE

AppleWatch Series4 and AppleWatch Series5

25Apple Watch User Guide

AppleWatch Series3

WARNING:For important safety information about the battery and charging AppleWatch,

see Important safety information.

Check remaining power

To see remaining power, touch and hold the bottom of the screen, then swipe up to open
ControlCenter. To more quickly check the remaining power, add a battery complication to
the watch face. See Customize the watch face.

Prevent apps from refreshing in the background

When you switch to a new app, the app you were using doesn’t remain open or take up
system resources, but it may still “refresh”—check for updates and new content—in the
background.

Refreshing apps in the background can use power. To maximize battery life, you can turn
this option off.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Go to General> Background App Refresh.

3. Turn off Background App Refresh to prevent all apps from refreshing. Or scroll down,
then turn off refresh for individual apps.

Note:Apps with complications on the current watch face will continue to refresh, even
when their background app refresh setting is off.

26Apple Watch User Guide

Save power when the battery is low

You can put your AppleWatch in Power Reserve mode to stretch the remaining battery
power. Your AppleWatch still displays the time, but you can’t use apps.

1. Touch and hold the bottom of the screen, then swipe up to open Control Center.

2. Tap the battery percentage, then drag the Power Reserve slider to the right.

Tip:If you have battery-powered devices such as AirPods connected to your

AppleWatch through Bluetooth, their remaining charge appears on this screen.

When battery charge drops to 10 percent or lower, your AppleWatch alerts you and gives
you the opportunity to enter Power Reserve mode.

When your AppleWatch is almost out of power, it enters Power Reserve mode automatically.

Tip:For tips on maximizing battery life, see Maximizing Battery Life and Lifespan at the

Apple website.

Return to normal power mode

Restart your AppleWatch—press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

The battery must have at least 10 percent charge for your AppleWatch to restart.

Check time since the last charge

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Tap Battery.

The Battery screen shows the remaining battery percentage, a graph that details the
recent history of the battery charge, and information about when the battery was last
charged.

27Apple Watch User Guide

Check battery health

You can find out the capacity of your AppleWatch battery relative to when it was new.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Tap Battery, then tap Battery Health.

AppleWatch alerts you if battery capacity is significantly reduced, allowing you to check
your service options.

Use optimized battery charging

To reduce battery aging, AppleWatch uses on-device machine learning to learn your daily
charging routines so it can wait to finish charging past 80 percent until you need to use it.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Tap Battery, then tap Battery Health.

3. Turn on Optimized Battery Charging.

Turn on and wake AppleWatch

Turn your AppleWatch on and off

• Turn on: If your AppleWatch is off, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo
appears (you might see a black screen for a short time first).

The watch face appears when AppleWatch is on.

• Turn off: Normally, you’ll leave your AppleWatch on all of the time, but if you need to
turn it off, press and hold the side button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power
Off slider to the right.

Tip:You can’t turn off your AppleWatch while it’s charging. To turn off your

AppleWatch, first disconnect it from the charger.

28Apple Watch User Guide

Always On (AppleWatch Series5, AppleWatch Series6, and later only)

Always On lets AppleWatch display the watch face and time, even when your wrist is down.
When you raise your wrist, AppleWatch functions fully.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Tap Display & Brightness, then tap Always On.

3. Turn on Always On, then tap the following options to configure them:

• Show Complication Data: Choose the complications that show data when your wrist

is down.

• Show Notifications: Choose the notifications that are visible when your wrist is down.

• Show Apps: Choose the apps that are visible when your wrist is down.

Wake the AppleWatch display

By default, you can wake the AppleWatch display in these ways:

• Raise your wrist. Your AppleWatch sleeps again when you lower your wrist.

• Tap the display or press the Digital Crown.

• Turn the Digital Crown upward.

If you don’t want your AppleWatch to wake when you raise your wrist or turn the Digital
Crown, open the Settings app on your AppleWatch, go to Display& Brightness, then
turn off Wake on Wrist Raise and Wake On Crown Rotation.

Tip:To temporarily prevent your AppleWatch from waking when you raise your wrist,

use theater mode.

If your AppleWatch doesn’t wake when you raise your wrist, make sure you selected the

proper wrist and watch orientation. If your AppleWatch doesn’t wake when you tap the

display or press or turn the Digital Crown, it may need charging.

Return to the clock face

You can choose how long before AppleWatch returns to the clock face from an open app.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Go to General> Return to Clock, then scroll down and choose when you want your
AppleWatch to return to the clock face: Always, After 2 minutes, or After 1 hour.

3. You can also return to the clock face by pressing the DigitalCrown.

By default, the setting you select applies to all apps, but you can choose a custom time for
each app. To do so, tap an app on this screen, tap Custom, then choose a setting.

29Apple Watch User Guide

Wake to your last activity

For some apps, you can set AppleWatch to return you to where you were before it went to
sleep. These apps include Audiobooks, Maps, Mindfulness, Music, Now Playing, Podcasts,
Stopwatch, Timers, Voice Memos, Walkie-Talkie, and Workout.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Go to General> Return to Clock, scroll down and tap an app, then turn on Return to App.

To return to the clock face, just stop what you’re doing in the app—for example, stop a
podcast, end a route in Maps, or cancel a timer.

You can also open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, then go to
General> Return to Clock.

Keep the AppleWatch display on longer

You can keep the display on longer when you tap to wake your AppleWatch.

1. Open the Settings app on your AppleWatch.

2. Tap Display& Brightness, tap Wake Duration, then tap Wake for 70 Seconds.

Lock or unlock AppleWatch

Unlock AppleWatch

You can unlock AppleWatch manually, by entering the passcode, or set it to unlock
automatically when you unlock your iPhone.

• Enter the passcode: Wake AppleWatch, then enter the watch passcode.

• Unlock AppleWatch when you unlock your iPhone: Open the Settings app on your
AppleWatch, tap Passcode, then turn on Unlock with iPhone.

You can also open the AppleWatch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Passcode,
then turn on Unlock with iPhone.

Your iPhone must be within normal Bluetooth range (about 33 feet or 10 meters) of your
AppleWatch to unlock it. If Bluetooth is off on AppleWatch, enter the passcode on
AppleWatch to unlock it.

Tip:Your AppleWatch passcode can be different from your iPhone passcode—in fact,

it’s better to use different passcodes.

30Apple Watch User Guide