Apple Watch Mirroring, a new accessibility feature arriving later this year, will let you share and control the screen of your Apple Watch via its paired iPhone.
- Apple Watch Mirroring will let you control your Apple Watch from its paired iPhone using AirPlay and assistive technologies like Voice and Switch Control.
- The upocming feaures will help people with physical and motor disabilities control their watch fully, using a much bigger screen on their iPhone along with voice commands, sound actions, head tracking and similar technologies.
- Apple Watch Mirroring will support Series 6 or later and is among several new accessibility features coming to Apple’s platforms later in 2022.
What is Apple Watch Mirroring and how does it work?
Apple via its Apple Newsroom page previewed the new accessibility features coming to its platforms later in 2022. Apple Watch Mirroring is one of them.
This feature takes advantage of a range of technologies already present in Apple devices. To share contents of your Apple Watch screen with a nearby iPhone, the system will use the existing AirPlay Mirroring feature and also take advantage of the recent advances built into AirPlay. To help people enter data and navigate the watch’s user interface, Apple Watch Mirroring will let folks use their voice. Technologies like sound actions and head tracking will help provide context. And with Voice Control and Switch Control, even people with physical and motor disabilities will be able to control their watch from an iPhone using these features.
The Apple Watch becomes more accessible than ever for people with physical and motor disabilities with Apple Watch Mirroring, which helps users control Apple Watch remotely from their paired iPhone. With Apple Watch Mirroring, users can control an Apple Watch using their iPhone’s assistive features, like Voice Control and Switch Control, and use inputs including voice commands, sound actions, head tracking or external Made for iPhone switches as alternatives to tapping the Apple Watch display.
This should permit folks with disabilities to fully control the Apple Watch on their wrist, whether it be switching apps, changing settings, interacting with watch faces, etc.
How’s this feature useful?
The key benefit here is the iPhone’s bigger screen, obviously. Imagine having one or more physical disabilities that make it virtually impossible to hit tiny touch targets on the watch or hold your finger still when tapping and holding. Now imagine being able to interact with the watch using the iPhone’s bigger screen, and you’ll get the idea. Read: 22 tips to boost Apple Watch battery life
Apple Watch Mirroring requirements
The Apple Watch Mirroring requires the following hardware and software:
- Apple Watch Series 6 and up with watch OS 9 or later
- iPhone with iOS 16 or later
Should device compatibility list for Apple Watch Mirroring change at some point, we’ll be making sure to update this post with new information.
When will this feature become available?
Apple has not provided a firm launch date for Apple Watch Mirroring and other new improvements to the accessibility features beyond stating people will be able to try them out “later this year” with software updates across Apple platforms. Apple does not release any major updates during the summer, instead releasing a barrage of new products throughout fall. We don’t expect Apple Watch Mirroring to be any different in that regard. In other words, the general public will get this feature as part of the iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9 updates arriving this fall.