Introduced in 2014 and officially launched on April 24, 2015, Apple Watch marks Apple’s entrance in a brand new product category: wearables. As always, Apple was not first to market with this new product, but it appears the company is poised to become the one that redefines how we communicate, how we become more conscious about our health and fitness, and how technology can become even more personal.
If the user interface of Apple Watch can seem familiar to those who already use iOS devices such as iPhone, it is nonetheless a brand new experience that may or may not seem obvious. It introduces new buttons such as the Digital Crown, and new gestures such as Force Touch. It is a product that most people will have to learn how to use and get familiar with, hence this Apple Watch user guide.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be publishing a series of articles on how to use Apple Watch, covering all the aspects of the device, from hardware to software. In the meantime, we will be updating this page with links to our Apple Watch guides and tutorials, structuring the content in a simple and intuitive manner.
Please come back often to check our Apple Watch user guide, and make sure to share this page with friends and family. If there are specific aspects of Apple Watch you would like us to cover, please feel free to reach out to us.
Getting started
- How to pair and set up Apple Watch with iPhone
- How to unpair your Apple Watch and iPhone
- How to turn Apple Watch on or off
- How to lock and unlock Apple Watch
- How to wake Apple Watch
- Understanding the Status icons on Apple Watch
- How to change wrist and Digital Crown orientation
The basics
- How to force restart Apple Watch
- How to adjust screen brightness
- How to adjust or mute sounds
- How to toggle Airplane mode on or off
- How to turn Do Not Disturb on or off
- How to adjust haptic intensity
- How to change the watch face
- How to manage and customize watch faces
- What are Glances and how to use them
- How to use glances as app shortcuts
- How to change the language
- Keep display awake for longer
Backup, restore, and update
- How to back up and restore your Apple Watch
- What is and isn’t included in your Apple Watch backup
- How to update your Apple Watch software
Battery management
- How to save battery
- How to check remaining battery life
- How to use Power Reserve mode
- How to see when your Apple Watch was last charged
Friends
- How to add friends
- How to see friends
- How to customize the color palette for Digital Touch
- How to use Digital Touch to send sketches, taps, and heartbeats
Handoff
Health & fitness
- How to calibrate Apple Watch for accurate Workout and Activity tracking
- How to get a more accurate heart rate reading
- How to select between miles and kilometers in Workout app
- How to mute Activity reminders for the rest of your day
Managing apps
- How to install apps
- How to remove apps
- How to rearrange apps
- How to force close an app
- How to quickly between the last two apps used
- How to check storage used by apps
Managing notifications
- How to choose which notifications you receive on Apple Watch
- How to view and manage notifications
- How to get notifications when specific accounts post pictures to Instagram
Music
Reminders
Security
- How security technology and data protection are implemented within Apple Watch
- Why you should be using a passcode on your Apple Watch
- What to do if you forget your passcode
Siri
- How to use Siri
- How to complete various actions hands-free
- How to change dictation language on Apple Watch
Stocks
Time
- How to advance the time
- How to set and manage alarms
- How to snooze or dismiss an iPhone alarm from Apple Watch
- How to manage timers
- How to use the stopwatch
- How to check the time in other locations
- How to use a World Clock complication without city abbreviation
Care, maintenance, and troubleshooting
- Apple Watch and water: what you need to know
- How to fix a sticky Digital Crown
- Apple Watch and potential skin irritation
- How to make Apple Watch play nice with your iPhone on a 5Ghz Wi-Fi network
Other tips
- How to take a screenshot
- How to use your Apple Watch to locate your iPhone
- Things Apple Watch can do without a paired iPhone
- Things Apple Watch can do when connected to Wi-Fi
- How to sync podcasts with Apple Watch
- How to make app icons bigger and easier to tap
- How to access Apple Watch diagnostic port
- How to customize default replies for Messages and Mail
Accessories