Apple Watch

Stay up-to-date on the latest Apple Watch news, and learn how to get the most out of your device with our comprehensive tutorials. From updates to features to troubleshooting tips, we’ve got you covered.

Griffin’s WatchStand now available for order, ships in two weeks

Griffin Technology's curious WatchStand, which holds both an Apple Watch and your iPhone, is now available to order from the company's webstore for $29.99 a pop, or with a 10 percent discount via iDownloadBlog Deals. The Nashville, Tennessee headquartered accessory maker will start shipping first WatchStand units to customers in two weeks.

The sleek accessory docks your Apple Watch and iPhone while charging them at the same time, with the Watch cradle conveniently keeping your device at a viewable angle.

Twelve thoughts on Apple Watch

I've had an Apple Watch for almost a full work week now, and I've formed a variety of opinions. What I can tell you up front is that I really like this device, and have no buyers remorse. The Apple Watch does a lot of things really well, and a few things not-so-well. Here are twelve personal observations about the Apple Watch that I'd like to share with you.

You shouldn’t shower with your Apple Watch

Despite the videos that may suggest otherwise, it's not a good idea to shower with your Apple Watch. How can I say this for sure? I tried it out for myself.

Showering produces high pressure jets of water (relatively speaking)‚ and the high pressure can cause water to venture into places on the Apple Watch that it should not.

Although the Apple Watch is IPX7 certified, which means that it is water resistant and can stand up to hand washing, sweat, and rain, it doesn't mean that you can just do whatever you want with the watch as long as it fits within the technical definition of IPX7 certification.

Unsurprisingly, Apple says ‘no’ to custom faces, fart apps and time-telling Watch apps

Apple on Tuesday updated the official App Store Review Guidelines, officially taking a stance against third-party applications for the Apple Watch whose sole purpose is to tell the time, as first discovered by developer David Smith.

A newly added clause of the agreement guiding third-party development now explicitly states that Watch applications which simply tell the time will be flatly rejected.

“Watch Apps whose primary function is telling time will be rejected,” reads the document. Moreover, the same principles appear to apply to custom watch faces and flatulence apps.

It's worth mentioning that these rules have been enforced since the onset as there has never been a single time-telling Apple Watch app, or a fart app, (or a custom face for that matter) available on the App Store.

Display expert explains why Apple Watch sapphire crystal degrades image quality

After putting the stainless steel Apple Watch through a barrage of excruciating screen benchmarks, display expert Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies has determined that its sapphire protection actually degrades image quality.

But it's not Apple's fault, really. Even though sapphire is the second-hardest transparent material after diamond, the substance suffers from a higher reflectance versus a less expensive ion-strengthened glass utilized on the entry-level aluminum Apple Watch Sport as well as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices.

How to sync podcasts with Apple Watch

While you can sync music from your iPhone library to your Apple Watch, there is currently no way to sync podcasts, which is something Apple will likely address in a future update. In the meanwhile, podcast listeners must still be tethered to their iPhones to enjoy podcasts on the go with the help of Overcast, which apparently is the only podcast app with support for Apple Watch at this time. But again, it's not really a solution as you have to have your iPhone nearby to listen to podcasts via Overcast on Apple Watch.

However, there is a workaround that allows you to sync podcasts with Apple Watch. Like all workarounds, it's not very straightforward, and to be honest, a bit cumbersome, but if you want to listen to podcasts on your Apple Watch without an iPhone, this is currently your only option. In this post, we'll show you how to sync podcasts with your Apple Watch.

Diamond-testing Apple Watch sapphire screen

After quite literally subjecting the Apple Watch Sport’s Ion-X glass to the knife in a  recent scratch test video, YouTuber 'Unbox Therapy' is back with another cool test.

This time around, he's evaluating the Apple Watch's sapphire-coated screen with a diamond tester and comparing it to the Apple Watch Sport, LG's G Watch R, the iPhone 6 and a high-end analog watch by Tissot, which uses sapphire for protection.

He came away fairly impressed with Apple's sapphire, concluding it does match those of classic sapphire watches. Sapphire, for those wondering, is the second-hardest transparent substance after diamond. Have a look at the video and tell us what you think in the comment section.

How to take a screenshot on Apple Watch

Apple Watch showing how to take screenshot

If you want to take screenshots of your Apple Watch screen, you must first turn this feature on. Here are the steps to enable screenshots. And after that, we will show you how to take a screenshot on the Apple Watch running any version of watchOS.

Why I recommend the 42mm Apple Watch over the 38mm version

Apple Watch Sport collection vs Apple Watch Sport, Milanese Loop vs Leather loop. There are lots and lots of choices when it comes to configuring an Apple Watch. There are even two sizes to choose from—38mm and 42mm.

Choice is good, and there's certainly a lot of decisions to make when it comes to Apple Watch configuration. But when it comes to size, I would recommend the 42mm. Unless you have really small fingers, and a really small wrist, I think that you should at least try on the 42mm version to test it out.

Why am I so high on the 42mm Apple Watch? It's because I've tried them both. At first I didn't think that the difference would be that big of a deal, but after going hands on with both, I'm leaning more heavily towards recommending the larger version