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Apple Watch

How to log your underwater activity with the Depth app on Apple Watch

by Tyler Stephen

On certain Apple Watch models, you can see summaries of your underwater activities in the Depth app. You can also review the summaries in the Fitness app on your iPhone.

You can log almost any underwater activity, from swimming below the surface at the local pool to going on a scuba adventure, as long as you go deeper than 1 meter for more than 5 seconds. The Depth app is supported on the following:

  • Apple Watch Ultra models to a maximum depth of 40 meters (130 feet)
  • Apple Watch Series 10 and later (excluding Apple Watch SE 3) to a maximum depth of 6 meters (20 feet)

WARNING: The Depth app is not a dive computer and does not provide decompression stop information, gas analysis, or other recreational scuba diving functionality.

Apple Watch Ultra models Apple Watch Series 10 and later
On Apple Watch Ultra, the Depth app showing the current depth, time underwater, water temperature, and the maximum depth of the dive. Markers along the left side indicate the depth in feet from 0 to 130. Markers along the right side indicate the depth in meters from 0 to 40. On an Apple Watch Series model, the Depth app showing the current depth, time underwater, water temperature, and the maximum depth of the dive. Markers along the left side indicate the depth in feet from 0 to 20. Markers along the right side indicate the depth in meters from 0 to 6.

What counts as a dive?

You can log almost any underwater activity. That includes swimming below the surface at the local pool, snorkeling and diving down to explore a reef, or going on a scuba adventure.

Your dive is tracked under the following conditions:

  • You use the Depth app or a third-party app that supports underwater activity tracking.
  • Your depth exceeds 1 meter and you’re submerged for more than 5 seconds.

A logged dive can be a single dive, like a scuba dive, or a series of dives aggregated together. That happens, for example, when you’ve submerged multiple times at the pool to work on your breath control.

Begin your dive

Use one of the following methods:

  • Manually: Before you go into the water, open the Depth app.
  • Action button: (supported on Apple Watch Ultra models) If you’ve set the Action button to Dive, press the Action button.
  • Automatically: If you turned on Auto-Launch, the Depth app starts tracking a dive when your depth exceeds 1 meter and you’re submerged for more than 5 seconds.

When submerged, the screen locks and Water Lock is turned on. In the Depth app, screen taps and Digital Crown presses don’t register. Third-party diving apps may allow you to interact with Apple Watch Ultra while underwater by turning the Digital Crown or pressing the Action button.

End a dive

After you surface, end the dive session and turn off Water Lock (which clears water from the speaker) with one of the following methods:

  • Manually: Press and hold the Digital Crown.
  • Action button: (available on Apple Watch Ultra models for dives longer than 3 minutes) If you’ve set the Action button to Dive, press the Action button to end the dive.
  • Automatically: The dive ends when Apple Watch has been out of the water for 10 minutes.

    Note: If you descend again within 10 minutes, your time underwater is added to the previous time you were submerged and is logged as a single dive.

View your recent dives on your Apple Watch

Apple Watch stores a dive summary for 7 days before automatically deleting it.

  1. Start the Depth app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap View Recent Dives.
  3. To see more details, tap a dive.

    You can see the date and time the dive started, the maximum depth, and the amount of time underwater.

View your dive history in the Fitness app on iPhone

Your dive summaries from the Depth app appear alongside those created by third-party dive apps, so you can see them all.

  1. Start the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. In the Summary tab, tap Sessions, then tap Dives.
  3. Tap a dive to see such details as maximum depth, underwater time, water temperature, and more.

To delete a dive, swipe left on the dive, then tap Delete.

See also

Tag: Depth
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How to recover Apple Watch

by Moses Johnson

Your iPhone can help you recover Apple Watch. It’s quick: you place your iPhone near your Apple Watch, put your watch on its charger, and follow the steps that appear on the iPhone. If your Apple Watch displays an animation showing a watch and iPhone being brought close together, follow these steps:

  1. Place your iPhone near your Apple Watch.

    Your iPhone needs to have iOS 15.4 or later, be connected to Wi-Fi with Bluetooth turned on, and be unlocked.

  2. Put your Apple Watch on its charger.
  3. Double-click the side button on your Apple Watch. Then follow the steps that appear on the iPhone.

See also

Tag: watchOS
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How to restart Apple Watch

by Chris Smith

If something isn’t working right, try restarting your Apple Watch and its paired iPhone.

Restarting your Apple Watch means turning it off and on with the side button, but you can’t restart your Apple Watch while it’s charging. You can also force Apple Watch to restart, and restart the paired iPhone.

Restart Apple Watch

  • Turn off your Apple Watch: Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear, tap the Power button, then drag the Power Off slider to the right.
  • Turn on your Apple Watch: Hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.

The front of Apple Watch, with the Digital Crown shown at the top on the right side of the watch and the side button shown at the bottom right.

Note: You can’t restart your Apple Watch while it’s charging.

Restart the paired iPhone

  • Turn off your iPhone: For models with Face ID, press and hold the side button and a volume button, then drag the slider to the right. For models without Face ID, press and hold the side or top button until the slider appears, then drag the slider to the right. With any model, you can also go to the Settings app, tap General, then tap Shut Down.
  • Turn on your iPhone: Hold down the side or top button until the Apple logo appears.

Force Apple Watch to restart

When you can’t turn off your Apple Watch, or the problem continues, you might need to force your Apple Watch to restart. Only do this if you’re unable to restart your Apple Watch.

To force restart, hold down the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears.

See also

Tag: watchOS
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How to manage your passcode on Apple Watch

by Kevin Hollington

Change or turn off your passcode, and choose whether to use a simple four-digit passcode. For added security, you can also set Apple Watch to erase its data after 10 failed unlock attempts.

Your Apple Watch passcode can be different from your iPhone passcode, and it’s better to use different passcodes. There’s a catch, though. If you turn off your passcode on your watch, some features won’t be available, such as Apple Pay.

Note: You may be prevented from using a simple passcode or turning off your passcode if your synced iPhone is managed by an organization, such as a company or school. Check with your organization’s administrator.

Change your passcode

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap Passcode, tap Change Passcode, and then follow the onscreen prompts.

    Tip: Your Apple Watch passcode can be different from your iPhone passcode—in fact, it’s better to use different passcodes.

You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Passcode, then tap Change Passcode and follow the onscreen prompts.

Use a four-digit passcode

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap Passcode, then turn on Simple Passcode.

You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Passcode, then turn on Simple Passcode.

Turn off the passcode

Note: If you turn off your passcode, some features won’t be available. For example, you can’t use Apple Pay or unlock your Mac with Apple Watch.

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap Passcode, then tap Turn Passcode Off.

You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Passcode, then tap Turn Passcode Off.

Erase Apple Watch after 10 unlock attempts

If Apple Watch is lost or stolen, you can protect your information by having Apple Watch erase its data after 10 consecutive attempts to unlock it with the wrong passcode.

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap Passcode, then turn on Erase Data.

See also

Tag: Privacy & Security
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What to do if you forget your Apple Watch passcode

by Dave Johnson

If your Apple Watch is disabled because you forgot your passcode or entered an incorrect passcode too many times, you can reset it from either your Apple Watch or iPhone and set it up again.

If it has a cellular plan, you can keep your plan to pair again, or remove it to pair with another iPhone. And after you erase it, Activation Lock is enabled, so your Apple Account and password are required to unpair it.

Important: If Erase Data is turned on, the data on your Apple Watch is erased after 10 failed passcode attempts.

Reset your Apple Watch

  1. Put your Apple Watch on its charger and press and hold the side button until the sliders appear.
  2. Press and hold the Digital Crown to show the Erase all content and settings screen.
  3. Tap Reset, then tap Reset again to confirm.
  4. When the process finishes, set up your watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

Reset your Apple Watch using your paired iPhone

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and then tap My Watch.
  2. Tap General, swipe down, and then tap Reset.
  3. Tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings and tap Erase All Content and Settings again to confirm.
  4. If you have an Apple Watch with cellular, choose to keep or remove your cellular plan.
    • Keep your plan if you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.
    • Remove your plan if you want to pair your Apple Watch with another iPhone or intend to cancel your cellular subscription. (Contact your carrier to cancel your subscription.)
  5. When the process finishes, set up your watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

When you erase Apple Watch this way, Activation Lock is enabled. With Activation Lock, your Apple Account and password are required before anyone can:

  • Unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone
  • Pair and use your Apple Watch with a new iPhone
  • Turn off Find My on your device

See also

Tags: Privacy & Security, Setup
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How to unpair and erase Apple Watch

by Moses Johnson

You can start fresh in more than one way. If you plan to sell or give away your Apple Watch, unpair it from your iPhone; if you plan to keep it and only need to reset it, erase it. Here are the two ways to clear the contents and settings of your Apple Watch:

  • Unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone. This erases the contents and removes Activation Lock, preventing someone else from activating it. Do this if you plan to sell or give away your Apple Watch.
  • Erase your Apple Watch. This erases all content and settings from Apple Watch, but leaves it paired with your iPhone. Do this if you plan to keep your Apple Watch, and just need to reset it.

Unpair Apple Watch and remove Activation Lock

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Watch, then tap All Watches.
  3. Tap the Info button next to your watch and tap Unpair Apple Watch.

Your Apple Watch is erased and removed from your Apple account, Activation Lock is removed, and your watch is ready to be set up again.

Erase Apple Watch and settings

To erase your Apple Watch without unpairing it, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap General, then tap Reset.
  3. Tap Erase All Content and Settings. Then enter your passcode.
  4. If you have an Apple Watch with cellular, choose to keep or remove your cellular plan.
    • Keep your plan if you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.
    • Remove your plan if you want to pair your Apple Watch with another iPhone or intend to cancel your cellular subscription. (Contact your carrier to cancel your subscription.)
  5. When the process finishes, set up your watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap General, tap Reset, then tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings.

Note: If you can’t access the Settings app on your Apple Watch because you’ve forgotten your passcode, you must reset it.

Remove your cellular plan

You can remove the cellular plan at any time on an Apple Watch with cellular.

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Watch, tap Cellular, and tap the Info button next to your cellular plan.
  3. Tap Remove [carrier] Plan, then confirm your choice.

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

See also

Tags: Privacy & Security, Setup
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How to restore Apple Watch from a backup

by Tyler Stephen

Your Apple Watch is backed up automatically to your paired iPhone, and you can restore it from a stored backup. Apple Watch backups are included when you back up your iPhone—either to iCloud, or to your Mac or Windows device.

If your backups are stored in iCloud, you can’t view the information in them. But if you get a new Apple Watch, you can restore it from one of those backups.

Back up and restore Apple Watch

  • Back up your Apple Watch: When paired with an iPhone, Apple Watch content is backed up continuously to the iPhone. If you unpair the devices, a backup is performed first.
  • Restore your Apple Watch from a backup: If you pair your Apple Watch with the same iPhone again, or get a new Apple Watch, you can choose Restore from Backup and select a stored backup on your iPhone.

An Apple Watch that’s managed for a family member backs up directly to the family member’s iCloud account when the watch is connected to power and a Wi-Fi network. To disable iCloud backups for that watch, go to the Settings app on the managed Apple Watch, tap [account name], tap iCloud, tap iCloud Backups, then turn off iCloud Backups.

See also

Tags: Family sharing, watchOS
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How to pair and set up Apple Watch with iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

To use your Apple Watch, you need to pair it with your iPhone. Setup assistants on your iPhone and Apple Watch work together to help you pair and set up your watch.

Your watch needs watchOS 27, on Apple Watch SE 3, Series 9, Ultra 2, or later, and your iPhone needs iOS 27, on iPhone 11 or later. It’s a good idea to update your iPhone first. Then, if your watch has cellular, you can activate cellular service.

WARNING: To avoid injury, read Important safety information for Apple Watch before using your Apple Watch.

What you need

To set up Apple Watch, you need the following:

  • Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, or later with watchOS 27 or later
  • iPhone 11 or later with iOS 27 or later

Before you begin

  • Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS: Go to the Settings app on your iPhone, tap General, then tap Software Update.
  • Make sure that your iPhone has Bluetooth turned on, and it’s connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network: To check, swipe down from the top-right corner of the iPhone screen to open Control Center. Make sure that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (or Cellular) are highlighted.

Step 1: Turn on and pair your Apple Watch

Quick tip: VoiceOver or Zoom can help if you have difficulty seeing your Apple Watch or iPhone, even during setup. See our guide, Set up using VoiceOver, or our article, Use Zoom.

  1. Put your Apple Watch on your wrist. Adjust the band or choose a band size so your Apple Watch fits closely but comfortably.
  2. To turn on your Apple Watch, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.

    If your Apple Watch doesn’t turn on, you might need to charge the battery.

  3. Hold your iPhone near your Apple Watch, wait for the Apple Watch pairing screen to appear on your iPhone. Then tap Continue.

    You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then tap Start Pairing.

  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.

Step 2: Set up your Apple Watch

  1. If this is your first Apple Watch, tap Set Up Apple Watch and then follow the instructions on your iPhone and Apple Watch to finish setup.

    If you’ve set up another Apple Watch with your current iPhone, a screen appears that says Make This Your New Apple Watch. Tap Apps & Data and Settings to see how Express Setup will configure your new watch, then tap Continue. To choose how your new watch is set up, tap Customize Settings. Next, choose a backup from a previous Apple Watch to restore. Or tap Set Up as New Apple Watch if you want to fully customize your new device’s settings.

  2. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up the following:

    • Sign in to your Apple Account.
    • Create a passcode—either a standard four-digit passcode, or a long passcode, which requires six digits.
    • Customize settings for text size, optionally enter personal information such as date of birth and height that are used for fitness and health, and choose the health notifications you want to receive.

    You can change these settings after you’ve set up your Apple Watch.

Step 3: Activate cellular service

If you have an Apple Watch with cellular, you can activate cellular service during setup. If you’ve set up Apple Watch, you can activate cellular later in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. See Set up and use cellular service.

Your iPhone and Apple Watch need to use the same cellular carrier. The exception is an Apple Watch you set up for someone in your Family Sharing group, since that watch can use a different cellular carrier from the one on the iPhone you manage it with.

Note: Cellular service isn’t available in all countries or regions.

Step 4: Keep your devices close as they sync

Your Apple Watch shows the watch face when syncing finishes and your watch is ready to use.

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. To find this information after your Apple Watch is set up, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then tap Discover.

An iPhone and Apple Watch, side by side. The iPhone screen shows “Apple Watch is Syncing.” The Apple Watch shows syncing progress.

Trouble pairing?

  • If you see a watch face when you’re trying to pair: Your Apple Watch is already paired with 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, then follow the onscreen instructions.

See also

Tag: Setup
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How to use Apple Watch with VoiceOver: the basics

by Stacey Butler

With VoiceOver on your Apple Watch, you can perform many functions with a press, swipe, or turn of the Digital Crown.

You can change or customize a watch face, check notifications from the watch face, open Control Center from the watch face, and show widgets, and there’s more, from the App Switcher and Grid View to reading mail and navigating with the Digital Crown. Try the following while viewing the current watch face.

  • Change the watch face: Triple-tap the screen, turn the Digital Crown to browse available faces, then press the Digital Crown to choose the face.
  • Customize a watch face: Triple-tap the display, swipe down to choose Edit, then double-tap. Swipe left or right with two fingers to browse the customizable features. Turn the Digital Crown to customize the selected feature. When you finish, press the Digital Crown, then double-tap the face to save your changes.
  • Check notifications from the watch face: Swipe down with two fingers.

    To check notifications from most other screens, tap the time in the top-right of the display, then swipe down with two fingers.

  • Open Control Center from the watch face: Press the side button.
  • Show widgets: From the watch face, scroll down with the Digital Crown or swipe up with two fingers.
  • Open the App Switcher: Double-click the Digital Crown, then turn the Digital Crown to scroll through recent apps. Double-tap an app to open it.
  • Open any app in Grid View: Press the Digital Crown once to go to the Home Screen. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through apps. Drag your finger to highlight an app, then double-tap to open it. Or use Siri to open it: hold down the Digital Crown until you feel the double tap, then say “launch” followed by the app name (for example, “launch Mail”).
  • Read mail: Press the Digital Crown once to go to the Home Screen. Swipe to highlight the Mail app, double-tap (or hold down) the Digital Crown to use Siri, then say “launch Mail.” When the Mail app opens, turn the Digital Crown to navigate and hear messages. Navigate through the message with the Digital Crown.
  • Navigate with the Digital Crown: Triple-tap with two fingers, then turn the Digital Crown to select an item. Triple-tap with two fingers to turn off Digital Crown Navigation.

See also

Tags: accessibility, VoiceOver
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How to use a braille display with VoiceOver on Apple Watch

by Chris Smith

Apple Watch supports many international braille tables and refreshable braille displays. You can connect a Bluetooth wireless braille display to read VoiceOver output, including contracted and uncontracted braille.

When you edit text, the braille display shows the text in context, and your edits are automatically converted between braille and printed text. You can also use a braille display with input keys to control your Apple Watch when VoiceOver is turned on. And you can change the braille display settings on your watch.

Connect a braille display

  1. Turn on the braille display.
  2. On Apple Watch, open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap VoiceOver, tap Braille, and then choose the display.

Change the braille display settings

  1. On Apple Watch, open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap VoiceOver, and then tap Braille.
  2. Set any of the following:

    Setting Description
    Output Set the braille display output to uncontracted six-dot, uncontracted eight-dot, or contracted braille.
    Input Choose the input method for entering braille on the display—uncontracted six-dot, uncontracted eight-dot, or contracted braille. You can also turn on Automatic Translation.
    Word Wrap Wrap words to the next line.
    Alert Display Duration Adjust the duration that an alert is visible on your braille display.
    Braille Tables Add tables to the Braille Table rotor.

See also

Tags: accessibility, VoiceOver
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