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Apple Watch

How to use the Contacts app on Apple Watch

by Emily Long

You can create, edit, and view contact information, share contacts using NameDrop, and keep your contacts up to date across devices with iCloud.

You can text, call, and email directly from the Contacts app, too. When you create a contact, you can add a phone number, email, and address. And you can see your own contact card, or block or delete a contact.

Here’s how to use the Contacts app on Apple Watch.

Create a contact

  1. Start the Contacts app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the Add button.
  3. Enter the contact’s name and, optionally, company.
  4. Add a phone number, email, and address, then tap the Checkmark button.

See contact information

The Contacts app lets you text, call, and email directly.

The Contacts app showing a contact. The contact’s picture is in the middle of the screen with the name below. Phone, Messages, and More Options buttons appear below. A Back button is at the top left.

  1. Start the Contacts app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through your contacts.
  3. Tap a contact and then do any of the following:
    • Text: Tap the Message button to open an existing message thread or begin a new one.
    • Call: Tap the Phone button to see the contact’s phone numbers. Tap a number to start a call.
    • Email: Tap the Email button.

Share, edit, block, or delete a contact

  1. Start the Contacts app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through your contacts.
  3. Tap a contact and scroll down. Then do any of the following:
    • Share a contact: Tap the Share button and then choose a sharing option.
    • Edit a contact: Tap the Edit button, then choose information to edit. You can remove a field such as address or email by tapping Remove below the field.
    • Block a contact: Tap Block Contact.
    • Delete a contact: Tap Delete Contact.

See your own contact card

  1. Start the Contacts app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap your profile picture at the top right.

Exchange contact information with NameDrop

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Share from Apple Watch to iPhone: Hold the display of your Apple Watch a few centimeters from the top of the other person’s iPhone.
    • Share from Apple Watch to another Apple Watch: Go to the Contacts app on your Apple Watch, tap your picture in the top-right corner and tap Share. Then bring your watch close to the other person’s Apple Watch.

    A glow emerges from both devices, and Apple Watch vibrates to indicate a connection is being made.

  2. Continue holding your devices near each other until NameDrop appears on both screens.
  3. Choose to share your contact card and receive the other person’s, or to only receive the other person’s.
  4. Continue holding your devices near each other.

    To cancel, move the two devices away from each other before NameDrop completes.

See also

Tag: Contacts
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How to use Memoji on Apple Watch

by Stacey Butler

With the Memoji app, you can design your own personalized Memoji—choose skin color and freckles, hairstyle and color, facial features, headwear, glasses, and more. You can create multiple Memoji for different moods.

You can also edit or duplicate a Memoji, and even create a Memoji watch face, which is added to your watch face collection. If you’ve already made one, you can add a new Memoji from the top of the app.

Here’s how to use Memoji on Apple Watch.

The Memoji app on Apple Watch showing the Nose editing screen. There’s a close up of the face, centered on the nose. The word Color appears at the bottom.

Create Memoji

  1. Start the Memoji app on your Apple Watch.
  2. If you’re using the Memoji app for the first time, tap Get Started.

    If you’ve already made a Memoji, scroll to the top, then tap the Add Memoji button to add a new one.

  3. Tap each feature and scroll the Digital Crown to choose the options you want for your Memoji. As you add features such as hairstyle and eyewear, your character comes to life.
  4. Tap the Checkmark button to add the Memoji to your collection.

Edit Memoji and more

  1. Start the Memoji app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap a Memoji, then choose an option:

    • Edit a Memoji: Tap features such as eyes and brows. Turn the Digital Crown to choose a variation.
    • Create a Memoji watch face: Scroll down and then tap Create Watch Face.

      Return to the watch face and swipe left to see your new Memoji watch face. The watch face is also added to the watch face collection in the Apple Watch app on iPhone.

    • Duplicate a Memoji: Scroll down, then tap Duplicate.
    • Delete a Memoji: Scroll down and then tap Delete.

See also

Tag: Memoji
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How to make calls on Apple Watch

by Dave Johnson

Make phone and FaceTime audio calls, start a Group FaceTime call from Messages, and set up Wi-Fi calling.

You can call a favorite by turning the Digital Crown, call a contact, or dial a recent number. You can also enter a phone number, and bring a Messages conversation into a FaceTime audio call, where you can even add more people. With Wi-Fi calling, you can make calls even when your paired iPhone isn’t with you.

Here’s how to make calls on Apple Watch.

The Phone app showing call options. The Answer on iPhone button is at the top and a suggested reply is below.

Call a contact

  1. Start the Phone app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Call a favorite: Turn the Digital Crown down, then tap a favorite.
    • Call a contact: Turn the Digital Crown upward, tap Contacts, and tap a contact.
    • Dial a recent number: Turn the Digital Crown upward to scroll through recent contacts, then tap a contact.

Start a Group FaceTime call from Messages

If you’re in a Messages conversation, you can bring it into a FaceTime audio call and then add more people to the call.

  1. Start the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. In a conversation, tap the Contact’s profile picture at the top right. Tap FaceTime audio.
  3. To invite more people to the call, tap the More Options button, tap Add People, and then choose a contact.

Enter a phone number

  1. Start the Phone app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the Dialer button at the top right. Then enter the number.

    The keypad in the Phone app.

  3. To start the call, tap the Call button.

Quick tip: If you need to enter additional numbers during a call, like an extension or a verification code, tap the More Options button, tap Keypad, and then tap the digits.

Set up Wi-Fi calling

If your cellular carrier offers Wi-Fi calling, your Apple Watch can make and receive calls over Wi-Fi rather than the cellular network, and that works even when your paired iPhone is turned off or isn’t with you. Your Apple Watch only needs to be within range of a Wi-Fi network your iPhone has connected to in the past.

To see if your carrier offers Wi-Fi calling, see Make a call with Wi-Fi calling, and enable Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Cellular and tap Wi-Fi Calling.
  3. Turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone and turn on Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices.

Note: For the most accurate location during emergency calls, use cellular instead of Wi-Fi when possible. You can temporarily disconnect from Wi-Fi on your Apple Watch to prioritize the cellular connection.

See also

Tag: Phone
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How to create a Custom Workout on Apple Watch

by Kevin Hollington

You can create a custom workout on your Apple Watch to support your fitness goals. Custom workouts include warmup and cooldown periods, and repeating work and recovery intervals. You can also add time, calorie, and distance goals; set a pace for outdoor workouts, and more.

You can add multiple work and recovery intervals, too, and even add alerts to a workout.

Here’s how to create a Custom Workout on Apple Watch.

The Workout app showing a screen for creating a Custom Workout.

Create a Custom Workout

You’re able to tailor workouts with a time to cool down, a warmup period, and repeating work and recovery intervals.

  1. Go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Turn the Digital Crown to the workout you want to do.
  3. Tap the Goals button and tap Custom. Then tap the Add button.
  4. Do any of the following:

    • Add a warmup period: Tap Warmup, then tap Time, Distance, or Open. You can also add a heart rate alert to the warmup period.
    • Add work and recovery intervals: Tap Add and tap Work or Recovery. Choose Time, Distance, or Open.

      You can add multiple work and recovery intervals.

    • Add a cooldown period: Tap Cooldown and tap Time, Distance, or Open. When you choose Open, you can also add a heart rate alert.
    • Name the workout: Tap New Custom Workout below Custom Title. Then enter a name.

    Note: If you’re doing a stationary workout—Elliptical or Pilates, for example—Distance isn’t an option.

  5. Tap Create Workout.

    Note: The Create Workout button is active only if you’ve added a work or recovery interval.

To remove warmup or cooldown periods, tap the More button next to the workout, tap Custom, tap the Edit button in the Custom Workout tile, tap Warmup or Cooldown, tap Goal Type, then tap Skip. To remove a work or recovery interval, swipe left, then tap the Delete button.

All workout types offer Custom Workouts. Multisport and Open Water Swim are the exceptions.

Add a workout goal

The Workout app showing created goals, Custom Workouts, and a Pacer workout.

Each workout type can have its own time, distance, and calorie goals.

  1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Turn the Digital Crown to the workout you want to do.
  3. Tap the Goals button and tap Custom. Then tap the Add button.
  4. Tap a goal such as Calories, Distance, or Time; choose a value; then tap Done.
  5. Tap the goal to begin the workout.

To edit goals for a workout, scroll to the workout, tap the More Options button, tap Goals, tap the Edit button next to the goal, tap the goal, make your change, then tap Done.

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

Use the Up Next workout view

During a Custom Workout, check the Up Next workout view. It shows what’s remaining in your current interval and what’s coming next.

  1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
  2. During a workout, turn the Digital Crown to the Up Next workout view.

Add alerts to a workout

A variety of alerts can come up during a workout. On an Outdoor Run workout, for example, you’ll get an alert when your heart rate falls within 133 – 141 beats per minute.

  1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Turn the Digital Crown to the workout you want to do.
  3. Tap the Alerts button, tap an alert you want to receive, and configure the alert.

Any alerts you add apply whenever you do that workout.

See also

Tag: Fitness
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How to go for a swim with Apple Watch

by Chris Smith

Apple Watch can track your swims. When you start a swimming workout, your Apple Watch locks the screen with Water Lock to avoid accidental taps. A Pool Swim workout automatically tracks your sets and when you rest, and the summary displays the kinds of strokes you used and the total distance.

Start a swimming workout

  1. Go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Turn the Digital Crown to Open Water Swim or Pool Swim.
  3. Tap the Start button.

    For Pool Swim workouts, set the pool length, then tap Start.

  4. When you’re finished, press and hold the Digital Crown to unlock your Apple Watch and tap End.

    The pool swim workout automatically tracks your sets and when you rest. The summary on your Apple Watch displays the kinds of strokes you used and the total distance you swam. You can find the pace for each set in the workout summary on your iPhone.

To pause or resume your swim, press the Digital Crown and side button at the same time. To review your swimming workout summary, unlock your Apple Watch, then tap End.

Manually clear water after swimming

When you start a swimming workout, your Apple Watch automatically locks the screen with Water Lock to avoid accidental taps.

  1. After your swim, press the side button to open Control Center and then tap the Water Lock button.
  2. Press and hold the Digital Crown to unlock the screen and clear water from the speaker.

    You hear sounds and may feel some water on your wrist.

See also

Tag: Fitness
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How to turn Apple Watch on or off

by Emily Long

Apple Watch turns on and off with the side button, and the watch face appears when it’s on. If it won’t turn on, it may need to be charged, and sometimes you need to force it to restart. You can also learn how to wake and unlock Apple Watch.

Turn on Apple Watch

  1. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
  2. The watch face appears when Apple Watch is on.

An Apple Watch that won’t turn on may need to be charged, or you may need to force it to restart.

Turn off Apple Watch

  1. If Apple Watch is charging, disconnect it from the charger.
  2. Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear.

    The Apple Watch screen showing the sliders for Medical ID, Compass Backtrack, and Emergency Call. The Power button is at the top right.

  3. Tap the Power button at the top right. Drag the Power Off slider to the right.

    The Apple Watch screen showing the Power Off slider. Drag the slider to turn off Apple Watch.

See also

Tag: Setup
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How to wake and unlock Apple Watch

by Emily Long

Wake the Apple Watch display, then customize how long it stays active before automatically locking. Apple Watch uses a passcode to keep your personal information secure. You can unlock Apple Watch manually or set it to unlock automatically when you unlock your iPhone.

It’s simple. By default, the display wakes when you raise your wrist, and your watch sleeps again when you lower it, and you can lock it manually, too.

Wake the Apple Watch display

The Apple Watch display wakes up by default when you do the following:

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

    If your Apple Watch doesn’t wake when you raise your wrist, make sure you selected the proper wrist and watch orientation.

  • Tap the display.
  • Press or turn the Digital Crown.

If your Apple Watch doesn’t wake when you tap the display or press or turn the Digital Crown, it may need charging.

Unlock Apple Watch

  • Enter the passcode: Wake Apple Watch, then enter the watch passcode.
  • Unlock Apple Watch when you unlock your iPhone: Go to 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 your watch to unlock it.

Change when Apple Watch automatically locks

Wrist Detection is on by default. It locks your Apple Watch automatically when you’re not wearing it.

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap Passcode, then turn Wrist Detection on or off.

Turning off Wrist Detection affects these Apple Watch features:

  • When you use Apple Pay on your Apple Watch, you’re prompted to enter your passcode when you double-click the side button to authorize the payment.
  • Some Activity measurements are unavailable.
  • Heart rate tracking and notifications are turned off.
  • Apple Watch no longer automatically locks and unlocks.
  • Apple Watch doesn’t automatically make an emergency call even after it has detected a hard impact fall.

Lock manually

  1. Press the side button to open Control Center.
  2. Tap the Lock button.

The next time you try to use your Apple Watch, you need to enter your passcode.

See also

Tag: Privacy & Security
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How to translate text and voice on Apple Watch

by Kevin Hollington

In the Translate app, you can translate text and voice into any supported language. You can also download languages to translate entirely on a device, even without an internet connection.

When you travel to a location with a language that’s different from your Apple Watch, Translate appears as a suggested widget in the Smart Stack. Your words translate as you type or speak, and you can play the audio translation and save translations as favorites, too.

Note: Translation is available for supported languages.

Translate text or your voice

A screen in the Translate app showing an English phrase at the top translated to Spanish at the bottom.

  1. Open the Translate app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the language you want to translate your selected text to.

    To swap languages, tap the Swap button.

  3. Tap the Microphone button, then say a phrase.

    To translate with the keyboard, tap the More button, scroll down to Mode of Input, then tap Keyboard.

    Note: Words are translated as you type or speak.

  4. When the translation is shown, do any of the following:

    • Play the audio translation: Tap the Play button.

      To automatically hear the translation, tap the More button, then tap Play Translations.

    • Save the translation as a favorite: Swipe left and tap the Favorite button.
    • Delete the translation: Swipe right and tap the Delete button.

View your favorite translations

  1. Open the Translate app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the Favorites button and then turn the Digital Crown to view your saved translations.

    To remove a translation from your favorites, swipe left, then tap the Unfavorite button.

Note: Your favorite translations show up in the Translate app on any iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch that’s signed in to your Apple Account.

Review words with multiple meanings

If a word you’re translating has several meanings, you can choose the one you want, and for words with grammatical gender variations, you can select feminine or masculine translations.

Note: Translations automatically default to the gender-neutral form of a word when gender hasn’t been specified.

  1. Start the Translate app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the Microphone button, then say a phrase.

    To translate with the keyboard, tap the More button, scroll down, tap Preferred Input, then tap Text.

    Note: Words are translated as you type or speak.

  3. When available, do any of the following:

    • Choose a different meaning: When available, tap the light-colored word to select the intended meaning.
    • Choose grammatical gender translations: When available, tap the light-colored word to select a feminine or masculine translation.

Download languages

You need to download both the input and output languages to enable offline translation.

Note: When using Apple Watch with cellular service, cellular data charges may apply.

  1. Start the Translate app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the More button and tap Downloaded Languages.
  3. Tap a language you want to download.

Change Translate settings

  1. Open the Translate app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the More button and then do any of the following:
    • Automatically play translations: Tap Auto-Play Translations.
    • Change the playback speed: Tap a speed.
    • Change the mode of input: Tap Preferred Input and tap Voice or Text.

See also

Tag: Translate
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How to write messages on Apple Watch

by Kevin Hollington

You can compose, edit, and unsend messages, send stickers, GIFs, and other rich content, and share your location.

To start a conversation, you can choose a recent contact, speak the name of a contact or dictate a phone number, or choose from your full list of contacts. You can even send stickers, GIF images, audio clips, Digital Touch effects, and more in a conversation.

Here’s how to write messages on Apple Watch.

Start a conversation on Apple Watch

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the New Message button at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap Add Contact and then do one of the following:
    • Choose a recent contact: Tap a contact from the list of recent conversations.
    • Speak the name of a contact or dictate a phone number: Tap the Microphone button.
    • Choose from your full list of contacts: Tap the Add Contact button.
    • Enter a phone number: Tap the Keypad button.
  4. Tap Create Message. Dictate, type, or scribble your message.
  5. Tap Done and tap Send.

Send stickers, GIF images, audio clips, Digital Touch effects, and more

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. In a message conversation, tap the Apps button. Choose an option.

Send your location

Along with sending a pin to your current location, you can share your location as it updates automatically, for one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely.

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. In a message conversation, tap the Apps button and tap Location.
  3. Tap Share, then choose an option.

For the steps, read our guide, Set up Find My on Apple Watch.

Edit a sent message

Within 15 minutes of sending a message, you can edit it up to five times.

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Select a conversation with the message you want to edit.
  3. Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Edit.
  4. Make any changes. Then tap Done to resend with edits.

    Note: The message is marked as Edited in the conversation transcript.

The message bubble is updated to reflect your edits on your recipient’s device, and both of you can tap Edited to see previous versions of your message.

If you’re messaging someone on a device with watchOS 9, iOS 15.7, iPadOS 15.7, macOS 12.6, or earlier, they receive follow-up messages instead, each with your new message in quotation marks and the preface “Edited to”. And if a message was sent with SMS, it can’t be edited.

Unsend a message

You have up to 2 minutes after sending a message to undo it.

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Touch and hold the message bubble and tap Undo Send.

    A note confirming that you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts: yours and your recipient’s.

Unsending a message removes it from your recipient’s device.

If the person you’re messaging is on a device with macOS 12.6, iOS 15.7, iPadOS 15.7, watchOS 9, or earlier, the original message stays in the conversation. When you unsend one, a notification tells you the recipient may still see the original in the message transcript.

See also

Tag: Messages
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How to translate messages on Apple Watch

by Stacey Butler

With Apple Intelligence on your paired iPhone, you can use Live Translation for text messages on Apple Watch. Live Translation is integrated into the Messages app and uses Apple-built models that run entirely on device, so your personal conversations stay private.

First, you download the input and output languages. Then translations automatically appear inline when you receive a text in another language. If Live Translation isn’t on yet, you’re prompted to turn it on.

Apple Watch showing a conversation translated in the Messages app.

Note: Live Translation in Messages is available in Apple Intelligence-supported languages when your Apple Watch is paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. Apple Intelligence is not available on all iPhone models or in all languages or regions.*

Download languages

To use Live Translation features in the Messages app, you’ll first need to download the input and output languages.

Note: When using Apple Watch with cellular service, cellular data charges may apply.

Translate messages

When you’ve turned on Apple Intelligence on your paired iPhone and you receive a text in another language, translations appear inline automatically.

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. In a Messages conversation, tap the contact icon at the top right.
  3. Turn on Auto-translate. Select the languages you want to translate.

    Note: When you receive a message in a different language, you receive a prompt to turn on Live Translation.

  4. To view the original text, tap the language at the bottom of the conversation. Then choose to see the original text in addition to the translated text.

Choose a different language

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap a conversation. Tap the contact icon at the top right.
  3. Scroll down, tap Translate From or Translate To, and then choose a language.

Turn off Live Translation for the conversation

  1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap a conversation. Then tap the language at the bottom of the conversation.
  3. Tap Stop Translating.

To start translating again, tap the contact icon at the top right, scroll down, then turn on Auto-translate.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

Tags: Apple Intelligence, Messages
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