6 settings you must have for your Apple Watch
Whenever I get an Apple Watch (it’s a yearly thing for me), I always do these six things to give me peace of mind.
Note: You can setup most of these features on the Apple Watch under Settings, but it is easier to use the Watch app on your iPhone.
1. Add a passcode
This seems like a no-brainer, but our watches are now phones, whether we like it or not. There is too much sensitive data on our watches, and you don’t want anyone looking at your messages, emails, and photos, just to name a few apps. If you jump in the shower and take off your watch, all someone has to do is pick up your watch, and you just gave them access to your life.
You can choose between a simple 4-digit passcode, and go up to a 10-digit passcode. Pick what works for you, and get peace of mind.
Open the Watch app and go to Passcode, and follow the prompts to set up your passcode.
Adding a passcode is also the only way to get Apple Pay on your watch, which is #2 on my list.
2. Adding Apple Pay
I had an issue recently with my bank where I had a fraudulent transaction posted to my account. Someone somehow used my debit card and it was time to file a fraud claim. Of course I had to wait 5-7 business days to get my new card in the mail.
What I didn’t have to wait for was my digital card. I could login to my Bank’s app, and activate the digital card instantly. Having Apple Pay on my watch gave me the ability to purchase goods without having to resort to another credit card or bank account.
A more common occurrence is when you forget your iPhone or wallet, and now you can’t pay for anything. Having Apple Pay on your Apple Watch will bail you out in these all too common situations and once again, give you peace of mind.
Open the Watch app and go to Wallet & Apple Pay, and select which cards to add to your watch. If you scroll down, you can even Allow Payments on Mac and use your watch to confirm payments.
3. Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch
This is a handy feature that any Mac user can appreciate. It is compatible with macOS Sierra and onwards, so odds are it will work with your current Mac.
It works on my 2013 MacBook Pro.
On your Mac, go to Settings > Touch ID and Password and scroll all the way down to the Apple Watch section, where you can allow the Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. This is especially handy on older macbooks that don’t have Touch ID. Now you don’t have to be paranoid that someone might be watching you enter your password when your watch will unlock it for you, and give you peace of…you get the idea.
If you have an older mac with the older Settings menu, just search “Apple Watch” in Settings and you will see the option to unlock with Apple Watch.
4. Swipe to change watch faces
This used to be a staple feature of the Apple Watch, but now it is hidden. The draconian way of changing watch faces is to tap and hold your finger on the current watch face screen until it zooms out, swipe left or right to another watch face, and then tap your finger on the screen to select your new watch face. You can do this a lot faster and get access to more information by simply swiping from the edge of your screen to the next watch face, just like in the early days of the Apple Watch.
Open the Watch App and go to Clock, and toggle ON Swipe to Switch Watch Face.
5. Configure your Live Activities
This is a personal preference, but I would recommend setting up this feature from the get go so you’re not confused. Live Activities give you more upfront information about a particular activity, such as current media being played, workouts, parking timers, stopwatch, etc.
Think of it like Dynamic Island on your watch, except you get these cards at the beginning of your Smart Stack. This is nice when you’re playing a podcast and you want quick access to the pause and play buttons. However, it can also be annoying on other apps such as the ParkMobile app, where the information displayed is limited.
The ParkMobile Live Activity isn’t useful and clicking on the timer button on the right just tells you to “Open on iPhone.”
The great thing about Live Activities is you can customize which apps are shown.
Open the Watch App and go to Smart Stack. Here you can disable or enable Live Activities altogether, and if you do allow them, you can customize which apps get to have the Live Activity feature.
But do yourself a favor and disable Auto-Launch Live Activities. It’s just easier to access the Live Activities with a swipe up from your watch or by turning the Digital Crown when you want to, instead of fighting with it all the time when it pops up automatically.
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to look at your watch and get some info from your complications (left), only to see that your Live Activities are automatically displayed with just the time and date (right).
6. Unlock your watch with your iPhone
Open the Watch App and go to Passcode, and toggle on Unlock with iPhone. Now once you unlock your iPhone, your watch will be unlocked as long as you are wearing it. This is great if you have a longer passcode for the watch.