This feature needs to come back to Apple Watch.

You’re a busy person, and so am I.

You glance at your Apple Watch to pace yourself as you drive away, trying to conquer your checklist for the day.

After all, time is money.

But the reality is, you have already been defeated.

You don’t have your iPhone, and you don’t even know it.

After a while, when you are well past the point of no return, you start feeling your pocket for your iPhone, only to find out it isn’t there. You have your watch on, so you know you can go to your Control Center and hope to see the green iPhone logo. 

Maybe it’s in the center console, or it fell in the car somewhere, you tell yourself with an optimistic, anxious mind. 

But when you raise your shaky finger and click the Side Button, that’s when you see it:

The red iPhone of death.

You feel helpless, and might even hyperventilate with this heart-piercing, visual confirmation of impending doom.

How could they not have told me sooner? 

Why Apple??

Why couldn’t you let me know more aggressively that I forgot my beloved?

Why couldn’t you put the red iPhone logo front and center, staring right back at me the moment my iPhone was not in range?

Why?!

Everything looks fine at first glance…

until you realize your iPhone is missing.

You feel defeated in the moment, until you realize that all hope is not lost. 

You remember back to a time, a simpler time, where Apple used to let you know right on your watch face, that your iPhone is missing. It didn’t matter what watch face you had, but that red iPhone with a slash right through it would show up immediately, letting you know before you get too far that you need to grab your iPhone.

My Series 3 on watchOS 8 lets me know every time without fail. 

Whether you use the Simple watch face, or are admiring the peaceful serenity of Mack Lake with a Timelapse, Apple didn’t hesitate to interrupt you with their passive aggressive way of letting you know:

“Hey genius, you forgot your iPhone.”

That subtle, red, “iPhone logo of death” on your watch face was quick and easy. Bring it back.

We can only hope that in watchOS 12, Apple gives us back this feature. 

Just literally put the disconnected iPhone logo where the red notification dot goes (like it used to!), and call it a day. 

Don’t think different with this one, just do it.