You strap it on every morning, likely before you’ve even had your first cup of coffee. For many of us, the Apple Watch has become an extension of ourselves—a faithful companion that tracks our steps, buzzes when we get a text, and occasionally tells us to stand up. But if you are only using it to close your Activity Rings or check the time, you are leaving a massive amount of potential on the table.
Your Apple Watch is designed to be a powerful personal assistant, a safety guardian, and a productivity tool, all wrapped around your wrist. By tweaking just a few settings and learning a handful of hidden features, you can transform how you navigate your day. Whether you are running errands, managing a busy work schedule, or simply trying to stay present, here are the essential features that will help you unlock your day.
Mastering the Morning Rush with the Smart Stack
We have all been there: waking up and immediately doom-scrolling through notifications on our iPhones. It’s a chaotic way to start the day. With the introduction of the Smart Stack in watchOS 10 and later, your Apple Watch offers a much calmer, more curated way to get the information you need without falling down a digital rabbit hole.
The Smart Stack is essentially a carousel of widgets that sits just below your watch face. Instead of cluttering your beautiful watch face with too many tiny complications, you can keep the face clean and hide the data away until you need it. By simply turning the Digital Crown (the little dial on the side) upward, you can reveal the weather, your upcoming calendar appointments, your activity progress, or even your currently playing music.
Pro Tip: The Smart Stack uses machine learning to show you what you need, when you need it. If you usually check the news in the morning, that widget will float to the top. If you have a meeting in ten minutes, your calendar will take priority.
To customize this, simply long-press on the stack when it is open. You can pin your absolute favorite widgets to the top so they are always one scroll away. This allows you to glance at your day’s agenda while brushing your teeth, keeping your phone out of sight and your mind focused on the morning routine.
Beyond the Rings: Health Features You Might Be Missing
Everyone knows about the three colored rings. They are iconic. However, Apple has introduced several health features that go far beyond burning calories. One of the most practical additions for everyday users is the Medications app.
If you take daily vitamins, supplements, or prescription medications, remembering them can be a mental load you don’t need. The Medications app on your Watch doesn't just remind you; it logs what you’ve taken with a simple tap. It is much easier than fumbling with a pill organizer or trying to remember if you took your vitamin D at breakfast.
Here is how to set it up for success:
- Open the Health app on your iPhone and navigate to "Browse" > "Medications."
- Add your medications manually or use the camera to scan the label on the bottle.
- Set a schedule for when you need to take them.
- Make sure "Follow Up Reminders" is on, so the Watch nudges you again if you haven't logged it within 30 minutes.
Another underutilized feature is State of Mind logging. In a stressful world, taking ten seconds to acknowledge how you feel can be grounding. Using the Mindfulness app, you can log your momentary emotion or daily mood. It helps you spot patterns—perhaps you are consistently anxious on Sunday nights or particularly happy after your Tuesday walk. It turns the Watch from a passive tracker into an active partner in your mental well-being.
The Hands-Free Heroes: Apple Pay and Camera Remote
The true magic of the Apple Watch shines when your hands are full. Picture this: You are at the grocery store checkout, holding a bag of apples in one hand and a toddler’s hand in the other. Digging for your wallet or even your phone is a logistical nightmare. This is where Apple Pay on the wrist becomes indispensable.
By double-clicking the side button (the flat button below the Digital Crown), you bring up your default card instantly. You don't need FaceID, and you don't need to punch in a code because the Watch knows it’s on your wrist and unlocked. You just hover your wrist near the reader, feel the gentle haptic tap, and you’re done.
Another "how did I live without this" feature is the Camera Remote. We have all struggled to take a group photo where one person is left out holding the camera, or we’ve tried to balance the phone on a rock and sprint into the frame before the timer goes off.
The Camera Remote app on your Watch transforms your wrist into a viewfinder. You can set up your iPhone across the room, walk into the frame, and check the composition right on your watch screen. It allows you to zoom in, switch camera modes, and set a 3-second timer so you have time to smile before the shutter snaps.
Safety First: Features That Have Your Back
While we hope you never have to use them, the safety features on the Apple Watch are essential to configure. They provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones. The most critical of these is Fall Detection.
Using its accelerometer and gyroscope, the Watch can detect if you have taken a hard fall. If you don't move for about a minute after the impact, the Watch will automatically call emergency services and send a message to your emergency contacts with your location. This feature is automatically enabled for users over a certain age, but if you are younger and enjoy hiking, cycling, or climbing, you should manually enable it.
Important Note: To check your status, go to the Watch app on your iPhone, tap "Emergency SOS," and look for the Fall Detection toggle. You can set it to "Always on" or "Only on during workouts."
Additionally, familiarizing yourself with Siren (available on Apple Watch Ultra models) or the standard Emergency SOS is vital. Holding down the side button allows you to slide a toggle to call for help. It is a feature that sits quietly in the background, but knowing it is there allows you to move through your day with a little more confidence.
The "Find My" Trick You Will Use Every Day
If you take nothing else away from this post, let it be this: the Apple Watch is the ultimate cure for the "where did I put my iPhone?" panic. Most users know that swiping up (or pressing the side button in watchOS 10+) to open the Control Center reveals a phone icon with sound waves. Tapping this makes your iPhone ping.
However, there is a hidden layer to this feature that is perfect for dark rooms or deep couch cushions. If you tap and hold that iPhone icon, your phone won't just ping—it will also flash its LED camera light. This is a game-changer when you are looking for your phone in a dark bedroom without waking up your partner, or trying to find it at the bottom of a dark bag.
Power Management: Making It Last All Day
All these features are wonderful, but they rely on your battery making it from your morning alarm to your bedtime routine. If you have an older model or a particularly long day, battery anxiety is real. Fortunately, Apple’s Low Power Mode is highly effective.
Unlike the old "Power Reserve" mode that turned your smart watch into a dumb clock, the modern Low Power Mode keeps most features running. It turns off the Always-On display and limits background heart rate measurements, but keeps notifications and apps functional. To activate it:
- Swipe up (or press the side button) to open Control Center.
- Tap your battery percentage percentage.
- Toggle "Low Power Mode" on.
You can even set it to turn on automatically for a specific duration, which is perfect if you are heading out for a long evening without a charger. Combined with Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily charging routine to preserve battery health, your Watch can remain a reliable tool for years to come.
Your Apple Watch is capable of so much more than mirroring your iPhone’s notifications. By organizing your morning with the Smart Stack, prioritizing your health with Medications, and mastering hands-free tools like Apple Pay, you unlock a device that actively makes your day smoother. So, take a moment today to tweak those settings—your future self will thank you.