logo
These 7 Favorite Apple Watch Tips Assist Me Every Day

These 7 Favorite Apple Watch Tips Assist Me Every Day

CNET03-06-2025

You know your Apple Watch is capable of doing a lot, whether that's tracking your health metrics or managing multiple timers when cooking dinner. But it's easy to treat it mostly as a timepiece, even though it always feels like there's more happening beneath the watch face that you're not fully using.
That's why I've put together seven of my favorite Apple Watch tips, each of which I use nearly every day to save me time and trouble.
See also: Did you think you were stuck with just the built-in watch faces? Learn how to expand the variety of timekeeping designs. And if you have an old Apple Watch in a drawer, see how to extend its utility.
Swipe between watch faces (again)
Until WatchOS 10.0, you could swipe from the left or right edge of the screen to switch active watch faces, a great way to quickly go from an elegant workday face to an exercise-focused one, for example. Apple removed that feature, likely because people were accidentally switching faces by brushing the edges of the screen.
Swipe from the edge to switch between faces.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
However, the regular method involves more steps (touch and hold the face, swipe to change, tap to confirm) and people realized that the occasional surprise watch face change wasn't really so bad. Therefore, as of version 10.2, including the current WatchOS 11.2, you can turn the feature on by toggling a setting: Go to Settings > Clock and turn on Swipe to Switch Watch Face.
Stay on top of your heart health with Vitals
Wearing your Apple Watch while sleeping offers a trove of information -- and not just about how you slept last night. If you don the timepiece overnight, it tracks a number of health metrics. A new feature in WatchOS 11 gathers that data into the Vitals app that reports on the previous night's heart rate, respiration, body temperature (on recent models) and sleep duration. The Vitals app can also show data collected during the previous seven days -- tap the small calendar icon in the top-left corner.
(If you own a watch model sold before Jan. 29, 2024, you'll also see a blood oxygen reading. On newer watches in the US, that feature is disabled due to an intellectual property infringement fight.)
The Vitals app reports heart and health trends collected while you sleep.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
How is this helpful? The software builds a baseline of what's normal for you. When the values stray outside normal ranges, such as irregular heart or respiratory rates, the Vitals app reports them as atypical to alert you. It's not a medical diagnosis, but it can prompt you to get checked out and catch any troubles early.
Make the Smart Stack work for you
Bring up the Smart Stack using the crown or by swiping.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
The Smart Stack is a place to access quick information that might not fit into what Apple calls a "complication" (the things on the watch face other than the time itself, such as your Activity rings or the current outside temperature). When viewing the clock face, turn the digital crown clockwise or swipe from the bottom of the screen to view a series of tiles that show information such as the weather or suggested photo memories. This turns out to be a great spot for accessing features when you're using a minimal watch face that has no complications.
Choose which Live Activities appear automatically
The Smart Stack is also where Live Activities appear: If you order a food delivery, for example, the status of the order appears as a tile in the Smart Stack (and on the iPhone lock screen). And because it's a timely activity, the Smart Stack becomes the main view instead of the watch face.
Live Activities like mobile orders appear in the Smart Stack.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
Some people find that too intrusive. To disable it, on your watch open the Settings app, go to Smart Stack > Live Activities and turn off the Auto-Launch Live Activities option. You can also turn off Allow Live Activities in the same screen if you don't want them disrupting your watch experience.
Apple's apps that use Live Activities are listed there if you want to configure the setting per app, such as making active timers appear but not media apps such as Music. For third-party apps, open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Smart Stack and find the settings there.
Add and pin favorite widgets in the Smart Stack
When the Smart Stack first appeared, its usefulness seemed hit or miss. In WatchOS 11, Apple seems to have improved the algorithms that determine which widgets appear -- instead of it being an annoyance, I find it does a good job of showing me information in context. But you can also pin widgets that will show up every time you open the stack.
For example, I use 10-minute timers for a range of things. Instead of opening the Timers app (via the App list or a complication), I added a single 10-minute timer to the Smart Stack. Here's how:
View the Smart Stack by turning the Digital Crown or swiping from the bottom of the screen. Touch and hold the screen to enter the edit mode. Tap the + button and scroll to the app you want to include (Timers, in this example). Tap a tile to add it to the stack; for Timers, there's a Set Timer 10 minutes option. If you want it to appear higher or lower in the stack order, drag it up or down. Tap the checkmark button to accept the change.
Add specific widgets to the Smart Stack.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
The widget appears in the stack, but it may get pushed down in favor of other widgets the watch thinks should have priority. In that case, you can pin it to the top of the list: While editing, tap the yellow Pin button. That moves it up, but Live Activities can still take precedence.
Use the watch as a flashlight
You've probably used the flashlight feature of your phone dozens of times, but did you know the Apple Watch can also be a flashlight? Instead of a dedicated LED (which phones also use as a camera flash), the watch's full screen becomes the light emitter. It's not as bright as the iPhone's, nor can you adjust the beam width, but it's perfectly adequate for moving around in the dark when you don't want to disturb someone sleeping.
To activate the flashlight, press the side button to view Control Center and then tap the Flashlight button. That makes the entire screen white -- turn the Digital Crown to adjust the brightness. It even starts dimmed for a couple of seconds to give you a chance to direct the light away so it doesn't fry your eyes.
Your Apple Watch can double as a hands-free flashlight.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
The flashlight also has two other modes: Swipe left to make the white screen flash on a regular cadence or swipe again to make the screen bright red. The flashing version can be especially helpful when you're walking or running at night to make yourself more visible to vehicles.
Press the Digital Crown to turn off the Flashlight and return to the clock face.
Pause your Exercise rings if you're traveling or ill
Closing your exercise, movement and standing rings can be great motivation for being more active. Sometimes, though, your body has other plans. Until WatchOS 11, if you became ill or needed to be on a long-haul trip, any streak of closing those rings that you built up would be dashed.
Now, the watch is more forgiving (and practical), letting you pause your rings without disrupting the streak. Open the Activity app and tap the Weekly Summary button in the top-left corner. Scroll all the way to the bottom (take a moment to admire your progress) and tap the Pause Rings button. You can choose to pause them for today, until next week or month, or set a custom number of days.
Give yourself a break when needed and pause your exercise rings.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
When you're ready to get back into your activities, go to the same location and tap Resume Rings.
Bypass the countdown to start a workout
Many workouts start with a three-second countdown to prep you to be ready to go. That's fine and all, but usually when I'm doing an Outdoor Walk workout, for example, my feet are already on the move.
Instead of losing those steps, tap the countdown once to bypass it and get right to the calorie burn.
How to force-quit an app (and why you'd want to)
Don't forget, the Apple Watch is a small computer on your wrist, and every computer will have glitches. Every once in a while, for instance, an app may freeze or behave erratically.
On a Mac or iPhone, it's easy to force a recalcitrant app to quit and restart, but it's not as apparent on the Apple Watch. Here's how:
Double-press the Digital Crown to bring up the list of recent apps. Scroll to the one you want to quit by turning the crown or dragging with your finger. Swipe left on the app until you see a large red X button. Tap the X button to force-quit the app.
You can force-quit an app on the Apple Watch.
Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
Keep in mind this is only for times when an app has actually crashed -- as on the iPhone, there's no benefit to manually quitting apps.
These are some of my favorite Apple Watch tips, but of course there's a lot more to the popular smartwatch. Be sure to also check out which new health features are expected in the next models and Lexy Savvides' review of the Series 10.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

When does iOS 26 come out? Everything Apple iPhone users need to know
When does iOS 26 come out? Everything Apple iPhone users need to know

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

When does iOS 26 come out? Everything Apple iPhone users need to know

Apple's next iPhone software generation, iOS 26, has been announced, and though we don't have a specific release date yet, there's a key month iPhone users should keep an eye out for. Unveiled at Apple's 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, June 9, the freshly rebranded iOS 26 promises to 'elevate the iPhone experience' through a series of features including an updated lock screen design, better translation features, enhanced Apple Intelligence, a new 'liquid glass' design, among others. Here's what we know so far about the upcoming release of iOS 26, according to Apple and its CEO Tim Cook. There is no specific general release date for iOS 26, but iPhone owners can expect to have the software update available in mid-September 2025. Apple usually makes its software updates available a few days before the release of the newest iPhone. But users can anticipate confirmation during the iPhone 17 event in early September. Additionally, the beta version of iOS 26 has already become available for registered Apple Developers and this version will expand to the public as soon as July 2025. To gain access to the beta version, users can access it through the Apple Beta Software Program. These are some of the new features of iOS 26 Apple has announced: Liquid Glass design: The new software aesthetic possesses a translucent glass-like look that, according to Apple, 'reflects and refracts its surroundings, bringing greater focus to content'. Liquid Glass also offers new customization options for apps and widgets with a clear design. Live Translation: iOS will allow you to hold a conversation over phone call, FaceTime or text message with someone who speaks a different language, and live translation will be available in real time. Polls: Users will be able to create polls in iMessage group chats allowing members to vote on topics or questions. Better recording quality while wearing AirPods: AirPods users will have access to 'studio-quality' recording allowing 'iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to record their content with great sound quality and enjoy even clearer calls.' Enhanced battery features: The new software will estimate the expected charging time for your Apple devices and introduce adaptive power mode. In an address during WWDC, Cook said that the software will be available for iPhone 11 onward. Apple confirmed on its website, plus selected generations of the iPhone SE. The models eligible for the update are: iPhone 16e iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPHone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone SE (second generation and later) Reach La Voz reporter Paula Soria at psoriaaguilar@ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: When does iOS 26 come out? What iPhone users need to know

Why Qualcomm's (QCOM) Long-Term Prospects Shine, Even if the Stock Doesn't
Why Qualcomm's (QCOM) Long-Term Prospects Shine, Even if the Stock Doesn't

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Why Qualcomm's (QCOM) Long-Term Prospects Shine, Even if the Stock Doesn't

Qualcomm (QCOM) has underperformed over the past year, declining 26%, primarily due to macroeconomic factors rather than internal company mechanics. Although the company's fundamentals remain very solid, it has faced some headwinds, such as concerns that its business is too concentrated on Apple (AAPL) for modem revenue, despite its broader operations still being more rooted in the Android ecosystem. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Still, that doesn't stop me from seeing the stock as a long-term Buy—especially since my bullishness comes from Qualcomm's key competitive advantage: its ability to build the Snapdragon platform, which integrates a modem, CPU, and even a GPU chip—something no other competitor can currently match. This positions the company to tap into new business opportunities that could help offset its current customer concentration. Beyond that, Qualcomm's asset-light model allows it to generate very high returns on its investments, highlighting its operational efficiency, strong financial health, and consistent value creation for shareholders. This helps justify the company trading at a slightly stretched valuation when considering its operational profits relative to enterprise value. When looking for value stocks, one of the most important factors—if not the most important—is a company's ability to generate consistent earnings. Examining QCOM's balance sheet reveals a capital-light, high-margin model driven by intellectual property (IP) and characterized by heavy investment in research and development (R&D). As a fabless semiconductor company, Qualcomm relies on external manufacturing partners such as TSMC (TSM) and Samsung (SSNLF) for chip production. Notably, only approximately 7% of its $55.3 billion in total assets is allocated to property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), which is relatively low compared to the industry average. This underscores the efficiency of its asset-light business model and the minimal physical infrastructure required to support its operations. Roughly 18% of its assets are classified as goodwill, indicating a strong track record of acquisitions, which is clearly part of its strategy to acquire intellectual property (IP) or talent rather than build everything in-house. One recent example is the $2.4 billion acquisition of the UK-based semiconductor firm Alphawave. Additionally, approximately 12% of Qualcomm's total assets are tied to IP licensing and chip design. That makes sense, given its dominant position in the Android smartphone chip market, especially in the high-end segment with its Snapdragon lineup. Given that around 37% of Qualcomm's total assets are intangible, it's worth considering the company's actual operational efficiency once these intangibles are excluded. To gain a clearer picture, it is sensible to examine how Qualcomm allocates its limited tangible capital to generate profits. Over the past twelve months, Qualcomm produced an operating profit of $12.3 billion. During the same period, its net working capital was approximately $2.7 billion, and its invested capital—mainly property, plant, and equipment, and other intangibles—totaled roughly $8.28 billion. Dividing the operating profit by this invested capital plus working capital yields an eye-catching ~112% return on capital (ROC). That kind of number highlights Qualcomm's exceptional operational efficiency, something typically only seen in asset-light, IP-driven tech or software companies. For context, most of these firms operate with a return on capital (ROC) well below 50%. In short, despite a balance sheet loaded with intangibles, Qualcomm proves that it's highly efficient with the real capital it uses. And that translates into three key advantages: sustainable value creation, a durable competitive moat, and stronger financial flexibility. Even a company with a high return on capital isn't necessarily a buy—not if you're overpaying for it. That's why it's vital to assess operating profitability in relation to the company's total valuation, not just traditional P/E or P/B metrics. One way to do this is by comparing operating profit to enterprise value (EV), which reflects what the market is actually paying for the entire business. In Qualcomm's case, we can measure this by dividing its operating profit by its enterprise value (EV). Over the last twelve months, Qualcomm generated $12.3 billion in operating profit, while its current enterprise value stands at $164.6 billion. That results in an earnings yield of 7.5%. To interpret that number correctly, it should be compared to Qualcomm's cost of capital. Using a 10-year treasury yield of 4.5%, a beta of 1.2, and an equity risk premium of 4–5%, the estimated cost of equity falls between 9% and 10%. Since the earnings yield of 7.5% is below this range, Qualcomm doesn't appear particularly cheap at the moment. However, judged against historic performance against the S&P 500 (SPX), QCOM stock has underperformed. That said, this isn't necessarily a red flag. Even if the stock looks a bit expensive on this metric, Qualcomm continues to create value through its exceptional return on capital and strong cash generation. This is reflected in its sustainable 2.28% dividend yield and $16.5 billion in share buybacks over the past four years. Given Qualcomm's maturity, profitability, and operational efficiency, a lower earnings yield may be viewed as acceptable, reflecting a premium for quality and stability. Analyst sentiment on Qualcomm stock is somewhat mixed. Out of 17 experts who've issued ratings in the past three months, eight are bullish, eight are neutral, and just one is bearish. Still, there's little hesitation when it comes to upside expectations. Qualcomm's average stock price target is at $177.75, suggesting ~14% in potential upside over the next twelve months. While traditional valuation metrics may indicate that Qualcomm is undervalued, I believe that perspective overlooks the company's strong operational efficiency. Qualcomm doesn't need to appear 'cheap' to represent a compelling investment opportunity. Its robust, above-average returns on capital, driven by an asset-light business model, demonstrate its ability to create substantial shareholder value and may, in fact, justify a valuation premium. Viewed through this fundamental lens, and given Qualcomm's consistent track record of long-term value creation, I consider it a solid long-term investment, even at its current, relatively full valuation. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

All of the new features coming to Apple's iOS apps
All of the new features coming to Apple's iOS apps

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

All of the new features coming to Apple's iOS apps

At WWDC 2025 on Monday, Apple unveiled a series of new features that will launch with iOS 26 this fall across its apps. These include significant updates like Call Screening, more travel-friendly features in Wallet, and highly requested group chat features in Messages. Some of these updates include Apple Intelligence, like Live Translation. Others, like Apple bringing back tabs in the Photos app, just make devices a bit easier to use. We'll update this post as new features come out. Call Screening lets you determine what a call is about before picking it up. When you get a call from an unknown number, Call Screening will automatically answer silently in the background. When the caller shares their name and the reason for their call, the iPhone will ring, and you can view their response before deciding whether to pick up or ignore it. Hold Assist will detect hold music and stay on the line for you until a live agent is available, and Live Translation will translate conversations on the fly. Your words will be translated as you talk, and the translation is spoken out loud via an AI voice for the call recipient. As the person you're speaking to responds in their own language, you'll hear a spoken translation of their voice. Members in group chats on Messages can now create polls to better plan events and make quick decisions. Apple Intelligence will also detect when a poll might be useful and suggest that users start one. Plus, group chats can now create custom backgrounds for chats and see typing indicators, and you can now request, send, and receive Apple Cash in group chats. The app now also lets you screen messages from unknown senders. Messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder where you can mark the number as known, ask for more information, or delete the message. Apple notes that these messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them. Live Translation is also coming to Messages. The feature will automatically translate text for you as you type and deliver it in your preferred language. When the person you're texting responds, their message will be translated for you. Apple Music users will get access to a Lyrics Translation feature to help them understand the words in their favorite songs in other languages. A new Lyrics Pronunciation feature will display phonetic lyrics so that listeners can sing along in a different language. The app is also adding an AudioMix feature that will transition from one song to the next using time stretching and beat matching like a DJ to deliver continuous playback. The feature could be seen as a competitor to Spotify's AI DJ feature. Apple is also introducing a karaoke feature that will turn your iPhone into a handheld microphone for Apple TV. The feature will amplify your voice as you belt your favorite songs, as real-time lyrics and visuals appear on the TV screen. You can also pin your favorite music to the top of your Library in Apple Music to allow for easier access. Apple Maps is going to get better at understanding your daily commute. It will now use on-device intelligence to start showing you preferred routes when headed home or to the office. The app will notify you of delays and offer alternative routes, too. Apple Maps is also getting a new Visited Places feature that will help you remember the places you've been. You can choose to have your iPhone detect when you're at a restaurant or shop, and view all of your Visited Places in Maps. Apple notes that Visited Places are protected with end-to-end encryption and that it cannot access them. Apple Wallet is introducing the ability for people to store a digital version of their passport, called a Digital ID. The tech giant notes that this won't be a replacement for your actual passport, but it can be used in apps that need to verify age and identity, and at supported TSA checkpoints. With Real ID implementation in effect, Digital ID will give you another way to present an ID in person during domestic travel. In addition, another feature will let you present your driver's license or state ID in Wallet to websites for age and identity verification, starting with Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank, as well as the Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS, and Maryland MVA. Apple is also refreshing its boarding pass experience in Wallet. You'll now get real-time updates about flights with Live Activities. You can also share your flight's Live Activities with others so they can remain updated on your travels. You'll now be able to access Maps from your boarding pass in Wallet to navigate to the airport. You can also use Find My to track items and report lost baggage from the boarding pass, and also view key services on an airline's app, such as seat upgrades and standby lists. Apple also announced that Wallet now uses Apple Intelligence to automatically summarize and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers. Like Phone and Messages, FaceTime will leverage Live Translation to let people communicate with each other in different languages. When you're talking to someone in a different language, FaceTime will display translated captions so that the two of you can understand each other. After receiving significant user backlash for its Photos app redesign in iOS 18, Apple is bringing back a tabbed interface to Photos. In Collections, you'll find your favorites, albums, and the ability to search across your library. The Library tab makes it easier to scroll through recent photos. The Photos app is also able to transform your 2D photos into 3D spatial photos. The iPhone's Camera app will showcase the two capture modes you use most on the main screen: photo and video. To reveal additional modes, like Portrait Mode and Cinematic Mode, you can swipe your finger left or right. To access other settings, such as flash, timer, aperture, and more, you'll now swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You can also change formats with a tap, which can be helpful when switching between HD and 4K resolution or adjusting the frame rate on video. Apple Podcasts is getting a new customized playback experience that will allow you to choose speed options, from 0.5x and 3x. The feature will bring listening experience on Apple Podcasts more in line with Spotify, which already lets you choose playback speed for podcasts. Plus, Apple Podcasts is getting an 'Enhance Dialogue' feature that will use audio processing and machine learning to make speech more clear over background sounds. Apple is adding a ChatGPT integration to supercharge Image Playground. You'll be able to access new styles, such as vector art or an oil painting. Plus, you'll be able to tap the 'Any Style' option to describe exactly what you want. Image Playground will send the description or photo to ChatGPT to create a unique image. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store