💬 This is the fastest and friendliest way to respond to texts from your Apple Watch.

🔋 Wondering how much juice your Apple Watch has left? This is the easiest way to check your battery level.

🩺 Your Apple Watch collects a lot of valuable health data for you. Now you can see it all in one place!

Test your knowledge

Someone at some point looked at a clock and thought, “I should put this on my wrist!” What year was the first wristwatch made?

1. ⌚ 1810
2. ⌚⌚ 1870
3. ⌚⌚⌚ 1920

Did you get it right? Click the answer to find out!

Since it was released on September 20, Olena has been busy testing all the new and not-so-new features of the Apple Watch Series 10. In her own words, here’s what Olena loves and hates about the new watch.

Things I’m loving

Fastest charging ever (80% in 30 minutes). This watch charges faster than any other Apple Watch, which is a relief for someone who gave up the 36+ hours of battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra for a much tinier watch. You can also charge it up to 80% in just 30 minutes and can get 8 hours of normal use (such as sleep tracking) in just 15 minutes.

The Apple Watch Series 10 46 mm has the largest screen ever (bigger than Apple Watch Ultra & Ultra 2). Design-wise, the Apple Watch Series 10 isn't all that different from the previous Series 9. The larger version of the watch is 46 mm and has an even larger screen than the Apple Watch Ultra 1 and 2, even though the Ultra is bigger overall, thanks to a more curved design to maximize the display.

Sleek design and a thin and light watch body. I am delighted with the size, weight, and design that makes me forget I'm even wearing the watch—a nice change from having my tiny wrists weighed down with the 49 mm Apple Watch Ultra for two years. The 42 mm version, which I got, isn't a lot larger than the Apple Watch Series 6, but it is significantly thinner and lighter.

Sleep Apnea Detection. Apple has been trying to perfect its Sleep Apnea Detection feature for years, so this is a huge breakthrough. Just keep in mind that the watch does nothing beyond detecting that a user has sleep apnea, so you'll still have to see your doctor to manage it.

Things I’m hating

No battery life improvement; it is still 18 hours at normal use. Unlike the 36-hour battery life of the Ultras 1 and 2, the Apple Watch 10 needs to be charged every day. Sometimes twice if you use it a lot.

Very basic watch body color selection. The aluminum model is available in silver, rose gold, and jet black in aluminum. The titanium model comes in natural, gold, and slate. This is still better than the two color options available for the Ultra 2.

Doesn’t offer Modular Ultra and Wayfinder watch faces. Despite having a larger display, the Modular Ultra and Wayfinder watch faces are not available on the Apple Watch 10, which is frustrating.

Read my full review for more details on whether it’s worth upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 10.

From the last edition: Will you get a new watch?

In the September 20 newsletter, I asked if you’re getting a new watch and which one. Most of you seemed uninspired by the newest Apple Watch options. Here’s what some of you had to say:

“Sticking with Watch 8. I like the new sleep apnea feature, but I already have related BiPap equipment, which monitors for me. I still use the watch basically 24/7 to monitor time asleep.” - Robert J

“When [Apple] gets battery length sorted, I may consider updating.” - Brenda W

Today’s question: What is the main way that you use your Apple Watch?

Apple markets the Apple Watch as a sleep and fitness tracker, communication device, and wrist computer, among other things. I primarily use my watch for fitness tracking, but I also love that it helps me keep my iPhone in my pocket by sending essential notifications to my wrist.

What is the main way that you use your Apple Watch? Or is there any watch feature you wish you knew how to use? Email me at OnTheWatch@iPhoneLife.com to let me know, and I’ll use your answers to help decide what to cover in future editions of On the Watch!

You asked and Olena answered: ECG not working and Apple Watch battery drain after watchOS update

Hi Olena, I hope you can answer my question. For a while now, the ECG feature on my Series 7 Apple Watch has not been working correctly. Once I place my finger on the Digital Crown, as per the prompt, the feature keeps restarting after about one second and will never complete a cycle. How can I fix this? - Larry S.

Hello Larry. Sometimes the smallest movement you didn’t even notice can make the ECG reading fail. Before trying the next steps, sit at a table/desk and keep both hands steady on the surface until the ECG is complete. If this still isn’t working, then it’s time to troubleshoot.

Whenever something weird is going on with your Apple Watch, it is a good idea to restart it. I like to leave my watch off for a minute or two, then turn it back on by pressing the Side button until the Apple logo appears. Then, it’s time to try the ECG again!

If it still doesn’t work after you restart your watch, update your watch to the latest version of watchOS. Software updates frequently include fixes for glitches like this. After updating, try again to take an ECG reading.

If the ECG still isn’t working, you may have to go to an Apple Store and have them take a look to see if there’s a hardware issue.

Suddenly, in the past two weeks, I have to charge my watch twice a day! It's the updates that cause this I'm sure. Is there any way to disable updates? Thanks! - Sandra F.

While a software update can use up a lot of battery life during the update and sometimes a day or two after, it should not persist for two weeks. My best guess is that the update changed some of your settings and turned on a feature that is very battery-intensive. We have a very thorough article on every single potential way to improve battery life, but the main culprits are usually Wake on Raise and Environmental Noise Monitoring. We recommend turning these off unless they are vital to your daily life.

I also recommend restarting your Apple Watch in case there’s some sort of battery-draining glitch going on. My final note is that an older Apple Watch might struggle to handle the new software features, but we still don’t recommend avoiding updates as they are so important for device security. on every single potential way to improve battery life, but the main culprits are usually Wake on Raise and Environmental Noise Monitoring. We recommend turning these off unless they are vital to your daily life.

✉️ Email your questions to OnTheWatch@iPhoneLife.com and we might answer them in a future edition! Questions may be edited for clarity and length.

• ⌚ People who upgrade to the newest iPhones more often are more likely to own an Apple Watch
• 📱 The Phone app got an unexpected upgrade in iOS 18
• 🤯 Check out the 25 coolest new features in watchOS 11
• 😡 Is the most annoying Apple battery health feature also the most useless?
• 👎 Is this the worst new feature in watchOS? Disable it right now!
• 📷 iPhone 16 Pro Max camera review

Missed the most recent editions? Now you can go back and read them!

• September 20 edition
• September 6 edition
• August 23 edition
• August 9 edition