• Tips - Reminders on your wrist, be an eyewitness 👀
• Deep Dive - Our productivity faves 📝
• Reader Questions - When Fall Detection gets it wrong 💃

• ✅ Create reminders directly from your wrist!
• 👁️ Get more information at a glance.
• 🤯 Customize notifications to improve focus.

Did you know that there are over 1.8 million apps in the App Store? It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to picking apps for your watch, but I can help. Some of my favorite apps are free and come pre-installed, but others are must-have third-party downloads. You’ll be wondering where these apps have been hiding all these years!

Create Simple To-Do Lists That Actually Work

Reminders App

Scientists claim that checking off an item from your to-do list triggers a physical release of endorphins and can decrease your stress levels! The native Reminders app is probably my favorite native app on my watch.

While I prefer to write my lists on my Mac or iPhone, I enjoy checking them off on my wrist to avoid phone-related distractions. If you’re not a fan of writing them out, just use Siri to create your list in seconds. In addition to simple to-do lists, the Reminders app can be used to create smart grocery lists that will save you time and energy while you shop.

Things 3

If you want to try something different, the Things 3 app ($9.99) not only lets you create lists, but it also offers complications so you can see some of your to-do items directly on your watch face. 

 Manage Your Time Better—the Easy Way!

Alarm and Timers

Productivity goes hand in hand with time management, and it can be as simple as setting alarms or timers in the native Alarm and Timers apps. Just use Siri to set up an impromptu timer or plan out your day by setting up lots of alarms—just don’t forget to set them to vibrate-only (as explained in the tip above) so you don’t disturb anyone.

Focus Timer

If you prefer something a little more structured and strict, the Focus - Timer for Productivity ($39.99/year) isn’t cheap, but it lets you carve out blocks of time to be productive and to take much-needed breaks. Use it to schedule productivity timers for specific tasks and sync them across your Apple devices to keep you focused—it can even block distracting apps while you work.

The native version of this is the Focus Mode feature that lets you hand-pick which apps and people can send you notifications. It can even be paired with customized Apple Watch faces with relevant apps and complications for the occasion. 

Capture Stray Thoughts and Take Notes On-the-Go

Voice Memos

Sometimes we think of the best idea at the worst moment, and we either forget what it was or let it derail us from our scheduled plans. My solution is to use the native Voice Memos app to quickly record a stray thought or idea that I can revisit later. If you are running the latest software on your watch and phone, you can even get the transcription of your audio for easier access.

Whisper Memos

If the Voice Memos app is not to your liking, Whisper Memos - Speech to Text is a wonderful free app known for its transcription accuracy. It offers a complication so that you can start recording with a single tap on your watch face.

It can take a few days to establish an efficient routine incorporating these Apple Watch apps, but I promise that it will become second nature and you’ll never look back! 

 Q: I accidentally bumped my watch at an event, and it thought I fell and called five of my family members. How to tell the watch it was a false alarm? - Judy T

Hello, Judy! I’ve had something similar happen to me, so I understand the frustration. Unfortunately, if you set up Fall Detection to contact your family members when you experience a fall, it will alert them. However, when it is originally triggered, your watch will vibrate and give you the option to tap I’m OK before it contacts emergency services or your emergency contacts. As long as you tap this within 20 seconds, they won’t be alerted. Don’t forget that you have the option of setting up Fall Detection to only alert others while you are actively working out, but if you forget to start a workout or fall at a different time, no one will be alerted.

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

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