Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook.

Bounce Between Two Apps

On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently open apps, and turn it to scroll through them. From this view, you can jump back to the last app you were using. Simply tap on an app screen to switch to it, or swipe left on its card and tap the red X button to quit it.

Switch App Views

If the app grid feels messy, switch to List View. Open the Watch app on iPhone, tap App View, and choose List View. From then on, pressing the Digital Crown will show your apps in a simple, scrollable list.

Rearrange Apps

You can rearrange your apps so that the ones you use most are closer to hand. Simply press and hold on any app in the grid view, then drag it where you want. Alternatively, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to App View ➝ Arrangement, and move things around there instead.

Ping Your iPhone

If you've misplaced your iPhone but you're sure it's nearby, open Control Center with a press of the Side button, then tap the phone icon to make it ping. Press and hold that icon and the iPhone's camera flash will blink too, which can help if it's hidden under something.

Skip the Countdown

If you're eager to start a workout, the three-second countdown before it starts can be skipped. Just tap the screen when the countdown begins and your workout will start immediately. If you find yourself doing this regularly, consider turning on Precision Start in Settings ➝ Workout.

Customize Vibration Strength

If you keep missing notifications, go to Settings ➝ Sounds & Haptics ➝ and change from Default to Prominent. This adds an extra tap pattern before alerts so they're harder to ignore.

Perform Precision Timing

The Chronograph Pro watch face transforms into an actual chronograph. Tap the outer edge surrounding the main 12-hour dial on this watch face to record time on scales of 60, 30, 6, or 3 seconds. Alternatively, select the tachymeter timescale to measure speed based on time travel over a fixed distance.

Jump to the Top

If you've scrolled way down in an app and want to jump back to the top, just tap the time in the top corner of the screen. It works in most apps and saves a lot of scrolling.

Remove Apps

Clearing out apps you don't use on your Apple Watch is easy. In the List or Grid View, press and hold on the screen until the apps jiggle, then tap the small x in the corner of the app icon to delete it. This works for most system apps and all third-party apps.

Customize Control Center

By default, Control Center (accessed via the Side button) gives you quick access to things like Wi-Fi, battery, and Do Not Disturb. But it's worth seeing what else you can add to it that you'd like quick access to. Tap the Edit button at the bottom, then tap the + icon in the top-left corner of the screen. System options such as New Note and Lights are particularly handy, and you might see some third-party options listed too, depending on your installed apps.

Speak the Time Out Loud

If you're using the Mickey or Minnie watch face, tap on the character and they'll speak the time out loud. Just make sure your sound is turned on. In fact, you can also have Siri read the time on any watch face by tapping and holding with two fingers on the display. Again though, sound needs to be enabled.

Customize Smart Replies

Smart Replies are handy when you want to reply with just a few words. In the Watch app on iPhone, go to Messages and tap Default Replies to customise what shows up. Then when a message comes in, simply swipe down to pick one of your preset replies.

Pause Activity Rings

Feeling unwell but hoping to keep your streak intact? In the Activity app, select your rings to access the option to suspend them for the day, or set a pause that lasts until a chosen date up to 90 days ahead.

Create a Note

In the new Notes app in watchOS 26, you can't modify existing notes on Apple Watch, but you can create a new one by tapping the compose control in the bottom-right corner and speaking your text. Because Notes sync through iCloud, you can refine or reorganize everything later on a device with a physical or on-screen keyboard.

Mute and Dismiss Alerts

With a quick wrist flip, you can clear the current screen and go back to the watch face. The same gesture can be used to mute calls, stop timers, and dismiss notifications. The feature, which is on by default, is supported on Apple Watch SE (3rd generation), Series 9, Ultra 2, and later.
This article, "Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Meta is set to release its first smartwatch this year featuring health-tracking and built-in Meta AI, reports The Information.


The smartwatch, which would compete directly with Apple Watch and other brands, is the result of a revived project that Meta canceled in 2022 amid broader spending cuts at its Reality Labs hardware division.

The original project involved plans to release three different camera-equipped watch models, but it doesn't sound like they will be part of the company's future product lineup. The new watch is code-named "Malibu 2."

The smartwatch could arrive alongside Meta's updated Ray-Ban smart glasses – which could reportedly include facial recognition – and it sounds like they will almost definitely appear before a pair of mixed reality glasses that the company has also been developing.

Internally code-named "Phoenix," the MR glasses are said to have been delayed until 2027. Meta executives are said to have grown concerned that launching too many devices in quick succession could confuse customers, hence the delay.

Last year, the Facebook parent company launched its Ray-Ban Display AR glasses, which apparently proved so popular that Meta had to delay an international rollout. Those glasses use a neural wristband for its gestural interface, so it's possible the new smartwatch could potentially take over those controls.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is developing rival smart glasses, an AI pin, and AirPods with cameras, all of which will connect to the iPhone and will interface with the smarter version of Siri that's in the works.

Apple is targeting a 2027 launch for the glasses, and the AI pin could arrive in the same year, if development continues. The new AirPods could arrive as soon as this year.
This article, "Report: Meta Revives Smartwatch Plans to Take On Apple Watch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's upcoming March 4 media event could include a demo of immersive Formula 1 content on Apple Vision Pro, Daring Fireball's John Gruber has suggested.


The timing appears to be what's sparked the idea. The 2026 F1 season kicks off in Australia on March 8, just four days after the "Apple Experience" set to be held in New York, London, and Shanghai.

Apple became the exclusive U.S. broadcast partner for Formula 1 last October, and the company has already been experimenting with live immersive sports on Vision Pro with a limited slate of Los Angeles Lakers games this season. If Apple has plans to stream F1 races live on Vision Pro with some level of immersion, March 4 would likely be a great opportunity to show it off to the press.

To be clear, there are no little birdies tweeting into Gruber's ear on this one – he's quick to acknowledge this is pure speculation shared with him by a reader. "Could just be a total coincidence that the Formula 1 season is starting the weekend after this event," he says. "But it seems worth noting."

Apple has said that further details on production and "new ways to enjoy F1 content" across its products will be shared in the coming months. March 4 could fit that timeline nicely, or it could of course be nothing at all.

Apple is widely expected to unveil several new products in the near future, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, an eighth-generation iPad Air, and a 12th-generation iPad. A refreshed Studio Display and an all-new low-cost MacBook powered by the A18 chip are also possible, alongside updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini.

The "Apple Experience" could include announcements for some of these products, alongside hands-on opportunities for media with the new devices around the world. The event is set to begin at 9:00 a.m. ET on March 4, 2026.
This article, "Could Apple Demo Immersive F1 on Vision Pro at Its March 4 Event?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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