I was pretty firmly in the, “I’ll never get an Apple Watch” camp for the first two series’ of the watch. I didn’t see much of a use for it in my life and didn’t think it was something I would like to wear. Sure enough, my opinion changed on it and it’s something that I rarely leave the house without! It’s certainly not a necessity and I don’t believe it’s the right kind of thing for everyone, but I love it!
I bought the watch shortly after the Series 3 was released. What I really liked (and still love) about it was the option to have cellular service with the watch. Non-cellular versions have to be within a certain range of your phone in order for the bluetooth to connect and certain elements of the watch to function. With cellular, you pay a small fee on your monthly phone bill (I believe we pay $10-12 a month) in order to use the cellular functions on the watch without needing to be looped into your phone. If you want more specifics, I recommend doing your own research on the different versions out there! Basically, I wanted to be able to leave the house wearing just my watch and still get in touch with people and be reachable.
What I have: Apple Watch Series 3 with GPS + Cellular, 38mm Rose Gold with Black Sport Band
(Here’s a refurbished option!)
Notifications
While I usually am within arms reach of my phone, I love that I will get notified of an incoming call or text right on my wrist. If my phone is halfway across the room and I’m in the middle of something, I can just glance down at my wrist, see who it is or what the message is, and go from there. It’s super convenient and means that I don’t miss something coming through. There have been plenty of times that I’ve had my watch on, my phone is in another room, and I have an incoming call that I know I’ll miss if I go searching for my phone. I can just answer on my watch and stay put!
I also have a few apps looped into my watch to give me notifications, which is helpful! We have a Ring doorbell, so I set up to get notified on my watch (and my phone) when there’s motion outside our front door or somebody rings the doorbell. Just like with incoming calls, I like being able to know what’s going on, even if my phone isn’t within arms reach.
I’ll also get some calendar alerts that I have set up, so it works as an extra reminder of a deadline or appointment that I’ve made.
Activity Tracker
Before this, I’d never used any sort of fitness tracker, nor had much of an interest in it. Now, I rarely go to the gym or workout without it on. I like being able to see my calories, heart rate and keep a running log of the physical activity that I’m getting every day.
Weather
While I don’t get a super detailed weather report with the watch, I appreciate that I can do a quick glance and know what kind of jacket to grab or if I need to change my shoes.
Listening
I listen to podcasts all day long while I’m working in my office, so I’ve got my watch set up to mirror my phone when I’m playing something. The basic information will show on my watch screen – show, episode, pause, volume, fast forward, and rewind. I use this feature all the time to pause, skip over ads, or skip back 15 seconds if I missed something. If Mike comes into my office to chat or the doorbell rings or something, I can just quickly pause the episode right at my wrist without having to figure out which surface I left my phone on last!
Telling Time
This is obvious, no? I used to wear a regular watch all the time and then got out of the habit of it. I missed being able to see the time at any moment, so I’m happy to be back into watch-wearing.
Let me say again, just for good measure, it’s definitely a luxury and not a necessity. I can do all of these things using other devices, but I love that some things are simplified with my watch.
Fellow Apple Watch wearers, what am I missing?! Is there an app or feature that you use and love? I haven’t done too much looking into it because the features I shared here are basically the reason that I bought it in the first place, but if there’s something I’m missing out on, I must know!
I would say 90% of the time, I use my watch to ping my
Phone! I always leave it somewhere and can never remember, so I love being able to use that option to find it.
That’s definitely a helpful feature!!
I like to use mine for grabbing a Starbucks. The barcode pops up on my wrist, and then it’s just scan and go!
Ooh I didn’t even think of this! Thanks!
Thanks for this post! I got the watch for Christmas, and I love it – but I also wonder if i’m missing something else. I walk my dog every evening, its nice to pair the watch with my blue tooth headphones so I don’t have to carry my phone (or risk dropping it!)
Yes!
Yes, me too!!
Apple Pay! Super convenient at the store! You don’t need to pull your card out! Just put the watch in front of card reader!
I have the seris 4 now and I love it. I had a fitbit before and I would do challenges with friends, I am still able to sync my steps to my fitbit app on my phone. The new walkie talkie feature on my phone is the greatest! My husband has one as well, and so instead of yelling across our house or trying to get a hold of him while his phone is always on silent is super helpful. We also have our security system on our watch as well as Uconnect for our Dodge vehicles. The other thing I appreciate is that it remind me to get stand up and move away from my desk. I am very prone to working through my lunch or get stuck in a project and forget to stand all together.