Getting Around the Apple Watch

In this lesson for the Apple Watch we look at how we get around the Apple Watch including complications, switching watch faces, viewing notifications, and the control center.

Complications
Each Apple Watch face, the face being what you are looking at on your Apple Watch, has a number of complications. Complications is an old term used by watchmakers describing features such as the date. So when you see the date or temperature on your Apple Watch, you are viewing that as a complication. The number of complications vary depending on what Apple Watch face you have showing. On the Apple Watch we can customize these complications. They can be the date, temperature, events, heart rate, activity, or even information from third party apps.

Switching Apple Watch Face
To switch to a different watch face on your Apple Watch, you just swipe to the left or right. These other watch faces can have a completely different look or just different complications. We can easily customize these through the Watch app on your iPhone or by ‘force touching’ your Apple Watch. I have more on this in another lesson.

Viewing Notifications
Your Apple Watch can receive notifications, such as a message or email notification. If you have any unread notifications, you’ll see a red dot at the top of your Apple Watch face. This red dot indicates you have unread notifications. To view your unread notifications you just swipe down from the top. To get back to your watch face, you swipe up or turn the digital crown. When you do this, you’ll notice the red dot is now gone at the top of your watch face. That’s because you’ve read your notifications. You can always get back to your notifications by swiping back down from the top, even if you do not have any new or unread notifications.

Control Center
Your Apple Watch also has a Control Center. This is where we have easy access to various controls including wi-fi, airplane mode, battery level, do not disturb, muting, and more. To access the control center on your Apple Watch, you just swipe up from the bottom while on a watch face. You can use the digital crown or swipe up and down to view all your controls. To get back to your watch face, you just swipe down or use the digital crown to swipe down.

Digital Crown
The Digital Crown on your Apple Watch controls a number of features.

  • – If you are in an app that you can scroll in, the digital crown will scroll through that app.
  • – If you are in an app on your Apple Watch, when you press in the digital crown, it takes you back to your watch face.
  • – If you are on a watch face and you press in the digital crown, it shows you all of your apps you have on your Apple Watch.
  • – If you press and hold it, the digital crown brings up Siri.

Button on your Apple Watch
When you press the button below the digital crown, if the digital crown is on the right, it gives you access to the Dock. The Dock shows recent apps or favorite apps depending on how you have it set in the Watch app on your iPhone. If we press and hold the button we have access to powering the Apple Watch off and SOS features.

See this Lesson in Action
If you want to see this lesson in action, take a look at the video above.

See this Lesson in Action
If you want to see this lesson in action, take a look at the video above.

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