11 Things You Can Do With Your Old Apple Watch
Credit: Digital Trends
Some Apple fans upgrade their devices very often. Whether it's their iPhone or Apple Watch, it's normal for many folks to upgrade to a new device every year or two.
If that's you and you recently upgraded from your old Apple Watch, chances are you have no idea what to do with the older model. If your old Apple Watch is still in good condition, there's no need to waste it. You can use it in many different ways and give an old device new life. There are plenty of things you can do with an old Apple Watch; you just need to get creative.
Of course, if you don't want to manage two Apple Watches simultaneously, you can always sell or trade them and make some money. Or you can store one to ensure you always have a backup.
Read on for 11 tips to help you make the most out of your older Apple Watch.
A Dedicated Sleep Tracker
A great way to use an Apple Watch is as an exclusive sleep tracker. Unfortunately, unless you have an Apple Watch Ultra, you'll need to give your Apple Watch a few moments to charge during the day, which might make it hard to track your sleep at night.
Luckily, with a second Apple Watch, you don't have to worry about not having enough battery. You can literally have one Apple Watch for the day and another one for your nights.
As long as you pair both Apple Watches to the same iPhone, you can switch between them and keep track of your vitals all day long without interruptions.
Use Your Old Apple Watch As a Nightstand Clock
If you don't like to wear your Apple Watch at night, you can still keep it near your bed. As it turns out, an Apple Watch makes a great nightstand clock.
You need only keep it plugged into its charger and put it to its side — just be sure to keep the Digital Crown up.
When you do this and tap your Apple Watch — or even gently bump the nightstand it's on — you'll get the date, time, and when your next alarm is going to go off.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there isn't a way to keep the display on all the time. With that said, it's still a solid way to give a new life to your old watch.
Use Your Apple Watch to Keep Track of Your Kids
If you have a kid or a teenager, using your old Apple Watch as a present is a great idea — and they don't need an iPhone to use it. Not only will they get their first-ever Apple Watch, but you'll also be able to keep track of them when they go outside.
You can check your kid's location by using the Find My app, giving you peace of mind that they're safe. Or, if you want to give them more privacy, you can still give them the Apple Watch and call or message them. It's a great way to stay in contact with kids who aren't ready for a phone yet.
In addition to tracking or calling, kids can use an Apple Watch for many things, like using it as a basic calculator or using the Reminders app to remember to do their homework.
Give it to an Older Member of the Family
Another good use for an old Apple Watch is to put its amazing health features to work for other family members.
Whether it's your grandma, an uncle, or just a friend, you can use your old Apple Watch to ensure their health when you aren't around.
For instance, you can teach them how to use the heart rate sensor or the ECG app on the Apple Watch. Moreover, you can explain to them that they should aim to close all their Activity Rings to stay healthy in a fun way.
The Noise app can help people with hearing issues realize when their phone or TV is too loud, even if they don't realize it.
When you aren't around, the Apple Watch's Fall Detection feature is also a literal lifesaver. If someone falls down and can't get up, their Apple Watch can call for help in a flash — even if they're knocked unconscious.
There are many more features they can use, such as medication reminders, mindfulness, and sleep tracking. All of these features will benefit them without you having to worry about them all the time.
Cycle Between Your Old and New Apple Watch
Some of us love wearing our Apple Watch 24 hours a day. Unfortunately, that can be hard because the battery is never enough.
Luckily, if you have an old Apple Watch, you don't have to worry about that. As we mentioned, you can let your iPhone know you have two Apple Watches and then cycle between them, letting you charge your new Apple Watch while still keeping track of your heart rate and other important vitals.
Use Your Old Apple Watch for Extreme Sports
If you're someone who loves extreme sports but is afraid to damage their new Apple Watch, you can and probably should use your older Watch instead.
It doesn't have to be extreme sports, but even if you're going for a swim and you don't want to risk your new Apple Watch, you can take your older device instead. The same goes for when you go on a hike, and you don't want to accidentally scratch your iPhone.
Basically, if you're not ready to test the durability of your new Apple Watch, your older model could still help you with your extreme sports.
Turn it Into a Dedicated Music Player
Whether you have Apple Music or Spotify, you can play and control your music from your Apple Watch in an instant. What's more, if you have an older Apple Watch, you can turn it into a cool music player on your wrist.
You can download as many songs as you like from your favorite music streaming app onto the Apple Watch. Then, connect your AirPods to it and start playing the music you downloaded.
Of course, it doesn't just have to be music. You can also download podcast episodes and listen to them on your morning walk or at the gym. You can even consider an accessory like tinyPod to turn it into an iPod nano-like device that you won't have to keep on your wrist.
Use it as a Small but Useful Kitchen Timer
If you love cooking, you know how important a timer is, and your old Apple Watch can help you with that.
You can add the Timer app complication to your Watch Face and start as many timers as you need while you're cooking. You can even use it to ask Siri basic questions, like how to convert milliliters to teaspoons.
Use It as a Media Controller
As we mentioned, the Apple Watch can control what you listen to and what's playing on your iPhone.
You can play, pause, and even go forward or backward on whatever is playing on your iPhone, making it the perfect remote control for your wrist.
What's more, you can even control your Apple TV with the Apple Watch, so you don't have to worry about losing your remote or wasting the battery life of your iPhone or new Apple Watch.
Keep Your Old Apple Watch As a Backup
You never know what will happen in the future. You might break your new Apple Watch or just lose it somewhere. Whatever the reason, it might be a good idea to keep your old Apple Watch as a backup.
You just need to be sure you do it the right way. It's recommended that you keep your Apple Watch battery at around 50%. Don't fully charge it or discharge it.
After you turn your Apple Watch off, make sure to store it in a place that's cool and doesn't have any moisture. Apple recommends that the temperature is around 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F).
Apple also recommends charging your Apple Watch to 50% every six months to ensure the battery remains in good health.
Trade or Sell Your Old Apple Watch
Of course, if you don't want to keep your old Apple Watch, you can always trade it or sell it.
If you want to sell it, you can use a platform like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or eBay. Just be sure to be careful who you talk to, as you never know when you might run into a scammer.
If you want to trade it in, you can go to the Apple Trade In website and see what the company is willing to give you for your Apple Watch. Spoiler alert: it probably won't be much, but it might still be easier than finding the right person to sell it to.