Did You Know the Apple Watch Can Do These 5 Unique Things?
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People buy the Apple Watch and use it as an extension to their mobile phones – but the Apple Watch can do so much more than just check text messages and track steps. It can become a trusted travel companion or an insurance policy against being late. Continue reading to browse five unique ways you can use your Apple Watch that you probably didn't know about.
Unlock Your Hotel Room
Many of the same hotels with iOS apps also have companion Apple Watch apps. When traveling, you can often use the hotel app to open your room – but why pull out your iPhone when you can use your Apple Watch! Instead of tapping your phone, you can tap your Apple Watch to open the door. Just be sure to tell the person at the check-in desk that you have the mobile app so they can enable this smartphone and watch-based access to your room.
Point You in the Right Direction
Apple added a magnetometer to its watches, starting with the Apple Watch Series 5. You can play around with the sensor in the Compass app, but you can really make use of it in Apple Maps! Apple Maps and third-party location-tracking apps, like Yelp, also rely on the magnetometer to help you find your way.
These apps use the compass sensor to determine which way you are facing to help you orient yourself so you don't walk in the wrong direction. Be careful if you use a watchband with an integrated magnet because it could interfere with the magnetometer and point you in the wrong direction.
Calculate a Tip, Split a Bill
You may have used the calculator app to add up your groceries or calculate your miles per gallon, but did you know you could also use it to calculate a tip?
- Simply enter the cost of the bill and tap the tip button.
- Enter the percentage you want to tip, and the app will calculate how much money you should leave.
There's also an option to split the bill if you share the cost with other people!
Measure Noise Around You
Got a headache from all the construction at your house? You can check how loud it is using the Noise app on your Apple Watch. The Noise app measures the decibels and lets you know if the volume of your surroundings is safe. You can also set alerts that will regularly measure the ambient noise and warn you when the levels are too high!
Customize the Time So You're Never Late Again
Even though it can do everything from making a phone call to monitoring your heart health, the Apple Watch is still a watch used to tell time. You can use the time-tracking feature to ensure you are always on time with this simple change in your watch's settings.
- Open the Settings app on your Watch.
- Select Clock.
- Select +0 min.
- Turn the Digital Crown and choose how far ahead to set your Watch.
- Select set.
You can choose to bump your time ahead by 5, 10, or even 15 minutes depending on tardy you tend to be!
