New Apple Watch? Everything to know about heart rate, fall detection, battery – CNET

Since its initial release, the Apple Watch has slowly transformed from the half-baked fitness tracker that brought iPhone notifications to your wrist, into a fully capable workout companion with cellular connectivity and health features previously reserved for fancy medical equipment. Heck, there’s even a chance that the Apple Watch, in combination with an app, can help prevent strokes.

But the Apple Watch is so much more than a tool to help keep tabs on your health. You can install apps, talk to Siri just by raising your wrist, check sports scores, send messages or even triage your inbox from the tiny screen. It’s pretty crazy to think about just how powerful the Apple Watch is, even if you haven’t used it to its full potential.

Let’s change that. Below you’ll learn some basics, like making sure its software is up to date, how to use its walkie-talkie feature to feel like a spy and learn about more complicated features like taking an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) to make sure your heart is healthy.

Read more: All of the WatchOS 6 updates | Complete guide to Apple’s Health app | 18 devices that sync with Health App 

The basics

Update your watch. After unboxing your watch and pairing it to your iPhone ($900 at Amazon), you’ll want to ensure it’s running the latest version of WatchOS so you can take advantage of the newest features. Read this to learn about the update process.

Icons and apps. Curious as to what those small icons that flash on your watch’s screen are? Or what about Siri’s Raise to Speak feature? We cover that, plus a handful of other tips, in this post.

Notifications are a key smartwatch feature, and it’s a feature you’ll want to learn how to tame. Notifications can get overwhelming, especially when your wrist is beeping and vibrating, for every Facebook like or Instagram direct. Learn how to manage your Apple Watch notifications.

Your watch is waterproof. You can swim with newer Apple Watch ($349 at Best Buy) models, but it’s a good idea to read up on what you need to do if you plan on swimming with your watch on — especially if it’s in seawater.

Use theater mode. Ever notice the button in Control Center with two masks on it? That button activates theater mode. When enabled, your Apple Watch is silenced and your watch will not light up until you tap the screen. As its name implies, theater mode prevents your watch from lighting up while you’re at a movie theater, but it’s also helpful for those who use a sleeping app or in meetings when you don’t want any distractions. 

Health

Fitness first. Starting with WatchOS 5, the Apple Watch can now auto-detect certain workouts, track yoga workouts and store workout tunes from your favorite streaming service on the watch itself. Here are five of the best new fitness features in WatchOS 5.

Heart health. The Apple Watch continuously tracks your heart rate while you wear it throughout the day. There’s a dedicated app to tracking your heart rate or conducting an on-demand reading. Read this to learn how to get the most out of the Apple Watch heart rate features. Also, check out why it’s important to track your heart rate to reach your fitness goals.

Set up the ECG app. You’ll need to have an Apple Watch Series 4, running WatchOS 5.1.2 or newer, and an iPhone running iOS 12.1.1 or newer before you can set up the new ECG app. Once you’re updated, using the ECG app is a simple task.

Hearing health. WatchOS 6 was released in September and adds a new hearing health feature that monitors the noise level of your environment and will let you know if there’s a risk of damage to your hearing. Here’s what you need to know to use it.

Cycle tracking. Female health tracking hasn’t received the attention it deserves, but that’s changing with the addition of cycle tracking to the Apple Watch and the Apple Health app. Using the new tools, women can track their periods, keep tabs on symptoms and more. 

Extra features

Fall detection. The Apple Watch Series 4 has a built-in fall detection feature that will identify when it thinks you have fallen, and after a few seconds of no movement, will call emergency services on your behalf. Fall Detection is a feature you’ll need to enable, but hopefully, never have to use.

Want to feel like Inspector Gadget? Then learn how to use the Walkie-Talkie app. Using the app is simple: Hold up your wrist, press and hold a button, talk, and let go. Just keep in mind that your approved contacts can start talking to you at any moment, so marking yourself as unavailable is key to avoiding embarrassment.

Unlock your Mac when wearing your Apple Watch. As long as you have a passcode set up on your Apple Watch, and a fairly recent Mac (2013 or newer), you can use your watch to log in to your Mac. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and check the box next to Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. Enter your Mac password when prompted. The next time you wake your Mac, your Apple Watch and Mac will talk to one another and sign you into your computer. It’s pretty cool.

Check your AirPods ($169 at Amazon) battery status. You’ve surely opened your AirPods charging case next to your iPhone to check their current battery level. It turns out, you can check your AirPods battery life on the Apple Watch as well. Visit this link for tip No. 5, stay for all 16 AirPods tips.

Originally published last year. Updated with new information.