Trick out your Apple Watch with these accessories and tips

Your Apple Watch is much more than a smartwatch used for sending messages and checking the time. It’s full of all sorts of cool features, and it offers plenty of customization options, whether from within the device itself or through any number of cool third-party Apple Watch accessories. If you love your Apple Watch but have a sneaking suspicion that you don’t know how to really get the most out of it, check out these cool Apple Watch accessories and little-known tips and hacks to truly trick out your device.

Apple Watch accessories: unique and stylish watch bands

A great way to change up your Apple Watch is to swap out your band. There are plenty of options available for any price range to help you express yourself. With new Apple Watch bands released often, you can purchase one from Apple or any third-party seller. If you want a simple watch band in different color options, Bifeiyo offers Apple Watch bands in packs of five for less than $15. For something a little more stylish, you can go all out with a Kate Spade Apple Watch band. We also like Apple Watch bands from Casetify, which offer some customizable options. Or, if you’re in the market for something less traditional, try the bracelet Apple Watch band from Victoria Emerson.

Change your Apple Watch’s face

There is a lot of customization available when changing the face of your Apple Watch. You can change the display to include the date, temperature and battery life. To change your watch face, press the watch face and swipe to select your style preference. From there, you can customize it to your liking, including changing the background and adding complications or shortcuts to your other apps. A few apps to check out to add to your watch face are the Dark Sky weather app for up-to-the-second weather info, City Mapper to help you navigate cities around the globe, and the Things app to help you keep track of your to-do list.

Share your Apple Watch’s watch face with your friends

If you make a watch face that your friends are obsessed with, you can share it with them. To access this feature, press and hold down onto your watch face. It will then offer you the option to share your watch face via Message. Your friends will then be able to access it and download it to their Apple Watch.

Apple Watch accessories: protective covers for your watch

When it comes to Apple products, you can never be too safe. If you have an iPhone, chances are good that you also have at least one case for it, probably several. So why not show your expensive Apple Watch the same love and care with its own protective case? There are plenty of options on the market to protect your Apple Watch’s screen from damage. Some of the best on the market are Otterbox, whose Apple Watch case covers your entire watch, and Zagg, which offers a discreet, sleek screen protector.

Set up Apple Pay on your Apple Watch

Contactless forms of payment are moving closer and closer every day to becoming the norm. To set up Apple Pay on your watch, you will need your iPhone handy. On your iPhone, find the app for Apple Watch and click on My Watch, followed by Wallet & Apple Pay . Enter in your financial payment method information, and you are all set. Now you can use your watch to make purchases quickly and easily wherever Apple Pay is accepted.

Use your Apple Watch as a hotel room key

Those annoying physical key cards are now a thing of the past at certain hotel chains if you have an Apple Watch instead. You can download an Apple Watch app from your hotel and use it to complete your check-in and check-out process, as well as using it to access to your hotel key card. So far, the hotel chans that provide Apple Watch integration are Hilton, Sheraton, W Hotel, St. Regis, and Element. Be sure to check with your hotel before checking in to make sure that these Apple Watch options are available to you.

Take advantage of your Apple Watch’s Workout app

Check out the Workout app on your Apple Watch if you are looking to be more physically active. This app has workouts for every preference: running, yoga, dance, hiking and cycling . There’s also an option to do swimming with your Apple Watch if you have a recent model, as the Apple Watch Series 2 and newer are water-resistant. To set a goal for your workout sessions, click the ‘more’ button in the app before starting your exercise.

Eject water from your Apple Watch

Apple Watches are water-resistant. To manually turn on the water locking feature, touch and hold the watch face. When the control center appears, swipe up and click on the water droplet icon. This feature should automatically turn on when you enter the water. When you finish in the water, simply turn the Digital Crown in either direction to eject water from your Apple Watch. You will hear a sound, and your Apple watch will clear away any remaining water inside.

Use your Apple Watch’s nightstand mode

When getting ready for bed, there is a feature to allows your Apple Watch to double as a bedside digital alarm clock. While in this nightstand mode, your Apple Watch will display only the current time, date and alarm. You can find this feature is on your Apple Watch under Settings and General. You can even customize the brightness and size of the text. The color defaults to green, but you can change it to grayscale if you wish.

Use your Apple Watch in theater mode

Nothing is more distracting when you’re sitting in a darkened theater than seeing someone else’s smartwatch light up. To be a more polite and considerate moviegoer, enable your Apple Watch’s theater mode. In theater mode, your watch’s screen and notifications will stay turned off and silent unless you activate the watch face intentionally. To access theater mode, swipe up on the watch face and click on the drama masks. Theater mode is also a perfect feature to utilize if you’re someone who wears their watch to sleep.