{"id":479930,"date":"2026-06-02T22:39:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/479930\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T22:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:39:17","slug":"apple-watch-settings-make-sure-you-change-these-10-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/479930\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Watch settings: Make sure you change these 10 things"},"content":{"rendered":"

The small size and simplicity of the Apple Watch\u2019s screen might fool you into thinking there aren\u2019t a lot of settings you should tweak. But you would be sorely mistaken. It\u2019s a powerful computer on your wrist, and thus, the Settings app is a deep rabbit hole.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You could lose hours going through every last setting, but I can save you the trouble. There are 10 Apple Watch settings I suggest everyone adjust. I\u2019ll show you what they all do and how to change them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 settings everyone should change on their Apple Watch<\/p>\n

The Apple Watch<\/a> lives in an odd space between an iPhone<\/a> accessory and an independent computer. The powerful S-series chip inside proves surprisingly powerful, though the screen makes it hard to perform much more than the most basic tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet, the Apple Watch is a highly personal device. You can radically change its appearance with a new band or watch face. You can configure how you find your apps, what widgets you see, what notifications you receive, how it measures your activity and much more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019ve had an Apple Watch for years, you should make sure you have your smartwatch set up the right way to take advantage of its many strengths.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Table of contents: Apple Watch settings you should change<\/p>\n

Make it easy to find your apps<\/a>
\nChange your activity ring goals<\/a>
\nCustomize Apple Watch widgets<\/a>
\nAdjust Wake Duration for the screen<\/a>
\nUnlock your Apple Watch with your iPhone<\/a>
\nUnlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch<\/a>
\nUnlock your Mac with your Apple Watch<\/a>
\nStop irritating reminders to breathe<\/a>
\nEnable Walkie-Talkie<\/a>
\nSet up Taptic Time<\/a>
\nMore on Apple Watch<\/a><\/p>\n

Make it easy to find your apps
\n\"Grid<\/a>The Apple Watch\u2019s list view is much easier to navigate than the honeycomb-style grid layout.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

First and foremost, you should switch your Apple Watch to show apps in the list view<\/a>. The default setting, which arranges apps in a honeycomb grid of icons, proves unnecessarily hard to navigate. While it lets you see more app icons on screen at once, they\u2019re arranged with virtually no rhyme or reason. To make matters worse, many of the icons are hard to tell apart from one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To change things up for the better, click the Digital Crown to open the app view, then scroll to the bottom and tap List View.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Change your activity ring goals
\n\"Changing<\/a>Update your daily goals.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

Activity rings are a core part of the Apple Watch health tracking experience. They track how much you Move, how many minutes of Exercise you get, and how many hours out of the day you\u00a0Stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But everybody\u2019s different. And, if you\u2019re a longtime Apple Watch owner, you might live a different lifestyle now than when you first bought the device. Luckily, you can easily change your daily activity goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To do so, go to the Activity app and scroll down to the\u00a0Move goal. Tap the\u00a0Change Goals button at the bottom right, then tap Change Daily Goal. You can tap + or \u2212 to set your new daily goal. If you want a different goal for different days of the week, tap\u00a0Goal Type in the upper right, then pick\u00a0Schedule. Tap\u00a0Set to save your goal, then tap\u00a0Close in the upper left.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You will see all the same options for your Exercise and\u00a0Stand goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more about this feature, including how to skip a day from your streak, in our in-depth how-to: \u201cApple Watch Activity rings: What they mean and how to tweak them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Customize Apple Watch widgets
\n\"Adding<\/a>Nearly all of Apple\u2019s apps come with a widget. Third-party apps you use might offer widgets, too.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

The Smart Stack is a scrollable list of widgets that live below the Apple Watch face. Swipe up or spin the Digital Crown to see them. You\u2019ll see suggestions for workouts and apps you open often.<\/p>\n

The order of the widgets changes intelligently, but you can choose which ones appear all the time. Just scroll down to the bottom of the widgets list and tap Edit. Take a look at the suggestions first \u2014 tap the green\u00a0+ button to pin a widget to the list. To add more, tap the big Add button at the top. That\u2019ll show you a list of all your apps that offer widgets. Tap on one to add a widget.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I keep widgets pinned that show my local weather, upcoming calendar events, recent workouts, flashlight and favorite apps. If you set up a convenient group of widgets, it will free you up to use one of the more artsy Apple Watch faces without any complications.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more in our article: How to customize Apple Watch widgets for easy access to your favorite apps<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Change Apple Watch settings for screen wake duration
\n\"Wake<\/a>Make sure your Apple Watch\u2019s screen stays on longer.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

While all Apple Watches now come with always-on screens, there\u2019s still a noticeable difference between the device\u2019s active and resting states. The screen isn\u2019t interactive when the watch isn\u2019t awake, and some on-screen elements disappear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To fix this, you can set your Apple Watch screen to stay awake longer. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Wake Duration (at the very bottom). While 15 seconds is the default, you can change it to Wake for 70 seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This may slightly lessen battery life if you use your Apple Watch a lot, because it keeps the screen bright for much longer after every interaction. But it could get rid of that annoying speed bump where you must tap the screen an extra time. It\u2019s a trade-off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unlock your Apple Watch with your iPhone
\n\"Setting<\/a>Make your Apple Watch automatically authenticate.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

Your iPhone<\/a> can automatically unlock your Apple Watch after you put it on. With this setting enabled, the next time you unlock your phone, it\u2019ll unlock the watch, too. It saves you the annoyance of typing in your passcode on the tiny screen when you just want to read a text.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Passcode and make sure\u00a0Unlock with iPhone is enabled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch
\n\"Setting<\/a>When Face ID fails, this is a huge convenience.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

The reverse holds true, too. If your face is obscured and Face ID<\/a> fails, an unlocked Apple Watch can unlock your iPhone. This proves really handy when wearing a face mask (or a particularly bushy scarf).<\/p>\n

On your iPhone, go to\u00a0Settings > Face ID & Passcode. First, enter your passcode, then scroll down to Unlock with Nearby Devices. Then enable the function for your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whenever this happens, you\u2019ll feel a buzz from your Apple Watch. You can tap the Lock iPhone button to remotely secure it \u2014 Face ID (or Touch ID) will be disabled until you enter the passcode. This prevents anyone from taking your phone maliciously.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch
\n\"Setting<\/a>This feature is a real time saver.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

Your Apple Watch can unlock your Mac, too. You may not be able to hit the Touch ID key if you keep your MacBook closed at your desk or you use a third-party keyboard. But typing in a long, secure password every time can be annoying.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, on your Mac, go to System Settings > Login Password and make sure your Apple Watch is enabled. It\u2019ll work just like the iPhone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Change Apple Watch settings to stop the irritating breathe reminders
\n\"Setting<\/a>True zen is not getting a bunch of annoying notifications.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

One of the Apple Watch\u2019s many health features, the Mindfulness app prompts you to breathe and\/or reflect on things for a minute every day. Personally, I find the interruptions more stressful than anything. It\u2019s probably a sign that I should do the mindfulness exercise, but I know myself better than my Apple Watch does \u2014 I\u2019ll just ignore it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you feel the same way, you can easily disable the Breath app\u2019s reminders. On your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Mindfulness. Disable\u00a0Start of Day and End of Day, as well as\u00a0Weekly Summary.<\/p>\n

Enable Walkie-Talkie
\n\"Turn<\/a>Set up Walkie-Talkie from the app, then toggle it on or off from Control Center.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

If another person in your household wears an Apple Watch \u2014 and you live in a decently sized house \u2014 you should check out Walkie-Talkie. It gives you a faster way to talk to them than texting or calling, and it\u2019s less annoying than shouting in their general direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To set it up, open the Walkie-Talkie app and\u00a0Allow notifications. Tap the\u00a0Add button in the upper left corner to invite someone you know. Check to turn on Walkie-Talkie from the app or from Control Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To talk to someone, tap on their name, and your watch will ping the other person to pick up. If they\u2019re available, you can tap and hold the yellow button to speak to them using Walkie-Talkie. It\u2019s super-fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Set up Taptic Time
\n\"Turning<\/a>Many advanced Apple Watch features are buried in the Settings app \u2014 so tiny on the watch screen.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/p>\n

Looking at your wrist can send the wrong message in certain social situations. It can tell everyone around you that you\u2019re bored and itching to get away. That may be true, but you might not want everyone else to notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taptic Time lets your Apple Watch tell you the time through vibrations on your wrist so you don\u2019t need to look at it. Subtly, under a table, you can rest two fingers on the screen, and it\u2019ll count the time out for you. It\u2019ll do one long buzz for the tens, and a short buzz for the ones. So if it\u2019s 12:35 p.m., for example, the taps will be \u2014 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u2014 \u2014 \u2014 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7.<\/p>\n

To use it on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Clock > Taptic Time and turn it on. I have it set to\u00a0Digits. While it can be slow to read out higher numbers, it\u2019s the easiest to learn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more in our article: Get the time without even looking at your Apple Watch<\/a><\/p>\n

More on Apple Watch<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

D. Griffin Jones is a writer, podcaster<\/a> and video producer<\/a> for Cult of Mac. Griffin has been a passionate computer enthusiast since 2002, when he got his first PC \u2014 but since getting a Mac in 2008, he hasn\u2019t turned back. His skills in graphic and web design, along with video and podcast editing, are self-taught over 20+ years. Griffin has a bachelor\u2019s degree in computer science and has written several (unpublished) apps for Mac and iOS. His collection of old computers is made up of 40+ desktops, laptops, PDAs and devices, dating back to the early \u201980s. He brings all of these creative and technical skills, along with a deep knowledge of Apple history, into his work for Cult of Mac.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The small size and simplicity of the Apple Watch\u2019s screen might fool you into thinking there aren\u2019t a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[1313,61,60,202,80,16000],"class_list":["post-479930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-apple-watch","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mobile","tag-technology","tag-watchos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}