The Apple Watch has a lot of tricks up its sleeve almost right out of the box. With minimal effort, you can use this wearable device as a digital wallet with Apple Pay, make calls to your favourite people from your wrist and track your fitness activity. If your loved one has an Apple Watch, you can share sketches and even your heartbeat. But it’s only once you start downloading apps that you begin to tap the true potential of Apple’s first smartwatch.
From ordering Uber cars to controlling your home lights, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know the Apple Watch could do.
Step One
Control Your Home Temp - There isn't a Nest app for the Apple Watch — at least not yet — but you can control your home temperature using the Honeywell Lyric app. In combination with Honeywell's $249 smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature as well as activate Out of Town mode with a tap to save money. The Glances feature provides a real-time view of your abode's conditions.
Step Two
Hail an Uber ride - When you need a ride and you don't feel like whipping out your phone, the Uber app on the iPhone can let you order an Uber vehicle right on the spot. The app will show you how close the nearest vehicle is, and you can just tap the Apple Watch's screen to make a request. You'll be able to see the driver's face on the app, as well as track his or her progress to your location on a map.
Step Three
Order Lunch with Seamless - Sometimes, you just don't have time to run out and grab lunch or dinner, and you just don't want to think about it. The Seamless app for Apple Watch couldn't be simpler — as long as you don't mind reordering something you've had before. You can quickly access previous order details from your wrist and then track your food once you've placed your renewed order.
Step Four
Climate Control (or Find) Your Car - With the BMW i Remote app, you can check the charge status of your i8 plug-in hybrid ($136,500 MSRP) or i3 electric car ($42,400 MSRP) and heat up or cool down your car as you're getting ready to leave. You can also remotely honk the car's horn, which is great for finding it in a parking lot.Don't own a Beamer? Porsche has an Apple Watch app, and there are ones coming from Hyundai and Volkswagen.
Step Five
Get a Tour Guide on Your Wrist - Want to be a tourist without looking like one? Check out History Here, an app that lets you learn about nearby historical landmarks, including museums, famous homes and architecture. Once you find something interesting, you can tap to read a quick description and then get directions by linking to the Maps app on the Apple Watch. Just be sure to turn this app off when you're not playing tourist, as the alerts can get annoying after a while.
Step Six
Translate on the Fly - Très bien! With iTranslate, you can use the Apple's Watch integrated voice recognition to translate words and phrases to one of 90+ languages. For instance, you can say, "Where is the nearest bathroom?" into the watch, and "¿Dónde está el baño más cercano?" will appear on the screen, which you can show to someone to get help. iTranslate for Apple Watch doesn't say phrases aloud as the iPhone app does, but it's a convenient tool to have in your arsenal when you're traveling.