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Along this topic of Apple Watch, does anyone have a "killer"/"can't live without now"/"actually makes the watch more useful" app they use (other than watchOS de

• todd3834 4y ago
  Mostly defaults for me. Music and fitness tracker. Closest is when I’m trying to do a workout circuit and I don’t have my phone I use Seconds. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seconds-pro-interval-timer/id363978811 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seconds-pro-interval-timer/id3... However I prefer to use Seconds on the phone so I can see the timer without looking at my wrist.
• bern4444 4y ago
  My take is the watch is more successful because I don't need any special apps to take full advantage of it. I love what apple has built around it - health and fitness monitoring primarily but also siri integration (setting reminders, alarms, timers etc). Generally on the health and fitness aspects the only accessories I find useful are a connected scale and connected blood pressure monitor (both from withings). The data is shared from the withings app to the health app (and I don't let the withings app read any data from health) so I can see that info along with everything else. I do wish either the health or fitness apps on iPhone had better analytics, data visualization, and comparison tools or made them easier to find. They do have some good ones but it takes more taps than I'd like and I wish there were more breakdowns.
  • dpflan 4y ago
    Agree. You're using products from https://www.withings.com/us/en/ https://www.withings.com/us/en/ ?
    • bern4444 4y ago
      Yup! I have one of their scales and BP Monitors. Makes it very easy to track this data over the longterm automatically - especially BP which I can then show my doctor at my annual physical of how I'm doing especially since white coat syndrome can affect readings they take. I find having this data very motivating and I can use it to calibrate my days and weeks.
• voisin 4y ago
  Podcasts via Overcast. Though syncing sucks. I just find the app much better than Apple Podcasts. What do you think is preventing more development for the watch?
  • madeofpalk 4y ago
    APIs and connectivity suck. Apple Watch strongly prefers getting it's internet over bluetooth from your phone rather than faster wifi, so save energy.
  • rhinoceraptor 4y ago
    I believe Marco (Overcast creator) said if you disable bluetooth on your phone (likely in settings, not from control center), the watch will stop trying to sync slowly over bluetooth, and switch to wifi.
• MrFoof 4y ago
  Deliveries. Getting the bong on my wrist that something (and what it was) was dropped off has always been super useful, and it’s the exact kind of thing where being interrupted is useful.
• kstrauser 4y ago
  WorkOutDoors is brilliant for offline mapping. I’d used it as a running tracker until very recently when I went back to the builtin Workout app (just because it’s simpler and builtin). The builtin Compass app is decent now for setting waypoints and tracking your hikes so you can find your way back. WorkOutDoors is great at both of those, but also allows you to upload maps from your phone so that you still get good trail coverage even when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, so long as you’ve planned ahead a little.
  • browningstreet 4y ago
    WorkOutDoors is also my answer to this question. I can provide more controls to my runs and hikes than the native apps. I do heart rate zone running, and can set low and high heart rate alerts. Loading GPX files for hikes is also really handy. Ping authentication is really nice.. I can leave my phone anywhere in the house and still validate VPN authentication requests. Wallet -- wrist tap to pay. These alone would keep the watch on my wrist. That Google doesn't let me authenticate Gmail app 2FA by phone seems.. silly (does it? have I missed that?).
    • kstrauser 4y ago
      Apple Watch + WOD/Workout + Wallet + Air Prods Pro + Music is go good for runs. I have music, I can say “Hey Siri, remind me to…” when inspiration hits, and I can stop to buy a bottle of water if I want.
    • officeplant 4y ago
      >That Google doesn't let me authenticate Gmail app 2FA by phone seems.. silly Do you mean by watch? From what I'm aware google prompt only works in the google/gmail applications for iOS.
      • browningstreet 4y ago
        Yes, that's what I meant. Which is a shame.. it'd be nice you could use the watch like I do with Ping.
• ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  The most important thing, for me, is the ability to keep my phone on silent, and to respond to calls. I've written Watch apps (It's a pain in the ass). I haven't really found a compelling driver for it, though. That might change, as the hardware improves.
• bjtitus 4y ago
  I could live without, but these are the main non-Apple ones I use everyday: - SmartGym for tracking reps without my phone. - Paprika with my grocery list. Much easier to flip over my wrist while pushing a cart than pull a phone out. - Pocket Casts for selecting podcasts on a dog walk. Honestly, none are worth buying an Apple Watch for but the notifications & built-in fitness tracking are really the selling points anyway.
• tullidil 4y ago
  AutoSleep has been invaluable to me. To the best of my knowledge stock watchOS won't track sleep unless you set or schedule the Bedtime mode, which is annoying -I might forget to toggle it each night, or the schedule will kick in when I plan on staying up. AutoSleep automatically detects whenever I go to bed and wake up, along with history/metrics for a flat fee and no subscription. I don't deeply trust many of the metrics but anecdotally it's very accurate for the amount I'm sleeping, which is mainly what I'm concerned with
  • pmarreck 4y ago
    I can second the utility of AutoSleep for sleep sufferers
    • ChickenNugger 4y ago
      Can you elaborate? What's the utility? And not to be pedantic, but what do you mean by sleep sufferers?
      • pmarreck 4y ago
        The utility of knowing more precisely when I started and stopped sleeping with adjustable sensitivity. “Sleep sufferers” as in insomniacs and sleep-apnea folks. I’m lucky to be both. :/
  • ghaff 4y ago
    I had a Beddit which was a device made by a company that Apple bought. I find the sleep tracking and general activity tracking at least vaguely interesting. Though if I have a bad night's sleep I know it--sometimes better than the Watch indicates. But the more we can track things and be aware of those things changing, the better I guess. With the Ultra's battery life I have found using the Apple Watch most days and nights a more matter of habit experience.
• threeseed 4y ago
  * AutoSleep - sleep tracking. * Stocard - gym / loyalty cards.
  • ASalazarMX 4y ago
    I tried to use it as a sleep monitor, but you have to plan your charging carefully because it won't last a full day and night on a single charge. Also, despite it knowing I was sleeping, it would randomly vibrate when I received whatsapps during the night, so I needed to remember to put it to sleep before sleeping myself. Speaking of messaging, I monitored several whatsapp groups, but I don't need to answer all messages. I did that on my PC; if I received a notification in my PC, but didn't interact with it, my phone would ding a few second later, and if I ignored that too, my watch would ding/vibrate a few seconds later. This is probably Meta's implementation, but getting triple notifications made day-to-day a bit more annoying. I also tried to use it to track exercise, which I usually do at home. I saw no advantages compared to regular timing and counting, and didn't find the gamification of exercise engaging, because I was already doing it. I got the watch during the pandemic, primarily for the oxymeter and ECG in case I had COVID (which I had). The oxymeter worked well, but the ECG wasn't enabled in my country until late 2022. Maybe it's become better now, but I sold mine before it became too old. Except for the automatic health monitoring, it made things a bit more of a hassle instead of making them simpler.
    • boringg 4y ago
      New watch has multiple days on battery charge + super fast charging. Autosleep is pretty helpful to be honest.
    • dwighttk 4y ago
      Re triple notification… Do you want to get those notifications in all three places in case you only have one of the devices with you? I’d just turn WhatsApp notifications off everywhere but my computer if I were you (if I were me I’d just turn them ALL off ;)
      • Aloha 4y ago
• syzarian 4y ago
  I don’t like carrying a phone around and have a cellular plan for my watch. For me that is the killer feature.
  • pasc1878 4y ago
    Yes that. But also nice to allow the watch to act as a wifi hub so that I can if needed carry an iPad if I need to look at things.
    • dcdevito 4y ago
      [dead]
    • desro 4y ago
      Wait, are you saying you are able to let the iPad connect to a hotspot shared by the Apple Watch alone? That would be really cool, but I can't find anything online supporting the claim. I've got all the hardware, too...
      • pasc1878 4y ago
        No. I thought the thread was what would be the killer feature that you wanted. Which is not what this part is about.
• seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  Mobile payments. Just tap my watch to the NFC terminal. That alone is worth it, although other phones could do that. Apple key is also useful, just in case I forget my key fob.
  • xxs 4y ago
    pretty much any half-decent watch can do that nowadays. I'd not trust a no name brand w/ bank card details but the feature is not exclusive in any way.
    • seanmcdirmid 4y ago
      Sure, someday we will even be able to unlock my car with my watch, since I think Android is developing something similar to Apple key. But it is a killer feature that makes the watch a must have, and since I'm on the iOS stack, it might as well be an apple watch.
• tehnub 4y ago
  Repeat Timer Pro. It lets me set 25 second timers every 25 minutes, for as many intervals as I want. I use it to encourage myself to rest my eyes and stretch my legs for 25 seconds every 25 minutes. It notifies me with just a little vibration. I think it cost $5, but there are probably free apps that do this too.
• hangonhn 4y ago
  The cellular modem plus Workout app plus Airpods Pro have been amazing for me. I can either talk to my friend while running. He's running in NYC and I'm running in the Bay Area so we do virtual running together. The accountability keeps each other honest. I've been able to consistently run nearly every Saturday for over a year now because of this. I'm a weight weenie when it comes to running and don't want to have to carry my phone with me.
• Razengan 4y ago
  I just like wearing a watch that's more than just a watch.
• jmull 4y ago
  There are multiple apps I "can't live without" but they are all default apps. (Not really "can't live without" but that, to me, justify the cost of buying and the routine of wearing.) I do sometimes want to track or do some things in a certain way that the default apps don't... but I can ever seem to find an existing app to do it either. The apps exist but don't work the way I want any better than the built-in ones. (Since I'm a developer, I sometimes whip up a prototype watch app myself, though I have to admit that while some have proved useful for a while, none have become a killer app for me, no matter how much I thought I wanted it originally. I do like my couch to 5K app.)
  • ghaff 4y ago
    I can't help but feel there could be a better hiking app out there but I've tried the usual suspects and end up just coming back to the default exercise app.
• theshrike79 4y ago
  Cellular calls that actually work are amazing for the watch, especially on vacation. I can call my SO from the pool to bring more bee... sun tan lotion. I can also use the watch to pay for stuff anywhere. I can go on a jog and reward myself with ice cream half way (stupid: yes, fun: also yes) without needing to carry my phone or wallet with me. That combined with a list of curated apps that can notify me on the watch help me not check my phone as often. If my watch vibrates it's something I actually need to take action on, and it's easier to quickly glance at it compared to a phone.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• officeplant 4y ago
  Can't say I've found anything. Even the default apps leave a lot to be desired (like lacking note dictation to Siri on default watch apps) I like that the watch provides some benefits like sleep tracking + vibrating alarm for a calmer wakeup, and buzzing on my wrist while using maps on silent to remind me a turn is coming. I can live without the benefits the watch provides. Sometimes I take it off for days because I find wearing watches hurts/annoys my wrists (I had pocket watches until cellphones/PDA's took over for this reason). Although I am amazed that it's more comfortable than other smart watches/fitness bands I've tried to wear in the past.
• kamens 4y ago
  Heh -- Apple Watch + Loop (https://github.com/LoopKit/Loop https://github.com/LoopKit/Loop) handles all my insulin dosing, so technically definitely a killer app that I can't live w/out. I've turned off all other features/notifications on my Apple Watch, it just does this, and it's the most valuable product I use (since I no longer have to pull out an insulin pump in a meeting, look at some other screen to see glucose values, etc etc etc).