Alongside a brand new Apple Watch Series 6 and cheaper Apple Watch SE model, the iPhone maker also launched some cool new features for the smartwatch line aimed at families.
Apple Watch Family Set Up will let people set up multiple Apple Watch devices, controlled and monitored from one iPhone account. In other words, Mums and Dads can strap an Apple Watch on their children, or vulnerable older relatives, and keep an eye on where they are and what they’re doing right from their iPhone.
The device manager can control contacts on the timepieces, get automatic location notifications and keep a track of the wearer’s vital signs from a distance, too. In other words, there’s no way your kids will be able to get away with bunking off school without your knowing it.
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School time
It’s not all Mum-as-Big-Brother for the little ones though – they’ll also be able to track their own activities, such as workouts, and create Memoji to play with.
And if they want to prove that they have been doing their homework, there’s a school-time mode (complete with a distinct watchface that teachers will know isn’t a Watch game) that they can activate to track revision, lessons and more.
Apple Watch Family Set Up will work with Apple Watch series 4 devices and newer, meaning parents can offer hand-me-down watches to family members. But note that the LTE versions of the Watch are required, or those remote notifications just wouldn’t work. It’ll be launching 12 nations around the world, including the United States and the UK.
