7 hidden features on your Apple Watch you should start using right now

(Image credit: Future)

Whether you’ve got a budget Apple Watch SE 2, the do-it-all Series 10, or the best Apple Watch on the market, there are a plethora of staple features that make the Apple Watch the popular wearable it is today.

But while there are plenty of Apple Watch features that everyone knows about, as is often the case with Apple there are a ton of cool, unique features buried behind various settings doors and underneath various buttons.

Chances are, at least one or two of these could completely change your day-to-day experience, or a least put a smile on your face – so here are 7 hidden features on your Apple Watch, and how to find them.

1. Monogram your Apple Watch face

You can customize your Apple Watch by picking your favorite watch face and tweaking the complications and colors that appear, making your Apple Watch your own. But if you want a truly unique and personal touch, you can actually add your own monogram that will appear on your Apple Watch display.

You can add up to five characters or symbols to your Apple Watch face for that finishing touch, although this feature is only available with certain faces.

Head to the Apple Watch app, select My Watch > Clock > Monogram, and type in your desired letters. Then activate the monogram complication on the Typograph, Infograph, Meridian, California, or Color watch faces to display your unique logo.

2. Camera viewfinder

You can use the Camera Remote app on your Apple Watch not just to take photos with your iPhone, but also as a viewfinder. As you may know, you can set up your iPhone for a photo, take your place in the shot, and then take the photo using the button on your watch's screen. You can also control the flash and set a shutter timer too.

But did you also know you can use the viewfinder as a remote camera? Suppose you’re doing DIY – you can stick your phone’s camera down a hard-to-reach hole and use your Apple Watch to see what’s going on.

Doing electrical work and not sure which breaker switch to throw? Leave your iPhone behind in the room, go through the switches one by one, and use your Watch to see when the light or appliance goes off. You can also use the feature to look at hard-to-reach shelves or at the cables behind your TV.

3. Apple Watch Music Detection/Shazam

While you probably know about Shazam and finding songs with your iPhone, Apple Watch has a dedicated Music Recognition feature that leverages Shazam’s tech to identify songs right on your wrist.

In your Watch’s Privacy and Security settings, select Microphone and make sure Music Detection is set to on. Now, your Apple Watch can detect songs playing nearby, and you can access Shazam directly from the Smart Stack (swipe up) to search for the song in a split second, all without your phone.

4. Handwashing Timer

While the Apple Watch Handwashing timer is a pandemic relic, personal hygiene is no less important than it was a few years ago. In your Apple Watch Settings app, tap Handwashing, then switch on the Handwashing Timer.

Now, your Apple Watch will automatically detect when you’ve started washing your hands, starting a 20-second timer so you can give your hands the thorough clean recommended by most global health organizations.

5. Unlock your Mac

If you’ve got a MacBook, did you know you can use your Apple Watch to unlock your device without entering a password? You can use the feature by bringing an unlocked Apple Watch very close to your locked Mac.

Both will need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and you’ll need to be using the same Apple Account, with 2FA turned on. You also need your Watch passcode turned on. Once you’ve sorted all that, you’ll never have to type in your Mac’s password again.

6. Tip calculator on Apple Watch

Out for dinner with friends and family? The Apple Watch’s built-in Calculator app has a dedicated tip feature. Simply open the Calculator app, enter the bill amount using the numbers, and then press Tip.

Use the Digital Crown to select a percentage, and voila! You can even specify how many people are paying, to work out what each person owes if you’re splitting the bill evenly, including the tip.

7. Control Apple TV

The iPhone Apple TV remote is a life-saver for all those times the Apple TV remote disappears down the back of the couch, but did you know that the feature also exists on Apple Watch?

Head to the Remote app on Apple Watch, select your Apple TV and enter the passcode shown on your TV to pair the two. Then simply open up the Remote app to start controlling your TV. You can scroll through menus by swiping, select by tapping, mute and unmute audio, and even control captions.