The new watch is all about the apps, they say. There’s a new App Store built right into the watch and the app experience has been reworked to make them easier to use on the wrist. You can now launch apps just like you would on your iPhone, with a press of the Digital Crown or a tap to the icon. Apps start faster, run smoother, and are generally much more responsive, according to Apple and that’s obviously welcome for an experience that was frustratingly slow at times.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Iwatch 4
AutoSleep
autosleep watch
AutoSleep is our favorite app for adding automatic sleep tracking to the Apple Watch.
Apple finally added sleep tracking to watchOS 7, but it’s a little lackluster. It only works during specific designated Sleep Mode hours, and it doesn’t give you much insight into the quality of your sleep. Fortunately, better sleep tracking is not hard to add with an app like AutoSleep, Sleep Watch, Sleep++, or Pillow. There are several good sleep-tracking apps to choose from, but most require either a substantial in-app purchase to make proper use of, or a subscription that can really add up.
That’s one reason we like AutoSleep. Not only does it work well and give you lots of great data, it’s just one up-front (and reasonable) price. No hidden upgrade in-app-purchases, no subscriptions, no ads. Just three bucks to add quality sleep automatic sleep tracking to your Apple Watch.
AutoSleep ($3.99)
Carrot Weather
carrot weather apple watch
Carrot Weather isn’t free, but it’s great.
There are plenty of good weather apps—many of which support Apple Watch—but Carrot Weather may be our favorite. It combines excellent weather forecasting (with data from Weather Underground or Dark Sky), lots of customization, and even achievements. The snarky evil robot voice helps make weather fun.
Apple Watch support is especially robust, with several different complications available and the ability to customize them in the app. You can even use multiple different complications at once with watchOS 7, and widgets with iOS 14. Carrot Weather was one of the first third-party apps to make use of the new corner complications on Apple Watch Series 4, and it gives you a card on the Siri watch face, too.
The only downside is that the app costs $4.99, and on top of that you have subscribe to a Premium Club membership for $0.99 a month or $4.99 a year to get notifications and background updates on Apple Watch. The cost is to cover the increased API usage of its data sources for features like real-time precipitation warnings. And some features are locked behind even more expensive subscription tiers.
Carrot Weather ($4.99, in-app purchases)
1Password
1password watch
1Password makes it easier to use strong security.
Apple has gotten a lot better about making Keychain and iCloud work together with Safari and apps to manage passwords, but if you ever step outside the Apple ecosystem for anything, you really ought to use a third-party password manager. This is doubly true if you have family members who should all be using password managers but would like to share passwords for certain services (like Netflix, for example).
One of our absolute favorites is 1Password, which offers top-notch security and ease of use along with robust tools across multiple platforms.
On your Apple Watch, 1Password can quickly show you passwords, credit card details, notes, and one-time passwords (for 2FA). With macOS Big Sur, you can even unlock 1Password with your Apple Watch on any Mac with a Secure Enclave chip (think: Macs with a T2 chip or the new M1-based Macs).
There’s a free 30-day trial, but then you’ll have to shell out $3 a month for an individual plan or $5 for a family plan. It’s well worth it.
1Password (free, in-app purchases)
Tiny Armies
tiny armies watch
Not a lot of games are well-suited to the tiny Apple Watch display, but Tiny Armies makes it work.
There aren’t a lot of games made for Apple Watch. And for good reason, as not many game designs really lend themselves to the very limited screen space and interactions available in that form factor.
Tiny Armies is a good exception. It is available for iPhone, but the extremely compact and simple design of this clever strategy game really shine on the Apple Watch. If you’re looking for a fun little distraction next time you’re waiting in line and don’t want to pull out your iPhone, give Tiny Armies a try.
Tiny Armies ($0.99)
PB: Lost Phone Alert
pb lost iphone watch
All we want is the ability to get alerts on our Apple Watch when we leave our iPhone behind.
Don’t you wish your Apple Watch could warn you when you leave your iPhone behind? It could just kick off a notification whenever you leave Bluetooth range.
That’s essentially what Phone Buddy Lost Phone Alert does. It’s a little more sophisticated than that—you can set a threshold of Bluetooth strength and set various limits (like the strength of the alarm or disabling it when on home Wi-Fi). But in essence, this app asks you to pay $5 for a feature that we think Apple should just build into watchOS and iOS already.
Is it worth it? If you’re the kind of person who walks off with your iPhone more than you’d like to, you don’t need an answer to that question, you’re already in the app store throwing your money at it.
PB: Lost Phone Alert ($4.99)
Things
things apple watch
It seems crazy to pay $10 for a task manager app, until you use it and it changes you life.
Things is one of the most well-received task managers around, and it’s easy to see why. It’s attractive, simple, clear, and easy to use. It does what any good task manager should: make it easy to jot down a new task, accomplish what you have to do today, and it stay out of your way the rest of the time. It’s an Apple Design Award winner, and it shows.
Things on the Apple Watch is great. Quickly add a to-do item to organize later on your iPhone. Look at today’s tasks, check off items as you do them, or postpone them for later with just a couple taps. It supports the Siri watch face, which is the perfect place to get daily task reminders.
Things isn’t cheap. At $9.99, it’s one of the more expensive iPhone apps of its type. But a really good task manager will save you time and help you get more done, without feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. That’s worth the price of a couple cups of coffee.
Things 3 ($9.99)
Streaks
streaks apple watch
Streaks helps you build good habits trough repetition.
Whether you want to lose weight, eat healthier, learn a new skill, or build any new good habit, the key to success is repetition. Going to the gym once a week isn’t going to change you, no matter how hard you work out. You’ll never learn guitar if you practice until your fingers bleed only once a month.
Streaks is a simple way to create custom reminders to do something each day (it can track up to 12 daily tasks). It will remind you when it’s time to do the task, and even check off tasks related to the Health app data automatically.
The Apple Watch app gives you rich notifications, plenty of complications, and great icons and colors to use in your custom activities.
Streaks ($4.99)
Citymapper
citymapper apple watch
If you live in one of Citymapper’s supported cities, it is a must-have app.
Citymapper is an absolutely amazing transit app. It gives you bus and subway times, alerts you to service outages, helps you plot trips, and so much more. It works by grabbing public data feeds from dozens of city transit agencies. It’s won all kinds of App of the Year awards, and for good reason.
On Apple Watch it’s even better. With a glance at your wrist you can see where to go next, which bus or train to get on, and when it’s coming. It can be hard to fiddle with your phone on crowded transit, but a glance at your wrist can show you what stop you’re supposed to get off at.
The downside to Citymapper is that, since it relies on public transit data, it’s only available in a couple dozen cities. It’s perfect if you live in, or are traveling to, a huge metropolitan area, but not of much use to anyone else.
Citymapper (free, in-app purchases)
Spotify
spotify apple watch
Spotify can stream directly from your watch, no iPhone needed.
An app like Spotify needs no introduction. It is arguably the most popular music streaming service in the world, and it has increasingly become the place where people listen to their favorite podcasts.
It has always been hard to recommend Spotify to Apple Watch enthusiasts, because it couldn’t stream music or podcasts on its own—you had to use your phone and merely control playback from your watch.
Now, as long as you’re a Spotify Premium user ($12.99 per month, though bundles and discounts exist), you can stream music and podcasts directly from the watch without your iPhone nearby. Just the thing for fitness enthusiasts who have a cellular model Apple Watch and like to go for a run or ride without their iPhone.
Spotify (free, in-app purchases)
Night Sky
night sky apple watch
Your Apple Watch can be a surprisingly useful astronomy tool.
Night Sky is one of our favorite iPhone and iPad apps. If you’ve ever looked up and wondered “what star or planet is that?” then Night Sky is for you. It does so much more, too. There are several slick AR modes, notifications for watching the international space station fly overhead, Siri Shortcuts… you don’t have to be an astronomy fan to fall in love with this app.
You might not think a sky chart on your watch would be useful, but you’d be wrong. Just raise your wrist to the sky and move it around to quickly find and identify objects in the sky. When your watch is down, it turns into a sort of “sky compass” that points you in the direction of stuff worth looking at. It’s almost like magic.
Best apps for apple watch series 3
Water Reminder
best apple watch apps: water reminder
(Image credit: Water Reminder)
Water Reminder is the one Apple Watch app everyone should be using, and that’s why it’s the best Apple Watch app overall. Even with the best water bottle, staying hydrated is hard when you’re facing a busy schedule, so this app will notify you if you’ve gone a little too long without water.
How does it know? As you drink water or other beverages throughout the day, you log the amount of liquid you’re consuming on your wrist. First, you need to download Water Reminder on either your iPhone or Apple Watch. You’ll then be prompted to configure your settings. The app gives you the option to sync with Apple Health for your age, weight and height information, or you can input that data manually. You’ll also be asked to enter your activity level, climate and personal goals.
Download Water Reminder for Apple Watch (free)
MapMyRun
best apple watch apps: MapMyRun
(Image credit: MapMyRun)
Under Armour’s workout-tracking app is one of the best workout apps on the iPhone, and it’s one of the best Apple Watch apps, too. If you’ve ever used MapMyRun to log your miles, continuing to train with the watch app is a no-brainer.
MapMyRun uses the watch’s built-in GPS and heart rate monitor to track a variety of workouts, including outdoor and treadmill runs, walks and bike rides. The app displays your distance, duration, pace and heart rate throughout each workout. MapMyRun can be connected to Under Armour’s MyFitnessPal app for a well-rounded look at your health and activity. That’s useful if you’re watching your weight or trying to meet a training goal.
MapMyRun can be paired to Under Armour’s lineup of Bluetooth-equipped shoes for more advanced details like whether you land on the ball of your foot or your heel as you pound the pavement. We recommend this app if you want your Apple Watch to be one of the best running watches.
Download MapMyRun for Apple Watch (free)
Nike Run Club
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best apple watch apps: Nike Run Club
(Image credit: Nike Run Club)
Nike’s relationship with Apple runs deep: The two companies partner on a Nike+ edition of the Apple Watch, which includes a specially designed Nike sport watch band and a watch face that puts the company’s Nike Run Club watch app front and center. But you don’t have to buy the Nike model to start using the Nike Run Club app, one of the best Apple Watch apps for running.
The free app, which is also one of the best running apps, logs stats like distance, pace, splits, heart rate and more. It also offers free audio-guided runs, customized coaching plans to help you meet your goals, and a social element that lets friends cheer you on.
Download Nike Run Club for Apple Watch (free)
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Strava
best apple watch apps: Strava
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Runners and cyclists who use Strava will love the Apple Watch version of the app. You don’t need to carry your phone with you to log miles thanks to the Apple Watch’s built-in GPS. With a cellular version of the Apple Watch, you can stream music and take calls while out on the trail.
The Strava watch app itself is fairly basic: It records runs, bike rides and swims, and displays data like heart rate, mileage and pace. The Strava iPhone app is more fully featured, but you have the option to use the Apple Watch’s native Workout app to track a run or a ride and then export that data to Strava using a separate iOS app, HealthFit ($2.99).
Download Strava for Apple Watch (free)
ViewRanger
best apple watch apps: ViewRanger
(Image credit: ViewRanger)
ViewRanger is among the best Apple Watch apps for outdoor sport enthusiasts. If you’ve opted for an Apple Watch instead of one of the best Garmin watches or best GPS watches, you can use ViewRanger to improve how well your wearable knows your surroundings.
You can use ViewRanger to send outdoor routes (and related offline maps) from your iPhone to Apple Watch. On your wrist, you can follow turn-by-turn directions, see photographs of landmarks and read route facts, all while seeing your GPS location. Your hiking, biking and trail running activity will also sync with Apple Health to fill your Activity rings.
Download ViewRanger for Apple Watch (free)
GoPoop
best apple watch apps: GoPoop
(Image credit: GoPoop)
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Physical health isn’t limited to physical movement. There’s another kind of… movement… that’s a good indicator of what’s going on with your body. Though it might sound gross, logging your bowel movements can help you see whether you’re on the right track with your activity, diet and more.
Using the data gathered by your observations, GoPoop will keep track of the last time you went, as well as offer actionable advice based on your recordings. The app adheres to the Bristol Stool Scale, a widely-followed research tool used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for gut and bowel conditions, too.
Download GoPoop for Apple Watch (free)
MENTAL WELLNESS
Beyond physical health, the Apple Watch can help you manage mental health. While Apple’s native Mindfulness app is useful for breathwork and reflection, these are the best Apple Watch apps for taking your mental health journey one step further.
Headspace
best apple watch apps: Headspace
(Image credit: Headspace)
The popular meditation app Headspace puts guided breathing and meditation sessions on the wrist. If you’re trying to cut down on your phone use, this is one of the best Apple Watch apps for detoxing.
You can choose from quick 1-minute meditation mini-sessions or full 10-minute sessions to get your day started or take a break from the grind of daily life. Headspace offers a curated selection of free sessions; a premium subscription ($12 per month, or $70 per year) unlocks hundreds of sessions, including SOS sessions for easing anxiety in stressful moments.
Download Headspace for Apple Watch (free)
Calm
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best apple watch apps: calm
(Image credit: Calm)
Similar to Headspace, Calm is a versatile guided meditation app designed to be able to offer something for beginners and meditation veterans alike, with sessions ranging from 3 to 25 minutes. Those sessions cover a variety of topics, including calming down anxiety and de-stressing, building focus, self-esteem, and helping you get into the right mindset for a comfortable sleep.
As usual with the best Apple Watch apps, there’s limited features for free tier users. Calm’s premium subscriptions start at $14.99 a month and unlock Daily Calm meditations, sleep aids, masterclasses and exclusive music tracks and meditations. Health-care provider Kaiser Permanente offers free access to Calm to its 12.4 million members as well.
Download Calm for Apple Watch (free)
MUSIC AND PODCAST
You don’t need your iPhone to stream music and podcasts from your wrist. While you can’t actually listen to audio content aloud from your Apple Watch’s built-in speakers, you can use your smartwatch to search and control content to play through any of the best wireless headphones. Here are the best Apple Watch apps for music and podcasts.
Apple Music
best apple watch apps: Apple Music
(Image credit: Apple Music)
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It’s not a big surprise that Apple offers the best Apple Watch app for music. Apple Music is one of the few streaming music services that doesn’t offer a free tier, but if you pony up for a monthly subscription, you can listen to all of your favorite tunes on the Apple Watch. With an LTE watch and a separate data plan, you can stream songs even without your phone nearby.
You can also download Apple Music playlists to the watch for offline listening without an LTE plan, which is useful if you prefer to work out unencumbered by your iPhone. Just pair some Bluetooth earbuds to the watch and hit the ground running.
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