Here are ten awesome Apple Watch apps. We’ve got some fun diversions, some seriously efficient work tools, and quite a few in between. Enjoy!
Workflow
Workflow is an automation app, letting you write simple or complex macros. You might read out the latest articles from The New York Times, share a GIF or tweet the last photo you took. Being able to trigger these macros from your wrist is really handy, particularly for things that rely on your voice – like taking a memo or doing a quick translation. It’s a little similar – but more user friendly – than If This, Then That (IFTTT).
Bail Me Out
Here’s a fun one. This app gets you out of meetings and bad dates – you’ll just hit the ‘bail’ button on your watch, and a couple of seconds later you’ll get a phone call. Then all you have to say is “Oh sorry, I need to take this!” and you’re away scot-free. Maybe. The calls cost money – 3 calls for a dollar or 10 for three dollars – but (hopefully) you won’t need to deploy this option too frequently!
Hours
Hours is a time tracking app. No, not like a watch – in the sense of tracking the amount of time you’re spending on something. For example, if you’re billing your clients by the hour, it would make sense to have a precise and easy count of the time you’ve spent working, right? If you want to live a more efficient life, then Hours seems a clever solution. The Watch app is the main idea distilled, with ways to start and stop timers for various activities, and add notes using your voice.
GIF GIF GIF
This one’s pretty straight-forward: find and save GIFs from your wrist. You can search the archives at website Giphy by keyword (“cute panda sneeze”), then save them to be used later for sharing. You can also set a GIF to be available as a glance, so you can be that guy that shows everyone kitten GIFs on your wrist.
Foursquare
Foursquare is an app that you’ve definitely heard of, but you might not know it’s now available for the Apple Watch too. The app works really nicely, letting you find food, coffee, nightlife, fun with a single tap. You’ll also get notifications about new or highly rated places nearby, and if you enter a restaurant you’ll see what other users have recommended. It all works quite seamlessly.
Human
Human is intended to get you up and moving throughout the day, using the sensors on the Apple Watch and the iPhone to detect how much you’re moving. Human is also a social network, showing your friends’ activity so that you’re encouraged to keep up – or leave your friends in the metaphorical dust. You’ll get inspiring messages throughout the day too, and hitting your goals will unlock pretty photos to be displayed under these words.
Clear
Clear is (yet another) todo list app. So, what’s the wrinkle? Well, Clear is beautifully designed, uses gestures to let you minimise the time in-app, and provides reminders to keep you on track. On Watch, it’s much as you’d expect – you can tick off tasks as you do them, add new tasks via voice, and receive reminders to do certain things as you go about your day. The idea is straightforward, but the level of polish is what makes Clear worth your time.
Geek Watch
Geek Watch is the easiest way to make your shiny new Apple Watch look like those Casio calculator watches from the 80s and 90s. You can do all the standard calculator things – spell out naughty or mundane words upside down, actually perform calculations – as well as buy different themes.
Atmos
Here’s another beautiful take on a common app. Atmos is a weather app, with a beautiful flat and modern design. You’ll get hourly forecasts, glanceable summaries, hyper-local forecasts and all the stats on precipitation that you’d ever want. I’m quite impressed with the quality of Atmos, and it definitely rivals my old favourite Dark Sky when it comes to weather on the Apple Watch.
Calcbot
Our final Apple Watch app is another calculator – but this one is a lot more useful. Calcbot lets you do the normal calculator stuff, but this time with a modern design that makes use of the limited space available on the Watch. Calcbot also includes currency and unit conversions, and there’s even a mode that lets you calculate tips and split bills without knowing any maths at all. Right on.
Conclusion
Ten Apple Watch apps later, and we’ve reached our conclusion! Thanks for taking a look at our recommendations, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below. You can also write to us on Twitter @mobilefun and on Facebook at Love Your Mobile.