The Apple Watch Ultra inspires in practice, not just outside the door. The best tips and tricks. With the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple released a very robust model designed for outdoor fans this late summer, which impresses with its long battery life. We have found several tricks in practice that make life with the watch even nicer – some also apply to other models.
Load Fast—But Not That Fast
The matter is complex. In our test of the Apple Watch Ultra, we complained that it didn’t charge as quickly as Apple had promised. There was talk of 80 percent charging in one hour, but we only got 60 percent of the maximum battery capacity set in 60 minutes. Apple explains that fast charging may take a bit of time under natural conditions – 80 percent in one hour is the maximum value. We repeated the experiment several times and came to some conclusions. Because it can be the cable if the charge remains below expectations after an hour.
Assuming the braided cable that came with the watch, we’ve also had success with the quick-charge line with our Apple Watch Series 7, which was even a bit quicker. The state of charge of the watch is also essential: An empty Apple Watch takes longer to charge 80 percentage points than one with a residual amount. It is, therefore, better not to let your Apple Watch Ultra run empty, so you can be more sure of having 40 percentage points more in the battery within half an hour. And, of course, you also need a charger with sufficient power. A charger with a nominal capacity of 30 watts, such as that sold by Apple, is enough in any case.
Bracelet: The Old Ones Fit
You can also buy a new watch with a new bracelet, and the “Alpine,” “Trail,” and “Ocean” models offered with the Apple Watch Ultra are also available separately for 99 euros each. They also fit older Apple Watch models, the larger ones measuring 42, 44 or 45 millimeters. That helped us immensely in our test because the Alpine wristband size “Small” didn’t fit all testers well. It’s tiny. The reverse also applies: Old bracelets for large watches also fit the new Apple Watch Ultra.
Bracelet: Solo Loop – Measure Size First
While we managed just about to slip the medium-sized through the small Alpine strap and buckle it on the wrist, we won’t be able to do that on inappropriate solo loops. The loops without a fastener are very elegant but no longer adjustable. They are available in nine sizes. Before ordering, you should determine the correct size. Apple provides a tool for this, more precisely, a form you can download from Apple’s Store. If you put it around your wrist, you can see the correct size on the strip. Alternatively, you can measure the circumference of your wrist with a tape measure.
What Time Is It – And If So, What Time?
Anyone who owns several Apple Watches will find a practical function in the watch app on the iPhone. Because most of the time you only wear one watch, notifications or your internet connection only forwards the iPhone to one. With the “Switch automatically” switch in the “All Apple Watches” menu, you can set the Apple Watch you are wearing to immediately connect to the iPhone when you unlock it on your wrist. This disconnects the other watches paired with the iPhone until you put them back on.
Temperature Measurement: Don’t Just Spend One Night Together
For the Apple Watch Ultra and the Series 8, Apple has promised a new feature: temperature measurement. It would help if you didn’t imagine this as precise as a clinical thermometer. Still, you get a good idea of the temperature measured on the wrist, both qualitatively and quantitatively. To calibrate the temperature sensors, however, Apple says you have to wear the Apple Watch for several nights, including at least five. We needed a total of seven nights, two of which the watch might have been too loose on the wrist.
Only when a sleep focus is set, for example, with a specific definition of the hours of sleep, does the Apple Watch 8 or Ultra also start calibrating, but you don’t have to set anything else. Since the calibration, the Health app on the iPhone has shown us the approximate wrist temperature and provides information on whether and how far this deviates from our average value. The data can be found under “Discover” in the “Health categories” area behind the “Body measurements” button.
The temperature should be determined more precisely for family planning, but a deviating body temperature can be an early symptom of infections of all kinds. In case of doubt, the following applies here: measuring with a clinical thermometer is better. As with the measurement of blood oxygen, this is a wellness feature and not an exact medical measurement. But be careful: Even after calibration, the watch only measures at night, as we can see from our data: We mostly spent the nights at the beginning of November without a watch.
Slept Well
Sleep tracking also falls into the wellness category. You should not expect an exact measurement of your night’s sleep, but the data can give the first indications of problems such as sleep apnea. When it comes to gamifying health data, Apple hasn’t stopped short of measuring sleep – the Apple Watch and the Health app also praise you when you’ve reached your sleep goal. We only achieve some goals so quickly in our sleep.
Also Read: Facebook Ads Vs. Instagram Ads: Which Platform To Choose?
Magnet Doesn’t Like
For outdoor athletes, Apple has released three new straps for the Apple Watch Ultra for trekking, alpine hiking and diving. What these three have in common is that they don’t interfere with a particular application: the compass, which you probably don’t need underwater for outdoor sports. As Apple explains in a support document, wristband magnets can logically impair the compass’s function. This affects, for example, the leather bracelet with a magnetic end piece, which is hardly ever worn on mountain tours anyway. But even some older sports bands can contribute to compass confusion.
Looking For Easter Eggs In spectacular Nature
Apple is notorious for hiding funny or relevant clues in the fine print. It is no different from the Apple Watch Ultra. Apple points to California landmarks in a rather unusual way – the Apple Watch Ultra is meant to lead the way literally. For example, the watch’s packaging contains geographic coordinates right in the center of Apple Park. Other coasts, mountains and deserts can be found in different dials that Apple uses to advertise its ultra bracelets.
Two-Year Guarantee
Apple is serious about the Apple Watch Ultra as one of Cupertino’s most enduring devices. The manufacturer backs the watch with a two-year limited warranty as its only product. iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch Series 8 and SE would have to settle for one year of the manufacturer’s limited warranty.
Colorful Pictures – Insufficient Data
A tip that applies to all Apple Watch models: Measuring the heart rate is made more difficult by tattoos. Since Apple also uses the data from the heart rate measurement to check whether it is also on a wrist, tattooed people often find the Apple Watch in a locked state. The watch cannot be used in the long run. But you don’t have to part with the tattoos on your wrist again in an expensive, lengthy and painful procedure. In principle, there are two simple options.
First: wear the watch on the other wrist, as long as this is free of annoying pigments. To do this, go to the settings in the Watch app on the iPhone and change the orientation of the Apple Watch from one wrist to the other under “General” optionally, you can also change the orientation by moving the digital crown to the left or right side grabs. The other option is thin, lens-shaped stickers that you stick under the watch’s sensors. The light is scattered a little and may reach areas of the skin that are less colored.
Five Tips Within Tips
Apple supplies a tips app with the Apple Watch that collects five simple tips on how to use it. For the sake of completeness, in the letter:
- Get a better view of apps by long-pressing the honeycomb layout. You can now switch to the list view, where the apps are arranged alphabetically.
- You can quickly access the recently opened apps by pressing the side button.
- You can also reach the emergency call via the side button. After a long press, you can choose between switching off, displaying the emergency card and dialing. On the Apple Watch Ultra, this is where you’ll find the siren.
- The red dot on display means there are unread notifications. Swipe down from the dot to view them.
- You can reach the control center with a swipe from the bottom edge of the screen. Here you can, among other things, turn off the sound or activate theater mode, which dims the screen of your watch.
Configure And Use An Action Button
Compared to other models, the Apple Watch Ultra stands out because of its size and the additional button on the left side, the action button. This is particularly useful when you need help getting anywhere with swiping and typing – underwater, for example, or wearing thick gloves. This offers several actions that can be selected under the “Settings > Action button.” The makers of the watch primarily thought of functions crucial for outdoor experiences, such as starting the “Diving” app (activates the water lock simultaneously), setting a web point or activating backtracking if you get lost.
But there are no limits to the imagination here. You can configure any shortcuts you want to trigger with a single press. If you press the action button longer, the siren will howl. This can also be switched off in the settings of the action button – so that you don’t accidentally trigger the siren, for example, in a concert, theater or cinema. We know people who use it to start a five-minute timer, so they remember the tea bags in the pot.
Assistive Touch And Hand Gestures
The Apple Watch Ultra not only knows the hand gestures but is more intended for situations in which you may not have the other hand free. In short, the watch’s accelerometers detect if you clench your fist or tap your fingers. For example, a double clench calls up an action menu you can navigate by tapping your fingers together (once or twice).
Clenching once means tapping. Some dials, such as Meridian, will highlight one of their complications if you clench your fist twice. This support and the hand gestures can be activated under “Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Touch.” The operation requires a little practice but is learned quite quickly – and not only practical outdoors.
Also Read: How To Send Secret Messages With The IPhone Notes App