Apple Watch Weather Problems Persist

Apple Bytes: 

If your Apple Watch weather complication is not working, there is one workaround that seems to help, but Apple now has two suggested fixes.

What is happening for a significant number of people is that all weather complications – conditions, temperature, and precipitation – show no data, with two dashes where the numbers should be.

While some have found this to be an intermittent issue for years, watchOS 10 does seem to have increased the number of Apple Watch owners experiencing it.

The issue occurs on watch faces with complications set for data from the Weather app. Instead of displaying weather data as expected, the complications are blank and show no data. If you tap on the complication, the Weather app will open and present data without issue.

The issue occurs on both watchOS 10.0 and watchOS 10.0.1.

One workaround reported by users was toggling between 12- and 24-hour time, something which needs to be done in the Watch app on the iPhone. But an Apple support document spotted by MacRumors has two official suggestions for the Apple Watch weather complication issue.

The first is similar to toggling the time format, only Apple suggests doing this with Location Services.

• On your iPhone, open the Settings app, then tap Privacy & Security > Location Services. 
• Scroll down and tap Weather. 
• Under Allow Location Access, tap Never, then tap your original setting. 
• Check whether the issue is resolved.

If this doesn’t work, Apple has a second suggestion, also related to location:

• On your iPhone, open the Settings app, then tap General > Transfer or Reset iPhone. 
• Tap Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. 
• If prompted, enter your passcode and reset. 
• Check whether the issue is resolved.

While this step sounds scarier, it doesn’t affect anything other than location data.

Even Apple doesn’t sound overly confident in either fix, however, presenting two different options and asking users to ‘try these steps.’ It is expected to be properly fixed in a later watchOS update.

The headline feature of watchOS 10 is a new customizable widget-based UI. Our how-to guide explains the two types of widget available, the first using the whole widget for one app, and the second a space that can be customized with three app complications.

Credit: 9to5mac.com

Browse The Web From Your Apple Watch

Apple Bytes: 

Have a look through the apps on your Apple Watch and you won’t find the Safari web browser. This seems like a reasonable choice considering the small size of the screen and the limited input options.

But if you need to get a webpage up on your smartwatch, know that it is possible. There’s a hidden browser app already on the watch, and you’ll also find a couple of third-party options available to install.

A warning, though, you’ll definitely come up against limitations and the experience is nowhere as good as it is on a phone or a laptop.

You can’t launch the web browser built into the Apple Watch from the standard grid or list of apps. Instead, you’ll have to access it by opening up a link from another smartwatch app. You can use the Mail and Messages apps for this, and all you have to do is send yourself an email or message containing the URL that you want to visit.

This might seem like a long-winded way of getting online, and it is, really. But just in case you ever need it, you can make things easier by emailing yourself a list with the websites you regularly need access to, for example.

Another way of getting to a website is by using Siri on your Apple Watch. Say “Siri, go to…” followed by the URL you want to visit. A list of web results will appear—just tap Open Page underneath the link you want to open it. This works well for sites with simple URLs that can be easily spoken out, like apple.com or google.com.

When it comes to entering text into websites, you can use the usual methods available on your watch, including voice dictation, the scribble handwriting feature, and the on-screen keyboard. It’s not ideal for entering large amounts of text, but it’ll do if you need to search for a few keywords, for example.

Bear in mind that not all websites will load properly (or even at all) on such a tiny screen, and it can be difficult navigating around menus and pop-up dialogs. In some cases, the built-in browser will switch to a simpler view, like the Reader View in Safari on the desktop, so you’ll just get the text and nothing else. Tap on the URL at the top to switch between these views.

You can also navigate backward and forward by tapping on the address bar. Other gestures you can take advantage of are using the Digital Crown or a finger on the screen to scroll, and double-tapping on the screen to zoom in and out. To clear all the collected browsing data, open Settings and choose General, Website Data, and Clear Website Data.

The built-in web browser on the Apple Watch is probably your best bet when it comes to loading up webpages, as Apple has access to parts of the smartwatch’s code that third-party apps can’t get to. Nevertheless, if you want a more fully-fledged experience, you’ve got options.

First up is the free Parrity app, which actually uses a connected iPhone to load and render pages before transferring the results over to your Apple Watch. You can still interact with pages on your wrist, enter new URLs, and even go back on your browsing history, but your iPhone will always need to be around for anything to happen.

Then there’s µBrowser, which will set you back $1. This works entirely independently on the watch and does a very decent job of rendering websites, albeit with some issues (support for multiple fonts is rather limited, for example). You can search the web, enter URLs, and go back to pages that you’ve recently visited.

Credit: popsci.com

Make Your Apple Watch Faster At Everyday Tasks

Apple Bytes: 

The Apple Watch’s portability is both a boon and a curse. It’s an excellent little computer on your wrist, but at the same time, it occasionally takes a bit too long for basic tasks, such as switching between apps. Here are a few hidden Apple Watch tricks to help you speed up some of its standard functions.

Quickly check the time

Not everyone enables the Always-On Display feature of the Apple Watch. Some people have older Apple Watch models that don’t support it, while others disable Always-On Display to save battery life. If you’re among those people, you can slowly rotate the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to reveal the time and rotate it back to switch off the display.

This helps you check the time quickly without even rotating your wrist and it is more battery efficient, too. That’s because it wakes the display at a lower brightness level for a short duration of time.

The fastest ways to change watch faces

If you have multiple watch faces, you can use two methods to switch between them quickly. The first is to swipe left or right on your current watch face, and the Apple Watch will switch to a different face. You can change the order of these watch faces by opening the Watch app on your iPhone and tapping the Edit button next to My Faces. This action will open a new page with all of your watch faces and you can drag the three-line icons (on the right) upwards or downwards to change the order.

The second method to change watch faces is to use Apple’s Shortcuts app to automatically change your Apple Watch face at a particular time of the day or when you’re in a specific location. For example, whenever you reach the neighborhood park, your Apple Watch can automatically switch to a workout-oriented watch face.

A better way to switch between two apps

If you accidentally tapped a notification while using another app, returning to the previous app takes one tap too many. You can speed this process up by double-pressing the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch. This action will always take you back to the most recently opened app. The limitation here is that it can only switch between any two apps, so if you want to continuously move between more than two apps, you’re out of luck.

Open notifications and Control Center within other apps

When you’ve got a watch face open on the Apple Watch, you can swipe upwards from the bottom to launch Control Center. Similarly, you can swipe downwards from the top to check your notifications. However, this set of gestures stops working when you’ve opened an app on your watch.

There is a workaround for this issue, too. When you have an app open, tap and hold the bottom of the screen to make the Control Center appear. Swipe upwards to open it, or tap and hold the top of the screen to make the Notification Center appear, and swipe downwards to view all notifications.

Control music while you’re working out

When you’re logging any workout on the Workout app on your Apple Watch, you can easily control music without leaving the app. Swipe toward the left from the screen that shows workout data and you’ll see music playback controls. We’ve found this method to be a lot less cumbersome to access during strenuous workouts, as compared to fiddling with the watch to find the Now Playing screen. While you’re at it, consider changing the stats you see while working out.

Cover the Apple Watch’s display to silence or decline calls

Your Apple Watch will buzz or ring when you get a phone call, and if you want to silence or decline it, you can use a couple quick tricks. To silence the call, just cover your Apple Watch’s screen with your palm for a second. The call will end only when the caller disconnects.

To decline an incoming call, you can cover the Apple Watch’s screen for three seconds. You’ll feel a couple of strong vibrations and the call will be declined. If this feature isn’t working for you, open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to Sounds & Haptics. Ensure that Cover to Mute is enabled.

Use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone

Your Apple Watch can also help you unlock your iPhone when you’re wearing a mask. Once you enable this, it’s hard to go back to entering passcodes to unlock your iPhone. The only annoyance is that if you use Face ID to unlock third-party apps such as 1Password or Apollo for Reddit, your Apple Watch won’t be able to unlock those.

Unlock your Mac using the Apple Watch

You can also use your Apple Watch to automatically unlock your Mac. This feature saves a lot of time when it works. (It does have a tendency to stop working periodically; when this happens, your best bet is to restart your Mac and your Apple Watch.)

This feature also allows you to grant administrator permissions to perform certain actions on the Mac, such as deleting files from system folders. Apps such as 1Password on the Mac can be unlocked using the Apple Watch instead of a long password, too.

Credit: lifehacker.com

Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE

Apple Bytes: 

Apple Watch Series 6: Featuring a Blood Oxygen sensor and app, new case finishes, and watchOS 7.

Yesterday, 9-16-20, Apple announced Apple Watch Series 6, introducing a revolutionary Blood Oxygen feature that offers users even more insight into their overall wellness. 

Apple Watch Series 6 delivers many notable hardware improvements, including a faster S6 System in Package (SiP) and next-generation always-on altimeter, along with its most colorful lineup yet, featuring a beautiful palette of new case finishes and bands. watchOS 7 brings Family Setup, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, new workout types, and the ability to curate and share watch faces, encouraging customers to be more active, stay connected, and better manage their health in new ways.

“Apple Watch Series 6 completely redefines what a watch can do,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “With powerful new features, including a Blood Oxygen sensor and app, Apple Watch becomes even more indispensable by providing further insight into overall well-being.”

Read the complete news release > HERE

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Apple Watch SE: The ultimate combination of design, function, and value

Yesterday, 9-16-20, Apple announced Apple Watch SE, packing the essential features of Apple Watch into a modern design customers love — all at a more affordable price. The largest and most advanced Retina display allows customers to easily see more details and the information that matters most, right on their wrist. Apple Watch SE features the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as Apple Watch Series 6, and with the latest motion sensors and microphone, it offers robust health and safety capabilities including fall detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, and the Noise app.

With watchOS 7, users can take advantage of powerful new features including Family Setup, which allows kids or older family members without an iPhone to enjoy Apple Watch, plus sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, and new workouts. Apple Watch SE is available in three beautiful case finishes made of 100 percent recycled aluminum, and compatible with all Apple Watch bands including the new Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop.

“Apple Watch SE combines elements of the Series 6 design with the most essential features of Apple Watch, all at a more affordable price,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We’re excited to offer another great option to help customers stay connected, be more active, and keep an eye on their health.”

Read the complete news release > HERE

Apple Watch Help and How-To

Apple Bytes: 

Below are links to help you get the most out of your Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Users Guide > HERE

Apple Watch Support > HERE

• Set up your Apple Watch
   
• Update your Apple Watch
   
• Watch won't charge or turn on
   
• Watch isn't paired with iPhone
   
• Activate cellular on your Watch
   
• Set up heart notifications
   
• Take an ECG
   
• Track important health information
   
• Stay fit with Apple Watch
   
• Stay connected with Apple Watch
   
• How to install Watch apps
   
• See how Always On works
   
• Learn about the Compass app
   
• Using the Activity app
   
• Set up fall detection 
   
• Using emergency and safety features

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Photo credit: apple.com

November Meeting Presentation

The November 20 meeting presentation was "Apple Watch" by Chris Kilbride.

You can view a PDF version of Chris's slideshow on the Resource Links tab (above). When the page opens, scroll down to the 'Class, Lecture and Meeting Presentations' section (#4) and click or tap on the link.

If you would like to ask questions or add to the discussion please use the comments feature of this post, below.