Without your iPhone, the best Apple Watch GPS only (0-6 Series and SE models) can still do the following: track workouts, track activity, see time (also able to use alarm apps , timer and stopwatch), listen to music from a synced playlist, view photos from synced albums, make purchases with Apple Pay, check your heart rate, use the Breathe app, and listen to podcasts stored on Apple Watch. If your iPhone is off or out of range, Apple Watch can still connect to known Wi-Fi networks and perform several other functions.
Apple Watch GPS only: No iPhone? No problem!
There will be times when you are away from your best iPhone, like going to an event that doesn’t allow cellphones, forgetting it at home, or just wanting to hike or run less. Even then, your GPS-only Apple Watch is capable of a lot, whether it’s the Apple Watch Series 0, Apple Watch SE, or Apple Watch Series 6.
Tell the time
The first thing it can definitely do without your iPhone is tell the time. It’s a watch, after all, and you’ll still be able to tap the screen or lift your wrist to see the time. Heck, you can even use the alarm, timer and stopwatch apps with no hassle.
Track activity and workouts
Since the Apple Watch is a great fitness tracker, not having your iPhone nearby doesn’t hamper its ability to record your workouts and track your steps, heart rate, calories, sit-to-stand ratio, etc. your blood oxygen levels and everything. health-related. Apple Watch can store this data for up to 30 days (although we recommend that you don’t risk losing this data and connect to your iPhone as soon as possible) thanks to its built-in storage. As soon as your iPhone is within Bluetooth or Wi-Fi range again, this data syncs with your iPhone and is cleared from the Apple Watch cache.
For Series 0 and Series 1 owners, the Apple Watch will only store heart rate, calories, and essential workout information because there is no built-in GPS. Owners of Series 2-6 get GPS with their training data, and Series 3 and above also have a built-in altimeter, so altitude information is stored as well.
Pay for things
The Apple Watch is compatible with Apple Pay, so if you’re on the go without your wallet or iPhone 12, you can still pay for things at companies that accept Apple Pay. All of your cards in Apple Wallet are given a unique token on Apple Watch, so you don’t even need your iPhone to use them. Just make sure you’ve added your Apple Pay cards to your Apple Watch first. This also applies to gift cards, boarding passes, and other cards on your Apple Wallet.
Play some tunes
If you have playlists in the Apple Music app that you want to take with you on the watch, you can sync them to your Apple Watch through the Watch the app. These tracks are downloaded to your Apple Watch’s built-in storage (when it’s connected to power and placed near your iPhone), and these tracks are available to play on your watch, even when your iPhone is out of range. scope. If you have an Apple Watch with Cellular, you can also stream songs directly from the Apple Music catalog of over 40 million songs or even radio stations. This also applies to the Podcasts app, as you can listen to downloaded podcast episodes on Apple Watch.
Show off your favorite photos
Even though the Apple Watch has more screen with Series 4 and later, it’s still not the optimal way to view photos. But if you’re without an iPhone, then the Apple Watch screen must do the trick, right? Fortunately, you can sync an album from your iPhone with up to 500 photos, so you can take your favorite photos with you to show off to others.
Apple Watch GPS only: Are you saying my Apple Watch can connect to Wi-Fi?
It’s correct. If your iPhone is too far away, your GPS-only Apple Watch can still connect to known Wi-Fi networks, as long as you’ve already been there with your iPhone. The only exception to this is when the Wi-Fi network or hotspot requires secondary authorization before connecting as there is no way to interact with these screens or enter passwords on an Apple. Watch.
But standard home Wi-Fi networks, for example, should be fine, as long as you’ve already connected to them with your iPhone. This feature is not always 100% reliable, but if it works, you will see the Wi-Fi symbol highlighted in blue in the control center of your Apple Watch.
When your Apple Watch connects over Wi-Fi, it can do other cool things.
Use Siri
Since you still need a data connection to use Siri, the feature is available if your Apple Watch GPS only is only connected to Wi-Fi. You can use Siri on Apple Watch to get directions, send iMessages , etc.
Messages and calls
If Apple Watch GPS only has a Wi-Fi connection, you can send and receive iMessages and text messages, as well as make and answer phone calls.
Check the weather and stocks
Worried about the weather? With a Wi-Fi-only connection, your Apple Watch GPS-only shouldn’t have a problem getting the current temperature for you, as well as the forecast. And if you are in the stock market, you can check the performance of your favorite companies in the Stocks app.
Control your Smart HomeKit accessories
For those who are invested in the HomeKit ecosystem and have multiple HomeKit-enabled devices at home, you can control them all from your Apple Watch without an iPhone, as long as you’re on the Wi-Fi connection. Just launch the Home app. on your Apple Watch only GPS and turn it off or turn on what you need.
Use standalone apps with Wi-Fi
Many Apple Watch apps are fully functional on the watch without your iPhone. And if they need an internet connection to work, well, they shouldn’t have a problem if it’s just over Wi-Fi and not tethered to your iPhone.
Set reminders and never forget anything again
“Hey Siri, remind me to get some milk.”
As long as your GPS-only Apple Watch is connected to Wi-Fi, you should be able to tell Siri to remind you to do things you might otherwise forget. You might not have your iPhone with you all the time, but if you have Wi-Fi, it will help you remember those little things before they pass.
Listen to podcasts, radio and stream music
If you don’t have your iPhone, you’ll only be able to listen to podcasts and music playlists that you’ve previously synced to your Apple Watch. But if you have a Wi-Fi connection, it will be able to stream podcast episodes and music that are not available locally on your Apple Watch. Radio stations are also available.
Chat with friends with Walkie-Talkie
Apple has added a Walkie-Talkie feature in watchOS 5, so you can instantly send voice recordings to friends who have it turned on as well. While you’re on Wi-Fi on Apple Watch, just press the button to talk, then release to listen to their response.
Apple Watch GPS only: Wow! He’s quite capable without the iPhone.
That is true! The GPS-only Apple Watch can still do a lot of things even when it’s far from your iPhone, so it’s nice that it doesn’t always need the iPhone to get functionality out of it. And while you can connect Apple Watch to Wi-Fi, it only works if your iPhone was previously linked to that network. But if you have a cellular Apple Watch, it can do just about anything without your iPhone because it has its own data connection.
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