Best Apple Watch apps 2021: 43 apps to download that actually do something

(Pocket-lint) - The Apple Watch has been kicking astir for galore years now, and that means determination are hundreds of apps to consider.

As owners of the smartwatch volition know, however, not each the apps are particularly large - and that's wherever this usher comes in.

Below, we've compiled are the champion Apple Watch apps we've travel crossed and tested; the ones that clasp their ain connected the wrist-based show - present adjacent bigger with the Apple Watch Series 7 - and present the accusation you request at-a-glance.

There's everything from games to productivity apps, each of which marque the Apple Watch useful, alternatively than conscionable a gimmick.

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Best question Apple Watch apps

British Airways

If you alert a batch with British Airways, having your formation details connected your wrist erstwhile astatine the airdrome is precise handy. The BA Apple Watch app volition supply you with gross details, whether the level is connected clip and what the presumption of the formation is. It adjacent goes arsenic acold arsenic telling you the upwind astatine your destination.

Citymapper

Citymapper's attack to its Apple Watch app is to fto you rapidly spot the presumption of adjacent nationalist transport astatine the property of a fewer buttons. It volition besides springiness you directions to your enactment address, oregon immoderate saved addresses that you person preset utilizing your iPhone utilizing disposable nationalist transport from your determination and you tin spot real-time departures too. Quick and simple.

Uber

The Uber Apple Watch app is elemental but effective. It doesn't connection arsenic galore features arsenic your phone, specified arsenic fare estimates, but it volition let you to petition an Uber from your wrist without touching your phone. It volition archer you however agelong the hold is for an Uber, switching betwixt the assorted car choices. 

Apple Maps

Apple Maps doesn't person the champion estimation but this app works good connected the Apple Watch. You tin inquire Siri to nonstop you to a determination utilizing your Watch and the Apple Maps app volition open, find the determination and springiness you the enactment to property start. It volition past springiness you step-by-step instructions connected your wrist, vibrating to alert you erstwhile the adjacent crook is coming up. No iPhone is necessary.

Elk

Elk is simply a bully currency converter app. It knows wherever you are and volition automatically prime the close currency for you, on with a starting value. You tin past swipe near to summation the values, swipe close to alteration them, oregon pat connected a worth for much accuracy. There is simply a escaped version, arsenic good arsenic a paid-for mentation with entree to each currencies.

iTranslate

Another for those that travel, oregon adjacent for those conscionable going connected holiday. The iTranslate app volition construe the words spoken into it erstwhile the microphone is pressed into the connection you petition astatine the bottom. There are galore languages disposable and the translations are beauteous close from our experience. It volition let you to bid a brew oregon find retired wherever the toilet is astatine least.  

Best productivity Apple Watch apps

PCalc

If you retrieve and loved Casio's calculator watch, PCalc is simply a must-have app for the Apple Watch. As you mightiness guess, it is simply a calculator connected your wrist. It's bully and simple, allowing you to add, subtract, disagreement and multiply, arsenic good arsenic cipher percentages straight from your wrist. There is simply a Lite mentation that is free, but the paid mentation includes a insubstantial tape, engineering and technological notation, making it much utile than Apple's ain calculator for Apple Watch.

Noted

Noted is an audio signaling and note-taking app that allows you to grounds straight from your Apple Watch. You tin commencement signaling with 1 tap, intermission the signaling and adhd a Time Tag. The Time Tag diagnostic is superb for pinpointing the much breathtaking parts of a signaling truthful you tin entree it rapidly aboriginal connected your iPhone.

Things 3

Things 3 is simply a paid-for organiser and reminder app with a beauteous design. You tin adhd caller To-Dos straight from your wrist and tick disconnected the ones you've done. The app follows the Apple Ring look, showing you however adjacent you are to completing your To-Dos for that day. It's a large 1 for those that emotion to beryllium organised.

Pacemaker

Pacemaker is simply a precise basal DJ app that creates euphony mixes automatically from your iPhone and past allows you to adhd effects via 4 preset options connected your watch. Effects see distorting the music, making it dependable similar it is underwater, and smashing up the music. It's elemental but amusive and paired with a Bluetooth talker makes things adjacent much interesting.

Best accusation Apple Watch apps 

Weather

There are galore apps you tin download for the Apple Watch erstwhile it comes to upwind but we recovered the autochthonal Apple upwind app was perfectly capable astatine providing speedy and casual accusation connected our wrist. For each spot you person acceptable up connected the iPhone, the Apple Watch upwind app volition amusement you the hourly expected outlook. It's casual to work and recognize and it's speedy to access.

Carrot Weather

If you fancy a much breathtaking instrumentality connected the weather, the Carrot Weather Apple Watch app is fabulous. It offers entree to current, hourly and regular forecasts but it delivers them with dialog and characters, making things overmuch much interesting. You tin besides disable the property if it becomes excessively much.

Dark Sky

Another upwind app, but this 1 is similar magic. Dark Sky creates forecasts for your precise location, offering minute-by-minute predictions for the adjacent hr and hour-by-hour forecasts for the adjacent time and week. It volition virtually archer you to the infinitesimal if you're astir to get rained on.

Find Near Me

The Find Near Me app allows you to find assorted amenities adjacent wherever you are from your wrist. The database is beauteous broad with everything from ATMs and cafes to quality salons and publication stores. Tap connected what you request to find and a database of results volition look connected your arm, each of which you tin past pat connected for much accusation and adjacent directions.

Shazam

If you've utilized Shazam you'll cognize however it works. You perceive a track, fumble for your phone, and effort to pat perceive earlier the opus finishes. With the Shazam Apple Watch app, you tin simply descent up from a Glance, property the perceive fastener and you're capturing the tune earlier you cognize it.

Night Sky

Night Sky is simply a large app for identifying stars, planets, constellations and satellites successful the nighttime sky. Ever wondered which 1 Orion's Belt is? Just constituent your Apple Watch astatine the entity and it volition nonstop you to it, aft which you tin research the entity successful AR connected your iPhone.

Onefootball

An indispensable app for the shot fans retired there. Onefootball allows you to travel thousands of teams and hundreds of leagues and competitions worldwide. You tin prime your favourite players, clubs, nationalist teams and leagues to get instant contented and scores that substance to you erstwhile they happen.

ESPN

Another large app for sports fans, the ESPN Apple Watch app gives you speedy entree to scores crossed football, cricket, F1, NBA, NFL, tennis, golf, MLB and more. Like Onefootball, you tin personalise the app to get alerts for your favourite teams and leagues.

Yelp 

Yelp is simply a section usher to helps you find restaurants, bars, salons, java shops and plentifulness much nearby. You'll beryllium capable to spot reviews, terms range, opening hours and the code straight from your wrist. Perfect for erstwhile you're successful a caller area.

Best wellness and fittingness Apple Watch apps 

Fiit

Fiit lets you watercourse hundreds of workouts, with options including HIIT, spot training, kettlebell, dumbbell, yoga, postnatal betterment and more. Signing up for a rank (£20/month) gives you unlimited entree to 10, 25 and 40 minutes classes with idiosyncratic trainers, whenever you want. Start a workout connected your iPhone and you'll spot your bosom complaint travel up connected your Apple Watch, on with a leaderboard connected the adjacent screen.

Runkeeper

If you are wearing the Apple Watch for fitness, Runkeeper is simply a bully 1 to download. It allows you to commencement the app consecutive from your wrist, without adjacent looking astatine your iPhone. Open the app, property "start running" and disconnected you go. Once you've started moving you tin cheque a fig of stats, including wide time, region covered and pace.

Strava

Strava is an fantabulous app and the Apple Watch mentation is great. Like others, Strava allows you to commencement an enactment from your wrist, specified arsenic an outdoor thrust oregon run, oregon indoor run. It volition past connection time, splits, region and bosom complaint connected your wrist during the workout. All information is transferred to the iPhone app pursuing a workout truthful you tin spot much detail.

Streaks Workout

Streaks Workout app is excellent, offering 30 equipment-free exercises to take from and 4 antithetic workout lengths comprising six minutes, 12 minutes, 18 minutes oregon 30 minutes. The Apple Watch volition show your bosom complaint connected the display, alongside the exercise, clip and progress. Super elemental to use, but expect immoderate superior pain.

Gymaholic

The Gymaholic Workout Tracker uses AR to make an avatar, which you tin past alteration to correspond your gender, tallness and assemblage abdominous percentage. After a workout, the avatar volition amusement each the muscles you trained and it volition besides amusement which muscles are acceptable for grooming too. During a workout, you'll spot assorted stats, including reps, weight, bosom complaint and calories, alongside your avatar. It's great.

MapMyRun

MapMyRun is different bully Apple Watch app for those into fitness. It allows you to commencement a running, cycling oregon walking workout without touching your iPhone. During the workout, you volition beryllium capable to spot duration, region and calories burned, arsenic good arsenic pause, finish, prevention oregon discard the workout. The accusation is past disposable successful the MapMyRun iPhone app.

Runtastic

Runtastic allows you to way assorted activities from moving to biking, spot a little past of your erstwhile workouts and show your stats from your wrist. The app volition way workouts successful real-time with built-in GPS and during a workout, it volition show time, distance, gait and bosom rate. It is besides imaginable to negociate tracking settings straight from your Apple Watch.  

Withings Health Mate

For those that usage the Withings ecosystem, the Withings Apple Watch app is bully for providing speedy stats successful a elemental format. If you person a Withings enactment and slumber tracker, arsenic good arsenic 1 of its astute scales, the Apple Watch app volition amusement you steps and distance, slumber recorded and value recorded. You tin besides spot your enactment and value past without opening the app connected your phone.

Seven

Seven is different workout app and the Apple Watch mentation is beauteous and simple. You tin beauteous overmuch bash everything connected your wrist arsenic you tin connected your phone. The Apple Watch app allows you to prime which seven-minute workout you privation to do, whether that's full-body, precocious body, core, little assemblage oregon random, depending connected which workouts you've bought oregon unlocked, and past you tin conscionable deed start. A representation of the workout you request to execute appears connected the ticker face, surrounded by a countdown circle.

Hole19

Hole19 is the Apple Watch app for golfers. You'll request to commencement a circular connected your iPhone aft which the Watch volition instrumentality the accusation and present it to you erstwhile you request it, specified arsenic distances and the par of the hole. The app besides allows you to participate strokes and putts via your wrist, which it past puts into a scorecard truthful you tin spot however you're doing bully and easily. 

Autosleep

Autosleep does precisely what it says connected the tin - it automatically tracks your slumber if you deterioration your Apple Watch to bed. You don't request to property a azygous button. Wear your Apple Watch to slumber and you'll get a notification successful the greeting detailing however good you've slept, including quality, mean bosom complaint and heavy sleep. The app volition besides amusement your seven-day average. 

One Drop

One Drop is simply a large app for those with diabetes. It enables you to log glucose, meds, nutrient and enactment straight from your wrist, arsenic good arsenic presumption regular goals advancement and glucose successful range. You tin besides docket medicine reminders and determination is automatic carb counting too.

Best Apple Watch games

Trivia Crack

No database of apps would beryllium implicit without a mates of games and Trivia Crack is 1 of our favourites. It's a precise basal mentation of Trivial Pursuit but if you're immoderate bully astatine wide knowledge, it's a large app to try. You vie with an online hostile and take from six categories of questions. Answers are multiple-choice, which you prime connected your wrist and you don't adjacent request to get your iPhone retired to commencement a game.

Brainess

Brainess is each astir stimulating your encephalon and it offers 7 encephalon grooming games that you tin play connected your Apple Watch. The games see memorising and tapping dice, choosing the close number to implicit a maths equation and matching pairs of identical cards. The 7 games are said to amended and workout your memory, imaginativeness and compute skills. Whether they volition oregon not is simply a antithetic communicative altogether but worthy a effort right.

Rules

Rules is simply a puzzle crippled with ace cute small animations. There are antithetic levels, comprising beginner, adept oregon timeless and the crippled includes a regular encephalon workout mini-game for the Apple Watch. 

Lifeline 2

Lifeline 2 is the successor to the archetypal Lifeline, offering a caller communicative of a young pistillate called Arika who is connected a deadly quest to avenge her parents and rescue her long-lost brother. You volition person to marque choices to support her live and assistance her succeed. 

Best concern Apple Watch apps  

Wallet

Wallet is 1 of Apple's ain apps truthful you'd expect it to beryllium bully connected the Apple Watch and it is. Like the iPhone version, it provides casual entree to boarding passes, tickets and cards you've registered to Apple Pay. Having your boarding walk and tickets connected your wrist means you don't person to messiness astir getting your telephone out, which is ever bully erstwhile travelling and you tin besides wage utilizing your wrist.

Pennies

There are plentifulness of apps trying to assistance you enactment connected apical of your finances but we've taken a liking to the Pennies Apple Watch app, which lets you rapidly pat successful however overmuch you've spent of a fixed fund people consecutive connected your wrist. It means you tin past way however overmuch you've got left, whether that's keeping an oculus connected your play nutrient bill, oregon arsenic we would similar to imagine, your champagne barroom bill.

Best astute location Apple Watch apps

Philips Hue

The Philips Hue app is simply a elemental distant power that lets you person a fig of lighting presets that you tin past power straight from your watch. You don't adjacent request to prime up your iPhone to crook the lights connected now, fto unsocial determination from the sofa. 

IFTTT

IFTTT (If This Then That) is compatible with implicit 600 apps from Twitter and Instagram to Nest and Hive. The Apple Watch app doesn't let you to make caller Applets, specified arsenic crook the lights connected astatine sunset, but download assorted Widgets done the main IFTTT iPhone app and you tin activate immoderate of them done the Apple Watch app. 

Neato

Got a Neato robot vacuum cleaner? The Neato Apple Watch app allows you to commencement and halt and clean. You can't get the Neato robot to instrumentality to the dock oregon thing from your wrist truthful it's basal functionality, but it's inactive a utile app to commencement that speedy clean.

Hive

The Hive Apple Watch app not lone allows you to power your Hive thermostat, but you tin besides power immoderate Hive lights oregon plugs that you have. 

Best societal media Apple Watch apps

Facebook Messenger

Facebook mightiness not beryllium disposable for Apple Watch but Messenger is truthful you tin get entree to each your Facebook Messenger chats. You'll beryllium capable to reply with stickers, oregon a dependable signaling oregon a pre-written connection truthful you tin enactment successful interaction without having to get your telephone retired astatine all.

Chirp for Twitter

Chirp for Twitter is beauteous overmuch the lone mode you'll beryllium utilizing Twitter connected your Apple Watch. The app allows you to browse your timeline, lists, similar and retweet things. You tin besides spot quotes, pictures, hashtags and mentions straight from your wrist.

Writing by Britta O'Boyle. Editing by Conor Allison. Originally published connected 29 April 2015.