There are a couple of helpful issues you are able to do with an previous Apple Watch after you improve to a brand new one. You would possibly consider the Apple Watch as being a disposable product — as a result of who would put on two watches? However there are literally fairly a couple of stunning use instances for having a each day Apple Watch and a secondary watch.
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Issues you are able to do with an previous Apple Watch
1. Devoted evening look ahead to sleep monitoring
The Apple Watch is nice for monitoring sleep — even the completely different phases of your sleep by way of the evening. And for those who use your Apple Watch as an alarm, it’ll wake you up by silently buzzing in your wrist, so your companion gained’t be awoken by your alarm in the event that they get up a little bit later.
However for those who put on you watch throughout the day and you put on it to mattress, when do you cost it? Personally, I hate the concept of charging my watch throughout the day as a result of if I rise up and transfer round whereas it’s juicing up, I gained’t get credit score for my Transfer or Stand rings.
Picture: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
It is a prime use-case for an previous Apple Watch: A devoted sleep tracker and alarm. You retain your previous one on the charger throughout the day and put on your new one out and about; you swap them when it’s time for mattress and after you get up. You by no means have to fret about topping the battery up within the night earlier than you fall asleep or within the morning rush.
One other profit is that in case your each day watch band is for trend and fewer comfy, like a Milanese Loop or Twist-o-Flex band, you don’t have to change it out with a Sport Band each morning and each evening. You possibly can choose the perfect band for every watch.
2. Dangerous exercise monitoring
Picture: Apple
The Apple Watch is surprisingly hardy and water-resistant, however generally there are these occasional day excursions that make you a bit nervous. As a substitute of risking your costly new Apple Watch if you go mountaineering, sky diving or swimming within the ocean, you may put in your previous watch. In spite of everything, an previous hand-me-down Apple Watch is less expensive than shopping for a brand new Apple Watch Extremely.
Some individuals select to guard their watch in a case, like this feature from Elago. Personally, I discover these a little bit ugly, and they could be a ache to placed on and take off. However you may preserve your secondary Apple Watch completely encased, so that you don’t need to fiddle with each day.
3. Sporting a watch in your arm or leg
Picture: InMovement
Though it’s designed for it, you don’t truly need to put on your Apple Watch in your wrist. There are a couple of train use instances for carrying your Apple Watch greater up in your arm or round your ankle.
In case you play sports activities the place precision is essential, like tennis or basketball, the burden in your wrist would possibly have an effect on the way you prepare and play. The TwelveSouth ActionSleeve retains your watch in your arm, the place you may nonetheless use it for monitoring your exercise, however preserve it out of the way in which. In case you use your secondary Apple Look ahead to this, then you definately don’t have to fret about swapping out your common band for an advanced accent and case earlier than and after each time.
However, you would possibly need to put on an Apple Watch in your ankle. In case you work at a treadmill desk, for instance, you gained’t get any credit score for all that strolling as a result of your arms will probably be simply as stationary as for those who have been at a daily desk. Sporting a second Apple Watch round your ankle, you may nonetheless work in direction of your Transfer, Stand and Train rings — and also you’ll nonetheless have your fundamental watch in your wrist for notifications and telling time.
4. Hand it right down to a baby
Picture: Apple
In case your child is sufficiently old to spend the evening at a buddy’s home however too younger for an iPhone (Like what, 17? I don’t know, I don’t have children) you may give them an Apple Watch as a substitute. You’ll be capable of observe their location utilizing GPS and Discover My, a simple technique to ship texts, and if it’s a mobile mannequin, name them wherever they could be. Organising an Apple Watch on behalf of your youngster is very easy — after wiping it and setting it up from scratch, simply faucet Set Up for a Household Member.
As a result of it’s solely a watch and never a smartphone, you may relaxation assured they gained’t get sucked into TikTok or Roblox or Wikipedia or no matter it’s that oldsters are afraid of children doing. (Once more, I wouldn’t know.)
5. Beta software program
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you wish to try the brand new options of what’s coming subsequent in watchOS, you may set up the watchOS beta. This 12 months, the highest options of watchOS 11 embody a brand new Vitals app that provides you a broader image of your well being and varied life components, pauses to your streak for sickness or damage, a exercise Coaching Load that may detect how a lot effort goes into your train, a redesigned Images face and rather more.
However working a watchOS beta is type of a ache within the ass. For one, it’s a must to set up the iOS beta in your telephone to be able to set up the watchOS beta, and chances are you’ll not need to put your most essential gadget in danger. Not like on the iPhone, you may’t undo a watchOS replace. When you’re on watchOS 11, you may’t return to watchOS 10. And most of all, as soon as you turn to the beta observe, you get new software program updates each two to 3 weeks — and putting in updates on the Apple Watch is, notoriously, extremely irritating.
In case you actually need to check out the brand new options early however you don’t need to put your major watch on the road, you may set up the watchOS beta on a second watch, supplied it’s new sufficient. This 12 months, watchOS 11 requires a Sequence 6 mannequin, second-generation SE mannequin or newer.
6. Flip it right into a small telephone
Picture: TinyPod
It’s simple to miss how the Apple Watch is definitely a fairly highly effective and succesful laptop — and cellphone — all by itself. With the TinyPod, your Apple Watch slides into an iPod-shaped case that makes it a tiny standalone cellphone. It even has a click on wheel that spins the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown for scrolling prefer it’s 2004.
A bunch of firms have tried and did not reinvent the minimal cellphone, however the issue with abandoning your iPhone is that you just get a brand new telephone quantity that isn’t appropriate with iMessage. In case you use an previous mobile Apple Watch as a substitute, you may preserve compatibility your Apple Account — switching is so simple as protecting your iPhone in your evening stand and placing your TinyPod in your pocket as a substitute.
TinyPod is available in sizes that match all three sizes of Apple Watch, from the Sequence 4 / SE and newer: 40/41 mm, 44/45 mm and 49 mm.
Or, get a little bit trade-in cash if you purchase a brand new one
Personally, once I upgraded from my Sequence 3 mannequin to my … (wait, which one do I’ve?) Sequence 7, my previous watch felt so gradual and damaged that I merely traded it in. It was too previous to be helpful for mainly the rest. If you need a little bit of a reduction if you purchase a watch, you may use our trade-in program. (Or, you need to use the financial savings to justify shopping for one other watch band!)
Extra Apple Watch how-tos and articles
We initially revealed this text on what to do with an previous Apple Watch on July 20, 2024. We republished it on April 25, 2025.
