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How to Download, Install, and Arrange Apps on Apple Watch

Sunday May 3, 2015 10:13 AM PDT by Lory Gil
One thing that makes Apple Watch stand out from other smart watches is the app e
cosystem. Since there are already more than a million iPhone apps in the App Sto
re, there were already plenty of developers ready to get to work building compan
ions for the wrist worn device. When the Apple Watch launched, there were alread

y 3,500 apps available, and that number grows on a day-by-day basis.

One of the best ways to customize your Apple Watch to fit your needs is to down
load all the apps you want and to organize them for easy access. We've got a tut
orial that covers downloading apps from your iPhone, installing them on your App
le Watch, and rearranging them on your Home screen.
Downloading Apps for Apple Watch
Apple Watch App StoreAt the current time, all Apple Watch apps are powered by th
e iPhone, which means they're bundled into iPhone apps. Apple Watch apps are dow
nloaded by downloading a compatible app onto your iPhone, which can be done from
the regular App Store or through the "Apple Watch App Store" located within the
Apple Watch companion app on your iPhone. The Apple Watch companion app has an
icon that looks like a watch and is automatically installed on all iOS devices r
unning iOS 8.2 or later.
1Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2Tap "Featured" to visit the Apple Watch App Store.
3Find the apps you wish to add to your collection and download them the way you
would with an iPhone app. If it is already on your iPhone, you will see "Open."
If you have previously downloaded the app, but it is not currently on your iPhon
e, you will see the iCloud icon.
4Alternatively, you can open the regular App Store on your iPhone or Mac and loo
k for apps that are tagged with "Offers Apple Watch app for iPhone."

Installing Apps on Apple Watch

Show App on Apple Watch
When you first set up your Apple Watch, you will have the option to automatical
ly add all available Apple Watch apps already on your iPhone, or you can manage
which ones you install manually via the Apple Watch app. Chances are, without ev
en downloading a single app, you probably already have a number of compatible on
es already on your iPhone.
1Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2Tap "My Watch" to find the settings section of your Apple Watch.
3Scroll down to the list of Apple Watch compatible apps that are on your iPhone
4Tap on an app you wish to add to Apple Watch
5Toggle the Show App on Apple Watch switch to the On position.
6Do the same for apps that you wish to include Glances for when available.
7On Apple Watch, you will see a message prompting you to install the app. Select
Yes.
There is a setting in the General section of the Apple Watch companion app that
allows you to choose whether or not apps with new or updated Apple Watch functio
nality will be automatically installed on your Apple Watch. If this option is tu
rned off, you'll have to manually add these apps to your Apple Watch from the co

mpanion app on your iPhone.

Arranging Apps on Apple Watch Home Screen
Rearranging Apple Watch AppsqSimilar to the iPhone or iPad, you can rearrange th
e app icons on Apple Watch so the most-used ones are easiest to access. There ar
e two ways to rearrange app icons on your Apple Watch Home screen.
On iPhone
1Open the Apple Watch App on the iPhone.
2Tap "My Watch" and then tap App Layout.
3Touch and hold an app until it wiggles. Then, drag it to its new location.
4You can tap "Reset" to restore the original app layout.
On Apple Watch
1Press the Digital Crown to go to the Home screen.
2Touch and hold an app until it wiggles. Then, drag it to its new location.
3Press the Digital Crown again when finished.
Customize Apple Watch App SettingsYou can also make adjustments to the settings
of some installed Apple Watch apps. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap
My Watch, and scroll down to the app you wish to adjust the settings for.
Once you've added apps to your Apple Watch and arranged your Home Screen just r
ight, you ll be ready to use all the apps you've installed. You can scroll through
all of your apps with a finger, using the Digital Crown to zoom in. Launch your
apps by zooming all the way in with the Digital Crown or with a simple tap on t
he app's icon.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

31 comments

Top Rated Comments

(View all)
Avatar
tkermit
11 months ago
These mile-long write-ups make it seem like Watch-related things are complicated
. They're not. This does a tremendous disservice to Watch adoption in my opinion
.
I was just about to write*? not to be rude ? but what's with all the 'How to...
' articles? I'm sure they're well written and all, but this isn't exactly rocket
science. I can't quite imagine anybody really requiring a guide for this stuff,
never mind someone tech-savvy enough to be visiting MacRumors in the first plac
e....? :confused:
Rating: 11 Votes

Avatar
Kaibelf
11 months ago
There's validity in that argument, but not yet having owned one myself, I trust
Apple and their mostly dead-simple GUIs to make set-up and usage a snap.
And there's always that 2-week return window.....
Can tell you from experience, I got my watch, paired it, and knew how to use it
without any tutorials by the end of the first day. It's really as simple as you
'd expect from Apple. If anything, I am confused about the reviews which said it
was complicated, or that it was giving too many notifications and such. The wat
ch app lays it all out very clearly, so I chalk those issues up to absolutely la
zy users who think that everything they do requires being in the "VIP" category.
Rating: 10 Votes

Avatar
stevemiller
11 months ago
1. Publish the equivalent of an instruction manual of obvious functions as apple
news
2. Make sure you post a separate article for each page of the manual
3. all readers will click through if for no other reason than to critique, or m

ake satirical step by step guides...

4. PROFIT!!
Rating: 8 Votes

Avatar
macs4nw
11 months ago
I'm really starting to warm up to going with this version of the AppleWatch, rat
her than waiting for the .2 version, especially for the fitness apps that I want
to use already.
Rating: 6 Votes

Avatar
Jason83
11 months ago
These mile-long write-ups make it seem like Watch-related things are complicated
. They're not. This does a tremendous disservice to Watch adoption in my opinion
.
Rating: 5 Votes

Avatar
happosai
11 months ago
Next article: how to charge your apple watch
Rating: 5 Votes

Avatar
TroutDeep
11 months ago
Hi everyone. :)
Rating: 4 Votes

Avatar
bhirt37
11 months ago
Arn should shut down Mac rumors and start applehowtto.com and applebuyersguide.c
om
Someone grabbed the wheel of this site and turned it towards awkward
Rating: 4 Votes

Avatar
DavidTheExpert
11 months ago
I feel like MacRumors is making fun of us.... This is a blog for apple enthusias
ts and technophiles. You don't think we can figure out how to download watch app
s for cook's sake?
Rating: 3 Votes

Avatar
lk400
11 months ago
I was just about to write*? not to be rude ? but what's with all the 'How to...'
articles? I'm sure they're well written and all, but this isn't exactly rocket
science. I can't quite imagine anybody really requiring a guide for this stuff,
never mind someone tech-savvy enough to be visiting MacRumors in the first place
....? :confused:
The answer is clicks.
Drastically short supply and heavy demand mean that during this time people wai
ting for their watch will read anything about the watch as a kind of next best t
hing of having one. Mac rumours know this and are exploiting it to the fullest.
Never before has their quest for clicks been so apparent as these ridiculous gu
ides.
This site has followed mainstream media in a race to the bottom in valuing clic
ks over content. It happened slowly and delayed compared to mainstream media, bu
t it's surely happened. A shame, really.

---------Next article: how to charge your apple watch

Followed by a 10 step guide on how to read the time.
Rating: 3 Votes
[ Read All Comments ]

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