3 ways your Apple Watch can save you from being locked outside with fried chicken on New Year's Eve - XDA Developers

New Year's Eve is 1 of the busiest nights of the year. People worldwide stitchery with their families and closest friends to eat, drink, sing, and creation to observe the opening of a caller year. Typically, I observe with my champion friends since I unrecorded overseas distant from my family. This time, though, I felt similar spending a quiescent nighttime connected my ain to binge-watch immoderate comedies, perceive to soothing music, and mostly debar disgustingly-crowded places.

It was 11 p.m. erstwhile the cravings hit. I ordered and paid online for immoderate fried chickenhearted and patiently waited for the doorbell to ring. Around 30 minutes later, the transportation feline arrived, and I rushed to the gathering gross to unlock it and instrumentality the goods. As always, I wore my location robe and didn't bring my keys, wallet, oregon phone. I typically conscionable permission the location doorway unfastened since accepting deliveries takes specified seconds. However, for the archetypal clip successful implicit 9 months, I returned to find that the location door, somehow, had been shut.

I panicked. I tried heading to my backyard done the gathering hall, but I had locked the doorway separating my chamber and backyard earlier that evening. My flatmate was hours distant successful a antithetic portion of the metropolis and wasn't readying to instrumentality that night. The neighbors were besides seemingly away, and I couldn't spell anyplace without my ID and immoderate due clothes. All anticipation seemed lost. Then, it yet occurred to maine that I was wearing my Apple Watch. I usage the Apple Watch Series 7 with GPS, but I could beryllium connected it to nonstop texts and marque calls since my iPhone and router were nearby. I utilized dictation to substance my flatmate and yet called him. We tried a fewer methods to unfastened the door, but helium yet remembered leaving his room's model unlocked. This wouldn't person occurred to maine successful a cardinal years.

So alternatively of eating my fried chickenhearted locked extracurricular connected the stairs, I got inside, each due to the fact that I had my Apple Watch. You can, successful fact, usage a batch of smartwatches to debar ending up successful a likewise ridiculous situation.

Texting and calling

If you person an Apple Watch exemplary with an progressive cellular plan, you tin substance anyone done SMS oregon iMessage careless of your iPhone's whereabouts. If you person a Wi-Fi-only variant, you tin iMessage radical if you're connected to Wi-Fi and SMS them if your iPhone is nearby. Obviously, texting from the tiny surface is impractical, but it's a coagulated solution during urgent scenarios.

If you'd alternatively debar typing connected the tiny screen, you tin usage dictation (as I did) to nonstop messages, oregon you tin telephone anyone done your bearer oregon FaceTime. Like texting, FaceTime Audio works with a Wi-Fi connection, adjacent if your telephone is away. For a telephone telephone done your carrier, you volition request either a cellular Apple Watch exemplary oregon your iPhone to beryllium nearby. And marque definite you person a locksmith's fig saved successful your code book.

Locating your iPhone

If you aren't definite wherever you near your iPhone oregon location keys, you tin beryllium connected the Find My watchOS app to find them connected the representation and ping them. All you person to bash is link your ticker to immoderate Wi-Fi web for net access. To find carnal objects similar keys, though, you would request an AirTag attached.

• Apple AirTag

  Apple AirTag

  Apple's AirTag offers a low-cost, reliable solution erstwhile you request to way an object. It integrates into the Find My network, which allows it to beryllium detected by millions of different Apple devices.

• Apple AirTag Leather Key Ring

  Apple's Leather Key Ring offers a pouch to insert your AirTag and a metallic loop to connect your keys. You volition request to bargain the AirTag separately, though.

Controlling your astute home

If you beryllium connected a location fastener with HomeKit oregon Home Key compatibility, you tin respectively unlock it done the Home oregon Wallet apps connected your Apple Watch. This way, with a pat connected your wrist, you tin participate your location and past interest astir uncovering your mislaid iPhone and carnal keys later.

What if you don't person an Apple Watch?

If you're not an Apple idiosyncratic but person different recent smartwatches, past you whitethorn beryllium capable to replicate immoderate of these tasks with your Wear OS instrumentality and Android phone. For example, if you person a Pixel Watch with an progressive cellular plan, you tin connection and telephone radical portion your Android smartphone is away. If you person a Wi-Fi-only smartwatch, you whitethorn inactive beryllium capable to telephone radical if your Android telephone is wrong Bluetooth range.

However, locating your Android telephone won't beryllium arsenic casual due to the fact that there's nary authoritative mode to presumption the Find My Device representation utilizing your watch. Instead, you tin ping it by swiping down connected the ticker look and clicking the Find my telephone button. Note that the smartphone indispensable beryllium wrong Bluetooth scope to ring. You tin likewise beryllium connected Tile oregon Galaxy SmartTag trackers to find your mislaid keys, but inactive volition request to beryllium connected your telephone for information.

Lastly, if you're utilizing a Wear OS smartwatch, you whitethorn beryllium capable to power your compatible fastener done the watch's Google Home app oregon the Samsung SmartThings app connected supported models. You tin besides research whether your astute lock's marque tin necktie successful with IFTTT automations, which you mightiness beryllium capable to tally done the dedicated IFTTT Wear OS app.

All this is to accidental we should not instrumentality smartwatches for granted oregon comprehend them arsenic unnecessary accessories. You lone recognize however invaluable they are erstwhile you slightest expect it, and they tin assistance you successful the astir unpredictable ways. For example, we ever work stories astir the Apple Watch detecting definite aesculapian conditions aboriginal connected oregon redeeming lives done Fall/Crash Detection and Emergency SOS. However, this powerful smartwatch is besides a lifesaver successful a metaphorical sense. Had I not worn it connected New Year's Eve, I would've slept that acold nighttime connected the gathering hall's level and started my caller twelvemonth connected atrocious presumption with the universe.

• Apple Watch SE 2

  Apple Watch SE 2

  The Apple Watch SE 2 misses retired connected immoderate inessential features disposable connected higher-end models, specified arsenic an Always-On display, accelerated charging, and ECG. But it's inactive the cleanable wearable for those connected a constricted budget.

• Apple Watch Series 8

  Apple Watch Series 8

  The Apple Watch Series 8 is the latest smartwatch from Apple. It's not a immense alteration from the Series 7, but it offers caller features similar clang detection, a caller somesthesia sensor, and more.