Finally, you can use your iPhone to control your Apple Watch.

The little screen on your Apple Watch just got a whole lot bigger.

 

Although the Apple Watch is intended to be worn on the wrist, I still want to be able to control it using an iPhone. Most frequently, I want to check a feature or continue an update process while the watch is charging in another room without having to repeatedly trek back and forth to the charger. The good news is that since it’s now possible to mirror your Apple Watch’s display to your iPhone, I never have to take another step.

 

Additionally, this capability isn’t simply intended for Apple Watch users who are remote. Its major objective is to assist users who find it difficult to operate the Apple Watch’s tiny screen. Although they aren’t as little as they formerly were, Apple Watches nowadays are still very compact. Any display that needs to be measured in millimetres, whether it’s the 40mm Apple Watch SE or the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra, is probably a tiny man.

 

Streaming the display from your Apple Watch to your iPhone is practical and beneficial regardless of your use case. With the simplicity that comes with a much larger display, you can access anything with ease and check your watch from another room, demonstrate a feature to a friend more easily, and access anything. It’s cool to connect with my Apple Watch in this new setting, even if I’d never want one with a screen this big on my 12 Pro Max.

 

You must have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 9 in order to use this new feature. You will want at least an iPhone 8, X, or newer to link that watch with an iPhone running iOS 16. You don’t even have to wear the watch on your wrist. This functionality will function as long as it is turned on and within your iPhone’s Bluetooth range.

 

Look for Apple Watch Mirroring under the Physical and Motor area of Settings > Accessibility. There is only one toggle present here. When you tap it, a popup displaying a model of your watch and its name will emerge. You’ll be able to see your watch’s display on your iPhone after a connection has been established. You’ll need to enter your passcode if you aren’t wearing it right now, but once it’s unlocked, you may operate any aspect of the watch from this interface.

 

You may operate it here if you know how to use your Apple Watch. Similar to how you would on your watch, you can swipe and touch your way across the screen to open and use apps. The digital on-screen Crown cannot be turned, but it can be tapped to exit an app and long-pressed and released to call Siri. To open the app switcher, tap the on-screen Side button. To open the power menu, press down and release the button. By simultaneously hitting both on-screen buttons, you can even take a screenshot.

 

The finest feature, in my opinion, is that your watch won’t go to sleep until either you put your hand on the screen or stop mirroring (by tapping the (X) on the streaming window). It would be annoying to repeatedly wake up your watch from your iPhone because it automatically turns off the display very quickly when you stop using it. However, it can be simple to forget you’re using the feature, in which case your watch will remain lit continuously and use up battery power.

 

The supported Apple Watch models have been corrected in this post as of Monday, September 19.