Watch our video tips and tricks to learn how to use the top 10 Apple Watch Ultra features in watchOS 9, including hidden and secret ones.
Video: Top 10 Apple Watch Ultra Features
Aside from the new design, the Ultra has hardware features never seen before on any Apple Watch. And watchOS 9 reveals some gems that aren’t exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra, but you’ll want to know about them because they’re so good.
So, without further ado, grab your Ultra and watch our videographer Michael Billig (@michael_billig) 8-minute video as he talks about the top 10 Apple Watch Ultra features that all users should know about.
1. Protect your night vision with Night Mode
The Apple Watch Ultra has a new night mode that turns the interface red to protect your night vision. Night mode is only available on Apple’s new Wayfinder watch face, which is exclusive to Ultra. To enter night mode, switch to the Wayfinder watch face and then simply rotate the Digital Crown up. Night Mode is not available on other Apple Watch models.
To customize the Action button, go to Settings → Action Button, then click the Action menu. You can now select the action that the button should trigger, as well as select the application to perform the action. You can also choose the action that watchOS takes when you first press the Action button.
Some applications, such as Workout, allow you to assign different actions to the first and second button clicks. For more information, read the Apple Support document titled Use the Action Button on Apple Watch Ultra. ”
3. Sound an alarm with the built-in siren
Apple Watch Ultra has a built-in siren. At 86 decibels it gets quite loud and can be heard up to 600 feet away. It produces a distinctive sound with two alternating patterns, one indicating distress and the other indicating SOS. You’ll want to use it in situations where you might be injured/immobilized to draw attention to your location.
To use it, press and hold the side button until the sliders appear, and then drag the Siren slider. You can also press and hold the Action button to start the countdown and keep holding the button until the Siren app launches (to turn this feature off, go to Settings → Action Button and turn off Hold to turn on”).
For more information about this feature, read the Apple Support document titled Use the Siren on your Apple Watch Ultra to signal for help. ”
4. Introduction to the Depth App
Apple emphasizes that the Depth app does not replace a dive computer, but you can use it to measure water temperature, dive duration, and depths up to 130 feet (40 meters).
You can choose whether the app will launch automatically when you dive or manually by going to Settings → General → Autostart. To select units for depth and temperature, go to Settings → Depth. For more information, check out Apple’s help document titled Measuring Temperature, Duration, and Depth Underwater on the Apple Watch Ultra. ”
5. The Compass app is better than ever
Apple has completely redesigned the Compass app, which now has three views, including a hybrid one that displays both an analog compass face and a digital view at the same time. Rotate the Digital Crown in the Compass app to switch views, or press the Action button to add a waypoint.
The Wayfinder watch face features a compass built into the watch face, while the Compass Waypoint complication updates the direction of the waypoint and its approximate distance in real time. The updated app is available on older Apple Watch models updated to watchOS 9. For more information, see the Apple Support document, Use the Compass App on Apple Watch Ultra. ”
6. Much brighter flashlight, up to 2x
The OLED display is twice as bright as any Apple Watch display, and the flashlight on the Apple Watch Ultra is brighter than ever. Just open Control Center and tap the flashlight icon, then swipe left to switch between a solid white light, a flashing white light, or a solid red light.
7. A new way to turn off the water seal
To use this feature, lift the Control Center overlay on the watch face and tap the Water Lock button. To exit this mode, simply press and hold the Digital Crown until “Unlocked”appears on the screen.
In the past, you had to actually rotate the Digital Crown to disable the waterlock, but watchOS 9 has switched to press and hold. On other Apple Watch models with watchOS 8 or earlier, you still need to rotate the Digital Crown instead of pressing it.
8. Checking the temperature change of the wrist
The Apple Watch Ultra includes Apple’s new temperature sensor, one that sits under the back glass and makes direct contact with your skin, while another is built under the display to measure ambient temperature. While this sensor is primarily used for periodic assessment, it stores a baseline wrist temperature in the Health app (Overview → Body Measurements → Wrist Temperature).
You’ll need to wear your Apple Watch Ultra for at least five nights to determine your core wrist temperature and display it in the Health app. You can disable this feature in the Clock app on iPhone by going to My Watch → Privacy → Wrist Temperature. For more information, check out the Apple Support white paper titled Track Nighttime Wrist Temperature Changes with Apple Watch. ”
9. Car accident detection, hope you never need it
We hope you never have to test crash detection on your Apple Watch Ultra. This feature can easily save your life by calling 911 and notifying your emergency contacts if on-board sensors are collecting data indicating a serious car accident. It can detect frontal and side impacts as well as rear impacts and rollovers of sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, etc.
You can disable crash detection if you wish, but it’s best to leave it enabled. To turn it off, launch the Clock app on your iPhone and go to My Watch → Emergency SOS, then turn off the Call after a serious accident option. For more information, read the Apple Support document titled Use Crash Detection on Your iPhone or Apple Watch to Call for Help in a Crash. ”
10. New setting for battery protection.
Apple offers Optimized Battery Charging on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, which improves battery life by stopping the charging process at 80 percent charge until watchOS determines you can turn off the watch, after which charging will end. With the Apple Watch Ultra, you get additional optimization with a feature called Optimized Charge Limit. This feature is enabled by default and determines when to charge up to the optimized limit and when to allow full charging.
If you place your Ultra on the charger and the screen shows an open charging ring instead of a closed one, Optimized Charge Limit has been enabled. To manually continue charging beyond the optimized limit, tap the circle with the green or yellow charging icon on the charging screen, then select Charge to Full Now.
You can manage the Optimized Battery Limit feature in Settings → Battery → Battery Health. For more information about this feature, read the Apple Support document titled About Optimized Battery Charging on Apple Watch. ”
What are your favorite Ultra features?
This list is subjective and one can disagree with it. Whether you agree with all or just some of the hidden and secret features we’ve covered in this post, we’d love to hear your opinion in the comments below!