Complications are one of the best features of the Apple Watch because they allow you to see information from your favorite apps at a glance on your watch face.
Here are some of the best Apple Watch complications you should take advantage of.
1. Fantastical 3
Fantastical 3 is one of the best all-around calendar apps for the iPhone or iPad, and for good reason. It’s easy to use, with great features like the ability to use natural language when adding events along with a built-in reminders functionality.
And the Apple Watch app does a great job of providing complications with the information you need. The larger complication slot can show what’s next on your calendar and even how much longer the current event will last. In smaller slots, you can select whether you’d like to see the current date, the number of remaining tasks, and other options like a simpler app launcher.
Download: Fantastical 3 (Free, subscription available)
2. Just Press Record
Using your iPhone to take notes or dictation is fine, but you have to stop what you’re doing, take out your iPhone, and start tapping away. With Just Press Record, your iPhone can stay where it is during the recording process as you use your watch instead.
Simply tap the red circle and your Apple Watch will start recording almost instantly. Everything you record is not only synced straight to the iPhone app, but it’s also transcribed.
Download: Just Press Record ($4.99)
3. CARROT Weather
If you’re looking for the best Apple Watch weather complications, CARROT Weather should be at the top of your list. If you’ve never heard of the app, it brings a dose of humor to a well-designed app with tons of weather information.
For the Apple Watch, you can select from 25 complications to add to a watch face. You can even add a watch face with complications from the app in every slot. That’s perfect for anyone who can’t get enough of what’s happening outdoors. To find out more, just tap the complication to bring up the app.
Download: CARROT Weather (Free, subscription available)
4. Watchsmith
Instead of a complication from a single app, Watchsmith allows you to take your Apple Watch personalization to a new level with a huge number of customizable complications. To start, you can choose from a wide variety, including weather, astronomy, date, activity levels, and more.
For each complication, you can customize the look, size, shape, where it will appear on the watch face, and more. The complications can also appear dynamically according to rules you set. For example, instead of switching watch faces during the day, you can have the weather appear in the morning and your Activity ring progress later in the day.
The app is free with a subscription needed to unlock the tide and weather information. While there is a bit of a learning curve to dive in, Watchsmith is a top-notch way to truly customize your watch screen with information how you want it.
Download: Watchsmith (Free, subscription available)
5. Things 3
Things 3 stands as one of the best reminder apps, and its Apple Watch complications make it even better.
The complications can show a progress bar to indicate how many tasks you’ve completed for the day. Some faces will display the next task in your list; the Modular face can show as many as three. You can also mark tasks as complete directly from your watch.
Download: Things 3 ($9.99)
6. HeartWatch
Another great health feature of the Apple Watch is the built-in heart rate monitor. The native Heart Rate complication does a good job of showing your current heart rate, but HeartWatch takes this a step further.
You can see your current heart rate as well as your minimum and maximum heart rates for the day. Some complications include your average heart rate too, which is great for fitness enthusiasts. There’s also a color-coding system—if the ring around your complication is red, it means your heart rate is elevated.
This complication sits nicely with some of the best Apple Watch fitness apps on the market—it’ll monitor your heart while you sleep, work out, and even while you rest, too.
Download: HeartWatch ($3.99)
7. App in the Air
Especially these days, air travel isn’t exactly enjoyable. Flight changes, delays, and worse can make a fun vacation a nightmare. But App in the Air helps keep you informed and up-to-date about your flights. The complication will give you all the information about your flight including boarding time, gate, and much more. When you land, it will even let you know the correct location for your baggage.
Even if you aren’t the one flying, you can use the complication to keep track of friends and family during their trip and even in the air. The information is available on a wide variety of complication sizes and watch faces.
Download: App in the Air (Free, subscription available)
8. Streaks
Streaks is a to-do list app that focuses on tracking how many days in a row you complete each task. It’s a great way to motivate yourself as once you’ve built up a long streak, you don’t want to break it.
The simplest complication shows six dots that turn from orange to gray when you’ve completed each task. You can mark a task as complete directly on your watch, as well as starting the timers for duration-based tasks. Larger complications will also show the name of an incomplete task on the face.
Download: Streaks ($4.99)
9. Motivation – Daily quotes
Motivation – Daily quotes provides a nice dose of positive inspiration for your Apple Watch. Available on a number of different watch faces, you can see a short inspiration in a wide variety of different categories. The quote will often change throughout the day. It’s a simple way to craft a unique watch face. You can choose to see a quote on a wide variety of face types.
On the Apple Watch app, you can share a quote through email or a message. You can also favorite a quote and browse a collection created on the iPhone.
Download: Motivation – Daily quotes (Free, subscription available)
10. WaterMinder
If you’re concerned that you don’t drink enough water, WaterMinder’s complication makes for a great addition to your favorite Apple Watch face. You can set up a target of how much water you want to drink and count it off throughout the day, all from your watch.
The smaller complications give you another ring you can aim to close by the end of the day. Larger ones give you a percentage of your total in addition to the amount remaining for that day. Tap on the complication to add one of the preset amounts, or input one of your own.
Download: WaterMinder ($4.99)
11. iTranslate Translator
If you’re traveling abroad, the iTranslate complication for your Apple Watch could be a lifesaver. Not only will it automatically detect the local language, but will also pop up with useful common phrases throughout the day.
One tap on the complication will launch the app. Tap on the flag and you can either speak or scribble the phrase you want to translate. After a moment, the app will offer you the translated phrase. Click on the speaker icon and your Apple Watch will speak the translated phrase for you.
The translated phrase remains on your watch face, so you can refresh your memory every time you glance at your watch.
Download: iTranslate Translator (Free, subscription available)
12. BatteryPhone
There’s already a native complication for the Apple Watch to show your watch battery percentage. But if you want to see how much juice your iPhone has with just a glance at your wrist, then you’ll need something like BatteryPhone.
This isn’t the most refined complication on the list, but it’s a great way to keep tabs on your iPhone’s battery level without constantly having to take your phone out. You can also use the fairly basic iPhone app to customize the complication to show both your phone and watch battery levels together.
Download: BatteryPhone (Free)
13. Sports Alerts
Living up to its name, the Sports Alerts app can keep you up to date on whatever sport you’re a fan of—everything from baseball to F1 racing.
To help you keep track of your absolute favorite team, you can pick one to always show on the large or small Apple Watch complication. During events, the complication will update with the most recent action. Just tap the complication to open up the app and see more. And after the contest, you’ll see information about the next game.
Download: Sports Alerts (Free, in-app purchases available)
14. Pedometer++
We’ve all probably heard that a goal of 10,000 steps daily can improve your health. But getting to that magic mark is sometimes easier said than done.
Pedometer++ turns your iPhone and Apple Watch into a step counter. With the Apple Watch complication, you can keep track of your daily step goal with just a glance. In the larger complication, you can see an hourly chart of steps with an exact count. The smaller complication shows a simpler pie chart of your goal.
Download: Pedometer++ (Free, in-app purchases available)
Make the Most of Your Apple Watch With Complications
Complications are the perfect way to interact with information on your Apple Watch. Instead of having to open apps, the most important information for you is always present on your watch face.
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