It has been seven months since I bought my first Apple Watch, mainly for the accessibility aspect of it. I can confidently say that it has been an enormous help. I have 0 regrets about buying it. I haven’t even worn one of the analogue watches I own since then. I decided it was worth a quick summary of how it has been going since I got the Apple Watch.

Every day I use the alarm function to wake up by the vibration. My iPhone on the nightstand has the “flash LED alert” option on, doubling as a backup to ensure I wake up. When cooking, I always use Siri on the watch to set the timer. I can leave the pasta cooking unattended while I do something else in the apartment, same for when using the oven. I also have alarms set to remind me to take my medications. I don’t have to keep the iPhone on me at all times as long as both the Watch and iPhone are on the same WiFi network.

A couple of months ago I had my doorbell system replaced and they installed Bluetooth receivers. I have an app on my iPhone that sends notifications when someone rings my doorbell or if the smoke alarm goes off. It also sends a notification to my Watch.

I’m also still using the Calendar notification reminder. Especially handy when working and I have appointments and need to get to on time.

Apple Maps is much better than Google Maps. A while back I was trying to find a shop in Delft. I don’t live in Delft so I’m not familiar with every street. I set the destination on Apple Maps and it just sends haptic feedback to the Watch when you have to turn right or left. The maps themselves on the iPhone is much simpler and less confusing than Google’s Map. Thanks to the haptics I can focus 100% on the traffic and walk safer on the streets.

The non-accessibility functions I like

Apple’s own sleep tracker while not extensive gives me a good idea of my baseline sleeping trends. I also am more aware of my heart rate during different times of the day. I was not looking forward to having a step counter thinking I don’t move enough. But turns out that while I do have some days I’m almost sedentary if I don’t leave home. I do walk a lot when going to work, doing errands, and taking street photos. I once made 13.000 steps of which most in 2 hours time frame.

I feel good knowing some basic things like that.

It’s a shame that Apple Watch is pretty expensive and not everyone can afford it, plus you need an iPhone for it. I wonder if Android smart watches also have all these functions. I’m going to assume that they do. I hope more people with accessibility needs become more aware of how these gadgets can help them. And if you are the kind of person who doesn’t want text and email notifications, you can turn those off.