I’ve tested at least 168 Apple Watch apps since unboxing my Series 8, but that’s a lot and believably unnecessary for one person. Along the way, I narrowed down my list to only the best options that make my life simpler and enrich my user experience.
So if you’ve just unboxed and setup your model but have no idea what apps to install and use, I have some suggestions for you.
Whether you want to check weather patterns, stay up to date with the latest news, plan your travel, map your routes before a hike, write a grocery list, send instant messages, or anything in between, there’s an app for it.
19 Best Apple Watch Apps Free and Paid
The following apps can convert your Apple Watch from a simple timepiece into a powerful companion that does exactly what you want.
1. Strava: Run, Bike, Hike
Get Strava if you’re looking for a cycling app to use on your smartwatch. Once you have this set up and ready to go, you can use it to record different activities directly on your wrist.
Understand that Strava on Apple Watch is an independent app, distinct from the iPhone’s option but with limited functionalities. At this time, you get multisport tracking, heart rate data, and audio cues.
- Heart Rate Data: The app uses your smartwatch’s heart rate sensor to help you monitor the intensity of your workouts and overall performance.
- Multisport Tracking: You can use the app to track up to 51 different sports activities, including indoor cycling, treadmill runs, Nordic ski, badminton, golf, and virtual row.
- Audio Cues: You get automatic audio updates when you start, pause, resume, or stop recording your data. Audio cues even let you know about your distance and pace during a hike, a run, or a bike ride.
2. Notes for Apple Watch
Use Notes for to create and manage your notes on your wrist, even when your iPhone isn’t nearby.
This note-taking app uses FlickType keyboard by KPAW, which allows you to type faster and edit every entry on the go.
You can also create categories for your notes and assign colors and themes to each category. By doing so, you can easily trace back to your content because you know exactly where and what to look for.
3. iTranslate Converse
If you’re planning to travel to a foreign country, and you intend to talk to people there in their local language, you might want to use iTranslate Converse.
The app can translate words from a language you don’t understand to your native language. Simply open the app, have someone speak, and it will translate the speech to words you understand.
At this time, iTranslate Converse supports only 38 languages. That’s a big limitation considering that there are over 7,100 languages in the world.
You do have to connect to the internet to translate a language, which should not be a problem if you have a cellular-enabled watch or a secure Wi-Fi connection nearby.
4. Spotify Music and Podcasts
Spotify is one of the best music apps for Apple Watch, iPhones, and iPads. It’s a home to millions of albums, playlists, songs, and podcast, and it’s currently the leading audio streaming platform in the world.
You get access to over 40 music genres, including Hip Hop, Country, R&B, Blues, Afro, Dance/Electronic, and Christian/Gospel.
In the app is a search bar that lets you find any audio file. And there’s even a button, which lets you share your favorite playlist with friends and family.
You’ll need internet access to stream music on the platform if you’re a basic Spotify user.Premium members can download music and listen offline even without their iPhones nearby.
5. Countdowns Event Day Counter
Countdowns timer app lets you set the time left to events and activities such as birthday parties, wedding celebrations, scheduled meetings, funeral arrangements, barbecue parties, and so on.
You can even import important events from calendars to this.
Countdowns Even Day Counter is available for free download with in-app purchases. You can upgrade to a premium version if you wish to access additional features, tools, and functionalities.
The app is available in dark and light modes, and I love the dark mode because it does help to preserve the watch’s battery.
6. Cronometer Calorie Counter
Download and use Cronometer to get a breakdown of your calorie, mineral, and vitamin consumption by logging your meal into an extensive database of 1.2+ million verified foods.
This health app also allows you to set and track your fitness goals, which is helpful if you’re trying to build muscles, lose weight, or improve your overall health.
Chronometer can even integrate to and work well with popular activity-tracking apps as such Apple Health.
Download Cronometer Calorie Counter
7. Blood Oxygen App
Blood Oxygen calculates and displays the levels of oxygen in your blood. It presents the results in percentages, where anything between 96% and 100% is an incredibly good number.
This app doesn’t require you to create a user account. Once you have it installed, wear your Apple Watch, record your heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, and save your data to Apple Health.
Keep in mind that the values you get from this application are for information purpose only. Therefore, you shouldn’t use them for diagnosis or medical reasons.
8. Watch to 5K
Use Watch to 5K to put your muscles to the test and train hard enough to the point where you can run miles with ease.
The focus here is to create and adapt to a solid plan that gets you to run 5 kilometers in just 9 weeks by running 30 minutes a day and 3 days per week.
Watch to 5K requires a high level of discipline. And if you stay committed to the coaching, you’ll get to a point where you can cover a distance of 5 kilometers on your own in no more than 30 minutes.
On your Apple Watch’s screen, you will see your heart rate per minute, the number of calories burned, the distance you’ve covered, and your average running pace.
9. Runance
If you’ve used an Apple Watch for more than 12 months, chances are you already know some of the most popular running apps. Now there’s a new kid on the block known as Runance.
Runance displays a heart symbol on its dashboard, which represents your heart rate as you run. You can also see the distances you’ve covered and how much time you’ve spent running.
If you get tired of running or it’s time to take a break, you can tap the pause button to halt the workout.
Runance even has a leaderboard where you can compare your milestones with other runners, as long as they use the same app.
10. Heart Analyzer: Pulse Tracker
Heart Analyzer features a dashboard that displays a summary of your health information, and it works well only when you have your Apple Watch linked to your iPhone.
On the dashboard, you’ll see charts displaying your heart rate data, insights, metrics and trends, ECG, and heart reports. You also get access to advanced features, including Smart Heart Rate Recovery, Heart Rate Zones, and Heart Rate Calibration.
Heart Analyzer has customizable complications that ensure you are up-to-date with your heart rate, your Resting Heart Rate, your Heart Rate Variability, and your Blood Oxygen Level trends.
11. FlickType – Watch Keyboard
If you are looking to download a keyboard app on your Apple Watch, I highly recommend you get FlickType.
I was able to change the way I use my Series 8 with this app, as it offers powerful features such as customization, auto-correction, and swipe typing.
KPAW gives this keyboard a universal design, which makes typing fast, easy, comfortable, and fun.
If you type a word wrongly, FlickType will use its auto-correct algorithm to suggest the right spelling for the word you want to write. And one swipe with the finger you are typing with can as easily delete or change a word or words.
Because FlickType allows you to insert emoji in your text, you can react to a message without having to describe how you feel in words.
12. WatchChat 2: Chat on Watch
WatchChat2 lets you communicate with friends, family, and colleagues.
This app connects with WhatsApp on your iPhone to deliver messages to your Apple Watch. It even allows you to send and receive voice messages to and from individual and group chats.
You get the option to view high-definition pictures, to view your friends’ statuses, and to send emoji that describe your current mood.
WatchChat2 features a dedicated keyboard that lets you type, scribble, or dictate your message. You can also choose a relevant quick reply to respond to messages if you don’t have the time to create a response from scratch.
The only problem I have with WatchChat2 is that when you change a contact name, the name doesn’t reflect on your contact list. Also, it doesn’t have the option to delete messages, which can be a nice feature for privacy purposes.
13. Pillow Sleep Tracker
Pillow sleep tracker works seamlessly with Apple Watch and iPhone. And it’s the single most robust assistant you can use to train yourself to get sufficient rest every night.
Once you get Pillow, play the pre-included sounds and melodies and fall asleep faster. Monitor sleep apnea, snores, and sleep talks. And use the alarm feature to wake up on your lightest sleep stage.
You get a summary report of your sleep on your Apple Watch, which is fine because the screen real estate is too small to fit a lot of information. To get a detailed analysis of your sleep as soon as you wake up, use your iPhone.
Pillow requires you to have a premium subscription to access heart analysis, wakeup melodies, sleep trends, sleep notes, and sound recordings.
14. Fantastical Calendar
Get Fantastical Calendar if you want to be more productive this year.The app is clean and easy to use, even on an Apple Watch with the smallest display.
Fantastical gets you a weather prediction for the next 10 days, allowing you to prepare for an event with the forecast in mind. Once you come from an event, you can toggle it as complete or let the app mark it as attended on your behalf.
This calendar app even lets you hide events instead of deleting them. And you can even link it to platforms such as Google, Exchange, and iCloud.
You can switch to the dark theme if you’re not a fan of the light customization. And doing so just might save some battery depending on your preference settings.
15. CARROT Weather
The CARROT weather app has 18 unique metrics related to weather conditions, including UV index, temperature, and pollen count.
As soon as you open the app, you’ll see a 5-day weather forecast, current sky conditions, which may be cloudy, sunny, or rainy, and the temperature of your environment. You can also add the app’s complication on your smartwatch’s screen, so you can have quick access to weather forecast.
Besides showing accurate current, hourly, and daily forecast, which helps you stay up to date with the current condition outdoors, CARROT lets you customize how you want to display weather information on your Apple Watch.
The app provides accurate weather forecasts on an hourly and daily basis, allowing you to plan your day in the best way possible. I’ve personally used this one to discover weather conditions for over 100 locations without ever reaching for my iPhone.
16. SwingVision: Tennis & Pickle
Are you a tennis player looking to level up your game without spending hundreds of dollars on a training coach? Get SwingVision right now.
SwingVision can record your stats and analyze your swings while on the tennis court. You’ll see the total number of shots you’ve made so far, the number of calories you have burned, the miles covered while in the court, and your heart rate.
You can even set weekly goals on SwingVision, and then work towards achieving them before the due date.
17. Headspace
I’ve had Headspace on my Apple Watch Series 8 for as long as I can remember. I use it whenever I’m feeling awful about myself or about something. And I find it incredibly helpful every time I use it.
The app’s focus is on 100% pure mindfulness. So if you’re looking for a well-built platform that can help you relax, manage stress, regain focus, and release any tension, get started with Headspace.
Headspace gives you guided meditations, courses, and practices you can use to tackle general anxiety and the worries of life. You can also use the exact same tools to build resilience and become a better version of yourself.
18. Waterful
It is important you stay hydrated throughout the day. But your everyday busy life tends to make it hard for you to remember to drink at least 2 liters of water every 24 hours.
Here is where Waterful comes in.
Developed by Listonic, Waterful is a helpful reminder you can use to complete tasks that are otherwise easy to forget, which includes drinking water.
With Waterful, I no longer get headaches and I don’t have to worry about kidney stones or bladder infections that result from dehydration. Again, drinking water regularly, with the help of the reminders from this tool, helps to detox the body, boost energy, and increase brainpower.
19. Snappy Word: Word Puzzle Game
Spending a few minutes of your Saturday afternoon on games really isn’t a bad idea. And Snappy Word is a good option to consider if you want to pass time constructively.
You play by swiping letters to create words of things and places, and earn a gem for every correct combination. As you play this game, you’ll not only train your brain to remember things but also enhance your vocabulary.
Snappy Word has 400 levels. And I love how well Red Sprite Studio has fit the contents of the game in the app to fit on small screens.