Use Family Setup

Until watchOS 7, every Apple Watch needed to be paired with an iPhone. It’s been possible to pair multiple watches with one iPhone, but with the expectation that the same person is using them. I know friends who use older watch models at night to track their sleep, for example; or, you might have a stainless steel watch for wearing at the office and an aluminum Nike model when exercising. Your data is shared among all paired watches.

This model falls apart if you want to give a watch to someone in your family who does not have an iPhone to pair it with, such as a child or an elderly parent. The Family Setup option in watchOS 7 and later makes it possible to pair several watches with one iPhone, and keep the data on each watch separate.

The family member gets most of the features of the Apple Watch—such as activity tracking, running apps, setting alarms and reminders, and of course telling time—while you’re able to communicate with them via text or voice, use Find My Friends to know where they are, and be alerted if anything happens (like detecting a fall or needing to Use Emergency Features).

Family Setup does have several important caveats:

  • It works only with Apple Watch Series 4 and later models, including the Apple Watch SE.

  • It requires a cellular-enabled model with an active cellular plan for that watch (with the caveat that a “cellular plan isn’t required to set up an Apple Watch for a family member, but is necessary for some features”).

  • Some standout features of those watch models aren’t active for devices configured under Family Setup. According to Apple, those are “health data sharing, respiratory rate, irregular heart rhythm notifications, ECG, Cycle Tracking, Sleep, Blood Oxygen, Podcasts, Remote, News, Home, and Shortcuts.” (So if you’re setting up a watch for a family member, save your money and buy an Apple Watch SE or a compatible used model—cellular models, remember.)

  • You must have Family Sharing turned on for your Apple ID.

  • If the family member’s Apple ID is being used on a Mac, that device must be upgraded to macOS 14 Catalina or later.

Add a Watch Using Family Setup

If the watch is not already unpaired and erased (in the case of a supported hand-me-down model), be sure to Reset the Watch first. Then, follow these steps:

  1. Put the watch on your wrist or the family member’s wrist. Position the watch close to your iPhone until you see the option to set up the watch; tap Continue. If that option doesn’t appear, go to the Watch app on the iPhone, tap All Watches, and then tap Add Watch.

  2. On the setup screen, tap the Set Up for a Family Member button. Tap through the successive screens about how the feature works and how Apple uses your data.

  3. Scan the cloud animation on the watch face to pair the watch with the iPhone, then tap Set Up Apple Watch.

  4. Follow the standard setup steps, such as choosing a font size, and creating a unique passcode for the wearer.

  5. Choose the family member who will be wearing the watch, and have them sign in using their Apple ID.

  6. After signing in, step through the screens that ask you to enable features such as Siri, the cellular connection, and others. Most of the options can be set up later if you choose.

When the setup is complete, tap All Watches at the top of the Watch app’s main screen to find the new device listed under Family Watches (Figure 170). To adjust its settings from the iPhone, tap the watch; the name appears prominently at the top of the My Watch screen so you don’t get confused about which device you’re editing.

Figure 170: Family watches show up on the All Watches screen.
Figure 170: Family watches show up on the All Watches screen.

Configure Schooltime Mode

In most respects, except for the restrictions listed earlier, the family member’s watch works just the same as a regular watch. Since one of the best reasons for using Family Setup is to provide a watch to a child, Apple created Schooltime mode. It’s intended to minimize the distraction a communication device would provide (Figure 171).

Figure 171: Schooltime displays just the basics when active.
Figure 171: Schooltime displays just the basics when active.

Schooltime turns on Do Not Disturb when it’s active, although emergency calls and notifications still appear. To set up Schooltime mode:

  1. On your iPhone, tap All Watches and then tap the i button for the family watch.

  2. Tap Schooltime.

  3. Turn on the Schooltime option.

  4. Tap Edit Schedule and set up the days and times you want the feature to be active, such as when classes are in session (Figure 172). Tap the Add Time button to set up multiple blocks.

    Figure 172: Set the active Schooltime blocks.
    Figure 172: Set the active Schooltime blocks.

  5. Tap the Back button to apply the changes.

Schooltime doesn’t completely lock the wearer out of the watch. They can press and hold the Digital Crown to exit the mode, and they must acknowledge that the action is recorded (Figure 173).

Figure 173: The family member can exit Schooltime, which is recorded.
Figure 173: The family member can exit Schooltime, which is recorded.

Those unlocks are noted in the Schooltime settings for that device (Figure 174).

Figure 174: Someone had a difficult time paying attention in class.
Figure 174: Someone had a difficult time paying attention in class.
..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset