Communicate with Friends
As a communications device, the Apple Watch is almost as capable as the iPhone, incorporating text and audio messages via the Messages app, and making and receiving phone calls. Send text and emojis in the same line, along with stickers and GIFs. To put this into context, let’s see how it works when replying to incoming messages and composing new ones.
Reply to Messages
When someone sends a text to you, you’re initially notified by a tap or tone on your watch. To reply to the message, do the following:
Raise the watch to display the sender and the message (Figure 92).
Figure 92: This incoming text message includes a question with two options. Tap the iMessage field to compose a reply or tap the App
button for more options (discussed below). Or, scroll down to view preset replies.
Reply via Preset Text
Apple has developed an interesting feature called smart replies that analyzes the message and presents you with likely preset replies based on the original message (Figure 93). (Although, to be honest, this feature seems pretty inconsistent in my experience.)
Scroll down to choose from more-generic preset replies, such as “Sure!” “What’s up?” or “In a meeting. Call you Later?” Tap one to send it.
To create your own preset replies, open the Watch app on the iPhone and go to Messages > Default Replies, tap Add Reply, and enter your own text (including emoji). Tap Messages to return to the previous screen.
Reply with Scribble or a Keyboard
With the larger display of the Apple Watch Series 7, 8, and Ultra models, replying brings up a QWERTY keyboard (Figure 94). Tap to type or use QuickPath technology and drag your finger across the letters to form words.
Alternatively, swipe up to switch between the keyboard and the Scribble interface. (On earlier models, Scribble is the only option.) Scribble uses a form of handwriting recognition to let you write replies letter by letter. To scribble a reply, do the following:
Tap the iMessage field.
Use your fingertip to draw each character on the screen (Figure 95). Tap Space for a space character, or tap the delete
button to erase the last letter.
Figure 95: Draw characters with the Scribble feature. While drawing a word, turn the Digital Crown to move the cursor among the letters (if you misspelled something). Or, tap a word to show autocomplete suggestions. Use the Digital Crown to browse the options (Figure 96). Tap one to enter it (or wait a moment for the selected word to be used automatically).
Figure 96: Use the Digital Crown to show autocomplete options. To include an emoji with the text (or to send an emoji on its own), tap the Emoji
button and choose one from the scrolling grid (Figure 97).
Figure 97: Choose a recent emoji or scroll down for more options. It’s added to the text you’re composing. Tap Send to send the message.
Reply Using Dictation
Scribbles and touches have their place, but sometimes it’s easier to just say what’s on your mind. To dictate a replay, do the following:
Tap the microphone
button.Speak your reply. If you want to include punctuation in the text reply, be sure to say it (such as “What about that new pub that just opened question mark”) (Figure 98).
Figure 98: Dictate a reply for the watch to transcribe. If you want (or need, based on what appeared) to edit the transcription, tap the edit text
button.Tap Send to send the transcribed text of your message.
The message is sent.
Reply with a Sticker
For a more amusing or interesting reply, get visual:
Tap the App
button below the message text.Tap the Memoji
button.Scroll to choose a Memoji type to review the various reactions (Figure 99).
You can also tap More Stickers to access other stickers you’ve added to your iPhone.
Figure 99: Choose a Memoji or sticker. Tap a sticker to send it immediately as its own message.
Reply with a Digital Touch
While useful, email and text messages feel so…business-y. The Digital Touch feature is a swift and whimsical way to communicate with someone else who owns an Apple Watch or an iPhone with iOS 10 or later:
Tap the App
button below the message text.Tap the Digital Touch
button to open the Digital Touch interface, which is initially a blank screen.Draw something with your finger (Figure 100). The image you make is sent to the other person after a few seconds.
Figure 100: Share awesome doodles like this one! To change the color that you draw with, tap the colored circle at the top of the screen.
Other touches you can send include:
Tap the screen with one finger to send a Taptic Engine tap (which the other person can feel only with an Apple Watch).
Rest two fingers on the screen to send your heartbeat.
Rest two fingers and then drag down to send a broken heart.
Tap with two fingers to send animated kisses.
Rest and hold one finger to send a fireball.
Digital Touches are intentionally ephemeral, and are automatically deleted after several minutes. Tap the Keep button that appears below the item in the conversation to keep it; the recipient also has the option to keep it if they want.
When you receive a Digital Touch, it arrives in a notification as a message. After the animation finishes and the drawing vanishes from the screen, tap the replay button that appears in the lower-right corner to view the animation again. Or, tap the color button that appears in the upper-right corner to sketch a response. To dismiss the message without replying, tap Done.
Reply with Recorded Audio
In lieu of a text message, your watch can send recorded audio. Scribbles and touches have their place, but sometimes it’s easier to just say what’s on your mind. To dictate a replay, do the following:
Tap the App
button below the message text.Tap the audio
button.Speak your message.
Tap Send to send the recorded clip.
The message is sent.
Initiate a New Message
To send a message that isn’t a reply to someone else, activate Siri (press and hold the Digital Crown or lift your wrist to activate the watch and say, “Hey Siri”) and say, “Text your friend’s name” followed by the message. Or you can do that in a couple of steps, waiting for Siri to prompt you to speak the message after you specify the recipient.
The message is automatically sent after a few seconds—tap the Don’t Send button if you have second thoughts or want to dictate a different message.
You can also initiate a new message by opening the Messages app, discussed just ahead.
Chat Using the Messages App
You can start a conversation using the Messages app, which is similar to the iPhone version:
Tap the Messages app
icon on the Home screen or the Messages complication on a watch face.Tap an existing conversation, followed by one of the buttons available when replying.
Or, to create a new conversation, in the main list of conversations, scroll to the top of the Messages screen to expose the New Message button, and tap it. Tap the Add Contact field.
Select a person you’ve recently conversed with. Or tap the Add Contact
button to view your entire contacts list, or the number pad 
button to enter a phone number (Figure 101). You can optionally tap the Dictation 
button and speak the name of a person. Pick a contact and tap that contact’s text-messaging phone number or address.
Figure 101: Choose a contact to receive your message. Tap the Create Message button to choose a default reply or emoji, or to dictate the text of the message.
Tap Send (Figure 102).
The message is sent.
You can also initiate a new chat from the Contacts app. Open the Contacts 
app and scroll to locate a person. Tap the contact to open it, and then tap the Chat 
button to open a new message window (or open an existing chat with that person).
Communicate by Phone
People may look askance at you when you start conversing with your wrist, Dick Tracy-style. Using the Apple Watch to conduct a phone call isn’t exactly private (unless the watch is connected to a pair of AirPods you’re wearing), but this capability is great for short calls or when your iPhone is nearby but not easily accessible.
Cellular watch models (with an active cellular plan) can accept or make calls anywhere, though the connection goes through the iPhone by default if it’s in range. The non-cellular models can’t take or initiate calls when the iPhone is out of range.
Receive a Phone Call
It seems funny to even type this, but the capability to screen phone calls is one of my favorite Apple Watch features. I can quickly determine if the call is from someone I want to talk to, or if it’s a call that should go immediately to voicemail instead.
When a call pops up on your watch, you can do any of the following:
Answer on the watch: Tap the prominent green Answer
button (Figure 103).
Figure 103: Incoming phone calls appear on the watch. Tap the green button to answer a call. Answer on the iPhone: Turn the Digital Crown and tap Answer on iPhone.
Decline the call and send a quick text: Turn the Digital Crown, and tap Send a Message.
Mute the ringer: Hold your palm over the watch face for three seconds. (This option can be turned off or on in the Watch app on the iPhone, under Sounds & Haptics > Cover to Mute.)
Decline the call and send the caller to voicemail: Tap the red Hang Up
button. Rejecting calls from numbers I don’t recognize (which are nearly always telemarketers or other annoyances) without reaching for the iPhone is enormously satisfying.The voicemail will appear as a notification and give you the option to listen to the message on the watch. Or, you can listen to it later in the Phone app on the watch.
While you’re on a phone call on the watch, change the volume using the Digital Crown, or tap the Mute button to silence your side (Figure 104).
If you want to switch to the iPhone during a call, tap the active call 
icon that appears on the iPhone’s Lock screen (Figure 105).
button.When you talk on the watch, don’t feel that you need to lift your wrist up and talk right at it. In a reasonably quiet setting, you can get pretty much the same effect with your arms crossed, or your watch arm resting on a table or even at your side.
Initiate a Phone Call
Need to make a call, but your phone isn’t nearby? Here’s how to do it using the just watch:
Ask Siri to do it: Raise the watch (or activate Siri by pressing and holding the Digital Crown until prompted) and say, “Hey Siri, call name.” If a contact has multiple phone numbers, tap the one you want.
Call from the Phone app: Open the Phone
app and tap a category (Figure 106): Favorites (the favorites list from your iPhone), Recents, or your full Contacts list. Tap a contact or recent call to make an outgoing call. Or, use the Keypad to enter numbers manually.
Figure 106: The Phone app accesses the same information you have on your iPhone. Call from the Contacts app: Open the Contacts
app and scroll to locate a person. Tap the contact to open it, and then tap the Call 
button to reveal the person’s phone numbers. Tap one to initiate the call.
Handle Voicemail
Managing voicemail on your Apple Watch can be more convenient than digging out your iPhone.
In the main screen of the Phone app on the watch, tap Voicemail, and then tap a message to begin playing it. You can return the call (tap the Phone 
icon), or delete the message (tap the Trash 
icon).
Speak Using Walkie-Talkie
The best part of walkie-talkies, or two-way radios, is that you can talk to someone on the other end immediately without the rigamarole of placing a phone call. The worst part is that they typically have limited range. The Walkie-Talkie app on the watch removes the limitation, enabling you to talk in short bursts with another Apple Watch owner wherever you may be as long as you both have an internet connection to the watch or to the associated iPhone.
Open the Walkie-Talkie app on the watch and scroll to locate a friend who you know also owns an Apple Watch. Once you’ve added someone, you can connect with others by tapping the Add Friends button (Figure 107).
If your friend has Walkie-Talkie turned on, their button appears in yellow. Tap it to connect with them. If their button is gray, they’ll be notified that you want to chat and can open Walkie-Talkie on their watch.
To speak, press and hold the single button while you talk (Figure 108), then lift your finger to let them reply.
You can turn Walkie-Talkie off in the app or in Control Center. In that case, you’ll be notified if someone wants to speak to you using the app (Figure 109).
