Got a new Apple Watch? Here are 3 hidden features you're probably not using (but should be)

1. Health & Fitness
2. Smartwatches

Got a new Apple Watch? Here are 3 hidden features you're probably not using (but should be) Features By Max Slater-Robins published 17 January 2026

The Apple Watch has a few tricks up its sleeve

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Apple continues to refine the Apple Watch with every watchOS release, and even long-time users often overlook common features that can make daily life noticeably easier.

Whether you’re wearing the Apple Watch Series 10, the newer Apple Watch Series 11, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or the SE 3, Apple’s software hides plenty of tools that quietly boost convenience, health tracking, and navigation.

In this guide, we highlight three features that rarely get the attention they deserve, yet can genuinely improve how you use your watch from morning to night, making the most of the gadget.

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Despite being available across recent versions of watchOS, these tools tend to sit a few taps beneath the surface, so most people never discover them unless they go looking.

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1. Nightstand Mode

Nightstand Mode (sometimes also known as Bedside Mode) is one of the Apple Watch’s simplest yet most easily missed features.

When your watch is placed on its side and connected to power, it switches into a low-light clock display that’s ideal for a bedside table.

The time appears in large, softly lit digits, and the screen stays dark until you nudge the watch or tap the surface it’s resting on.

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Apple refined this mode in watchOS 10 and watchOS 11, improving the way it dims in darker rooms and adding tighter integration with your iPhone’s alarms, so your morning alerts remain consistent across both devices.

It’s particularly helpful if you prefer a minimal sleep setup but still want the reassurance of a visible clock. If you use an iPhone with StandBy Mode, the two displays complement each other neatly.

To turn it on, open Settings on your Apple Watch, tap General, then enable Nightstand Mode. From there, it works automatically whenever the watch is connected to power and positioned on its side.

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2. Chain Together Your Workout

Apple’s workout tracking has steadily grown more flexible, and one of the most underrated additions is the ability to chain activities into a continuous session.

First introduced in watchOS 9 for triathletes and multi-sport users, the feature has expanded to support far more combinations of different workouts, such as strength and running – in case you want to follow your weightlifting session with treadmill work.

Instead of stopping and starting individual workouts, you can link multiple activities – such as a warm-up, a run, a strength session, and a cooldown – into one coherent timeline.

Setting it up is straightforward: open the Workout app, scroll to the activity you want, then choose Create Workout or Custom.

Here, you can add multiple segments in the order you prefer, selecting durations, targets, or automatic transitions.

Once saved, the workout appears in your list for quick access. It takes a little experimenting to get the flow right, but once you’ve built a custom routine, it makes mixed training feel more joined-up.

3. Offline Maps Navigation

Offline Maps arrived on the Apple Watch with watchOS 10, building on the offline mapping tools introduced for the iPhone in iOS 17.

Once enabled, it lets you navigate without mobile data or a nearby iPhone, which is ideal when travelling, exercising without your phone, or moving through patchy-signal areas.

You still get turn-by-turn directions, route previews, and the same gentle haptics that make Apple’s navigation easy to follow.

To set it up, download the relevant map area on your iPhone by opening Apple Maps, tapping your profile icon, and choosing Offline Maps. Saved regions sync automatically to the Apple Watch, provided you have enough storage. With a bit of planning ahead of time, you can save a map of a new city onto your iPhone and navigate via your smartwatch, all without using your data.

Routes planned on either device work normally when offline, with the watch guiding you through haptics and simple on-screen prompts.

With watchOS 26 improving battery management for GPS and compass features, offline maps reduce data reliance and give you a more dependable way to explore unfamiliar places safely.

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TOPICS Apple Watch Apple Max Slater-Robins

Max Slater-Robins has been writing about technology for nearly a decade at various outlets, covering the rise of the technology giants, trends in enterprise and SaaS companies, and much more besides. Originally from Suffolk, he currently lives in London and likes a good night out and walks in the countryside.

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