The very best for your LTE-enabled Series 3
Swees Choosing the best Apple Watch apps is the best way to really bring your Apple Watch to life.
With many thousands available to download from the App Store, and new features like GPS and LTE added into the hardware, there's even more reason for developers to want to make apps for Apple's smartwatch. And the big watchOS 4 software update helps many apps do more too.
Wareable verdict: Apple Watch Series 3 review
But which should you download first? We've scoured the App Store, tested hundreds of apps, and outlined our favourites below - starting with the 10 best.
Wareable's 10 best Apple Watch apps
Pressed for time? Then check out our top ten must-have Apple Watch apps, covering a broad range of categories.
Best weather app: CARROT Weather
To help save you from White Walker attacks or being fried to a crisp by the sun, CARROT Weather dishes up a gorgeous Apple Watch app interface, packed with information and snark. The app's 'AI' laughs at your misfortune when it's pouring down, but you can at least customise icon slots to your liking – assuming you subscribe to the app's premium IAP. Worth every penny.
$4.99 + IAP, iTunes
Best workout tracker: Strava
The king of fitness apps has fully embraced GPS tracked running and cycling on Apple Watch. It took a while to get here, but after testing the app out on the road, results are good: distances are nailed onto dedicated running watches and the experience was stable and reliable. Live pacing is not so strong and we found that aspect a little sluggish, and sadly there's no live Segments data, but for serious runners and cyclists, it's the best on the App Store. It's also a standalone app, so don't be afraid to head out without your iPhone.
Free, iTunes
Best Apple Watch productivity app: Things 3
We're deep into GTD (Get Things Done) territory with Things, a to-do manager turned up to 11. On iPhone, it fast becomes the hub for organising your entire life, sorting items into Today, Upcoming, and Anytime views. The Apple Watch app is for properly focussing on your current tasks, which can be displayed as a complication, ticked off when complete, and added to when something urgent looms into view.
$9.99, iTunes
Best for sports fans: ESPN
You're in the world's longest and most pointless business meeting with no idea about the progress of your favourite team's latest game. Enter ESPN, which will keep you updated on the scores from your chosen team in almost any sport. Add in a decent helping of breaking news alerts and complications that can keep you in the know at a glance and there's no better solution for sports fans.
Free, iTunes
Best workout app: CARROT Fit
The CARROT series puts a new spin on tired app categories, and this one's all about the 7-minute workout. The malevolent CARROT AI puts you through your paces, doing 'Celebrity Face Punches' and 'Dragon Mating Dances'. Start your workout and your Apple Watch can become a heads-up display, so you know what exercise you should be doing – or can pause things for a bit if your body's about to break. Plus if you're a CARROT Weather user you get another weather complication! Yay for working around Apple's complication rules!
$3.99, iTunes
Best Apple Watch notes app: Cheatsheet
If you're the kind of person forever forgetting important details – the office Wi-Fi password, a new phone number, your own name – Cheatsheet lets you make a tiny list of quick notes and shove them on your Apple Watch. Each item can have its own icon, making it easier to spot, and you can set items to appear on your watch face as a Complication.
Free + $1.99 in-app, iTunes
Best Apple Watch wellbeing app: Streaks
This clean and simple habit-builder has come in for some criticism due to its limitations: you only get to define six habits, and must set them to happen on specific days of the week. But it's effective to focus on a smaller number of tasks, and the Apple Watch app is great for marking them as done, and for keeping track via the app's complication.
$4.99, iTunes
Best Apple Watch calculator: PCalc
It's astonishing Apple omitted a calculator from Apple Watch (maybe Tim Cook hates Casio), but we're dead chuffed that PCalc exists to heroically come to our rescue. It has a smart interface, with operators and tip calculation just a button tap away (rather than placing these things behind a Force Touch wall). Everything's super-responsive, and you can use the Digital Crown to adjust tip amounts. (Generously, the free PCalc Lite also includes the Apple Watch app.)
$9.99, iTunes
Best Apple Watch audio recording app: Just Press Record
On iPhone, Just Press Record is a very efficient app for making quick recordings: tap the record button, capture some audio, stop the recording, and your audio then syncs to the cloud. This is all now on your wrist, and you can even record without your iPhone around. Your recordings will transfer into the cloud and there's even a complication that'll launch you into a recording automatically.
And, brilliantly, the iPhone app now offers transcription. So you can talk to your wrist and later get a text file of what you said. It's like living in the future.
$4.99, iTunes
Best Apple Watch game: Rules!
Rules! gives you a daily mini-game challenge, which is all about memorising rules and tapping relevant cards. Easy! Only it isn't, because several rounds in, you'll be juggling a bunch of rules in your head ("Tap ascending"; "Reds if you see green"; "No animals"), which must be dealt with in reverse order, all the while knowing that a single incorrect tap ends your game. With watchOS 4, the app's far more responsive, boasts more levels, adds haptic feedback, and bundles the cutest complication you're ever likely to see.
$2.99, iTunes
Best of the rest: Travel
Top Apple Watch apps for directions, flight information, translations, conversions, and finding local amenities.
Citymapper
If you're in one of the supported cities (which include Paris, San Francisco Bay Area, New York and London), Citymapper is a must. It zeroes in on public transport and provides precise, clear instructions on getting from place to place. You're informed about times for upcoming buses, trains or trams, and can access an outline of the stops to expect on your journey. Citymapper's complications can put your ETA and directions right on your watch face. The best part? It works with LTE, so if you left your phone back at the hotel you won't have any trouble finding your way around.
Free, iTunes
Circa
If you spend your life hopping between different time zones – or just working with people around the world – it can be hard to keep track. Circa makes it simple. Define a bunch of locations and availability times in the iPhone app, and you can check how they overlap on Apple Watch. Want to find out when a specific place will be online? Just tap the dial and then the location.
$3.99, iTunes
ETA
You already have your commute figured out, but you need to figure out how long it's going to take to get home so you know when to leave. ETA does that, as the app always keeps you up to date on how long it'll take you to reach home from your current location. It'll also let you know whether there are any delays on your route, and it's got standalone functionality so if you don't have your phone it'll tap into LTE. And oh, it's got an awesome Complication that lets you use Time Travel to see how long your commute home might take.
$2.99, iTunes
iTranslate Converse
Exploring the nooks and crannies of Rome, Italy and left your phone at the AirBnB? iTranslate Conversate will make it easy for you to talk to the locals. You choose the language you want to translate to and tap to begin speaking. The app will automatically pick up who is speaking what language and will translate. Be warned: The more complicated your sentences are, the longer it'll take.
Free, iTunes
Babbel
On iPhone, Babbel is a fully fledged translation teacher, but on Apple Watch it's more like a game. The app figures out what's nearby and provides quick quizzes about relevant words. If you're close to a hotel, tap its name and you might be asked whether 'la llave' means 'the tourist' or 'the key'.
Naturally, this isn't going to make you fluent, but it's a fun way to pass a few minutes; also, a 'word collection' feature further entertains and might get you walking about if you're missing a few key words.
Free, iTunes
Yelp
In a new area and need some help finding things to eat or drink? You'd normally turn to something like Yelp for that, and with its Apple Watch app you can now do that on your wrist. It's extremely simple. All you do is boot up the app and choose the category you're looking for, and then you'll get a list of recommendations close to your location. All it's missing is some standalone LTE action, but hopefully that'll come along soon.
Free, iTunes
App in the Air
Self-described 'personal flying assistant' App in the Air now does an awful lot on your wrist. The Apple Watch app tracks your flight, gives you in-flight 'courses' to stop your neck seizing up, and provides gate and security wait times. Complications and Time Travel support, respectively, give you relevant and timely information on your watch face, and enable you to zip through your journey virtually by way of the Digital Crown.
Free + IAP, iTunes
Elk
This currency conversion app has a very usable, human approach. It knows where you are and sets the currency for you. Upon picking what you want to convert to, the entire interface becomes a space for conversion. Swipe to the left and your base value increases by ten times. Swipe the other way and it reverts.
Each digit is an editable box. Tap it and twiddle the Digital Crown to update the number within. The conversion below will instantly update. Elk's smart, bold, and nicer to use than calculator-like conversion tools.
Free + $3.99 IAP, iTunes
Fitness and sport
The best Apple Watch apps for helping you get fit, whether on your bike, on foot, or in the comfort of your own home.
Pear
Pear is a personal fitness service - which you can use with or without your phone - that includes all kinds of workouts, from HIIT to yoga to spin and more. There are a variety of levels, too, so you can just take on something to lose some weight, or you can train for a marathon. What makes Pear special is that you'll get interactive coaching from athletes while you're doing your workouts. So instead of a generic robot yelling in your ear, it'll be an Olympian who will use their personal stories to motivate you. Fresh.
Free + IAP, iTunes
WorkOutDoors
In the future, little wrist-based computers might beam mapping information directly into your brain. But today, Apple Watch can barely deal with maps when you're hiking, biking, or merely ambling. Fortunately, WorkOutDoors provides zoomable, scrollable vector mapping on your wrist. Bold colours, auto-rotate, breadcrumb trails, and live stats showcase an app very much designed for the wrist first, rather than Apple Watch being an afterthought.
$2.99, iTune
Swim.com
The Apple Watch's own swimming app is pretty impressive, but if you're looking for a bit more post-swim analysis and want to have your pool workouts tracked in one place, Swim.com is your friend. It can track stroke type and count and features drills and live feedback while you're in the pool – spitting data out into a dedicated iPhone app.
Free, iTunes
ViewRanger
This is one you'll want to take on your hikes with your brand new LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3. ViewRanger gives you live turn-by-turn navigation and trip stats for hundreds of hiking and cycling trails worldwide. You can also download (and pay) for additional topographic maps.
Free + IAP, iTunes
Streaks Workout
There's no messing about with Streaks Workout, a fitness app that leaves you with no excuses. Define on your iPhone which exercises you're happy to do, and then pick a duration on the Apple Watch. Only got minutes to spare? Go for the six-minute 'Quick' option. A bit of a masochist? Try the half-hour 'Pain' mode, which you'll find is aptly named as the app flings semi-randomised rep sets at you for 30 agonising minutes.
$3.99, iTunes
Ace Tennis
Ace Tennis uses your Apple Watch's sensors to help determine the power and efficiency of your tennis swings. You'll be able to see the G-forces your arm swing creates as well as the power and speed at your serve's apex. And of course, you'll get your heart rate and calorie data too.
Free, i
Hole19
A comprehensive tool for golfers, Hole19 provides you with hole routing, course stats, and a simple interface for logging your score. Once you've started a round on your iPhone, your Apple Watch hones the data down to what you need at any given moment: key distances; score input; and putt tracking.
Free, iTunes
Zones for Training with Exercise Intensity
Getting full marks for both the length of the name and practicality, ZTEI (as it will now be referred) is the perfect app for those who train by heart rate. It has modes for walking, running, cycling and gym workouts, and will display your live heart rate zones, as well as reporting the time spent in each zone, and spitting the data out into the Health app. You'll also be able to use it sans iPhone, which is great for you Series 3 owners. It adds functionality that the Apple Watch doesn't provide, which is the beauty of a good third party app.
Free, iTunes
Runkeeper
Runkeeper's a great iPhone app, but there's a lot going on. On the Apple Watch, it's focussed on key info: you start an activity, swipe between screens that show stats, cardio info, and split times, and can have haptics give you a buzz when you hit set distances. When home, open Runkeeper on your iPhone and stats and a map (if you've a Series 2 or newer) are squirted across.
Free, iTunes
Nike+ Run Club
Nike has been lagging behind rivals such as Strava and Runkeeper in the Apple Watch running game, but it's taking a big new step with its latest update. You'll get the same personalised running plans and GPS + LTE support you know and love, but now you'll also get audio coaching from athletes like Mo Farah. Nike is finally ready to tangle with the big boys.
Free, iTunes
Slopes
Having detailed speed, altitude and distance stats to hand when careening down a mountain on skis or a snowboard is all very well, but an iPhone's not the best of devices to access during such occasions. Slopes therefore enables you to start recording data right from your Apple Watch, giving you important stats on your wrist, such as how much time you've spent zooming along on snow compared to riding boring lifts. With the Series 3's barometric altimeter, this one is sure to gain in functionality, too.
Free + IAP, iTunes
Health and wellbeing
The best Apple Watch apps to keep you in good health, from remembering to take medication to getting a good night's sleep.
One Drop
If you're diabetic, then keeping track of your glucose and everything around it can be difficult. One Drop wants to make that easier, allowing you to log glucose, meds, food and activity directly from your wrist. It can also integrate into HealthKit. All of this together will help you manage your diabetes better than ever before.
Propeller Health
Propeller is an FDA-cleared asthma sensor that attaches to your inhaler. It can tell when you use your inhaler and send that information over to the Propeller app, which will generate insights and remind you when it's time to use your inhaler. Insights include the ability to figure out what triggered an attack and seeing a forecast of what you can expect for the day.
Free, iTunes
Round Health
If you're living with a medical condition, ensuring you take and have enough pills can be vital for living a healthy and happy life. On iPhone, Round Health provides a straightforward interface for setting up lists of what to take and when, handily providing 'windows' during which something should be taken, and giving you a nudge when your pills are running low.
Read this: Best Apple Watch band to try out
On Apple Watch, everything's very much simplified, with just a list of today's pills and an optional complication that acts as a reminder. Still, simple is effective in this space, and Round Health does the job. (Also, the system's arguably flexible enough to use for non-health reminders, if you happen to like the interface.)
Free, iTunes
AutoSleep
This one is true to its name. There's nothing you need to do with AutoSleep, just make sure the app is installed and you're wearing your Watch to bed. It'll automatically track your sleep. In the morning, it'll send you a notification with your sleep analysis, including how you restless you were or how long you were in deep sleep.
Read this: Best Apple Watch sleep tracker apps
There's even a mode for if you don't wear your Watch to bed, as long as you sleep right after you charge your Watch and put it on when you wake up. Although we'd argue that feature is a little pointless when you could just as easily hit a stopwatch.
$2.99, iTunes
Everyday essentials
Those apps you can't do without: calendars; timers; money management; and Wikipedia on your wrist.
Mint
Our lives are dictated by bills, and there's no app better at helping you keep track of bills than Mint. The Apple Watch app, like its older iPhone brother, is a simple way to see which bills you've got to pay soon, how much money you have flowing in and out of your accounts and how good (or bad) your credit score is.
All of this essential financial information is huddled into three separate screens, so you can quickly slide between them to get everything you need at a glance. Best of all, everything is neat and colour coded, so you don't have to squint your eyes trying to figure out maths.
Free, iTunes
Twitterrific
You'd have to be mad to want the entirety of Twitter on your wrist, but Twitterrific helps you deal with the important bits – namely, messages. Configure which notifications are fired across on the iPhone app (keep them to a minimum unless you love noise). Your wrist will ping when DMs or public replies arrive, and you can answer by dictating or using Scribble.
Free + $2.99 IAP,
Reminders Nano
For reasons best known to Apple's developers, Reminders didn't originally make it to Apple Watch. (Perhaps they forgot to set a reminder to make the app.) Although it's there now, we reckon Reminders Nano may still be worth paying for.
First, it handily displays your lists in alphabetical order, rather than whatever arbitrary order Apple's app goes for. Secondly, you can use the app to add new items and even entirely new lists, which means less fishing around for your iPhone when you're already peering at your wrist.
$2.99, iTunes
Fantastical 2
Apple's Calendar app is fine for reading appointments, but Fantastical 2 saves you fishing out your iPhone to add events. Force Touch to access the relevant command, and then dictate. The app's natural-language input means it usually successfully interprets the likes of "lunch on Friday at 2pm for an hour", making you feel like you're living in the future. A bit.
$2.99, iTunes
MultiTimer
Apple's own Timer app is straightforward but limited to just one countdown timer. It's no good if you need to time several things simultaneously, unless you buy loads of Apple Watches and strap them to your arm.
MultiTimer is a far more sensible choice, and even in its free incarnation provides six timers. These are defined on iPhone (colour; icon; default length) and show up in the Apple Watch app, where you can view a single timer or several at once. Pay for the in-app purchase and you can have unlimited timers – although you should perhaps ask yourself at that point if you're getting a bit obsessed.
Free or $2.99, iTunes
Pennies
If you need to keep track of your money after blowing a huge amount of it on, say, a new Apple Watch, Pennies can help. The app enables you to set up multiple lists, to which you can add and remove funds as and when you need.
On Apple Watch, the app's stripped back compared to its iPhone counterpart, but you can still discover what you have left to spend (even using a Complication as a constant reminder), and quickly deduct cash from your budget when you rashly splash out on a new Apple Watch strap you totally didn't need.
$3.99, iTunes
Deliveries
Deliveries is pretty great on every platform, tracking goodies that are winging their way to you, and ensuring you're not out when a courier is about to hurl that new laptop over your fence. On Apple Watch, you get the same list, location maps of where your things currently are, and handy notifications when a delivery is imminent.
$4.99, iTunes
V for Wikipedia
The idea of Wikipedia on your wrist is probably a bit weird, but we like V for Wikipedia a lot. The interface is smart and to the point, letting you search all of Wikipedia or just find things that are nearby. The cut-down articles it presents are short enough not to make your eyes glaze over, but give you enough detail to make them worth loading. And the app happily works without your iPhone being on, yet enables you to bookmark whatever you'd like to read later on a bigger screen.
$5.99, iTunes
Productivity
Make your Apple Watch earn its keep by saving you time and helping you work.
Hours Time Tracking
If you're sitting there at half-past five wondering where the day went, start using Hours to track your time. The app can nag you to start and stop timers (defined on your iPhone) – which can be done right from your wrist. A complication means you can glance at your watch face to see which timer's currently running, too. Unfortunately, the app won't do your actual work as well.
Calzy
PCalc might be the best calculator on Apple Watch, but Calzy runs it close – and it has two things PCalc lacks. First, operators appear on the same screen as the numbers, which if you're precise when tapping might prove preferable; but also the app can show an ongoing, multi-part sum, which you can edit before stabbing the equals sign.
$1.99, iTunes
Productive
Differentiating itself from standard to-do apps, Productive is all about creating and tracking habits. You create lists on your iPhone, concentrating on repeating tasks that improve your life but are easy to let fall through the cracks. These are assigned to morning, afternoon or evening on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, or specific days.
Using the Apple Watch app, you can quickly get at your lists, the interface smartly starting by displaying the most relevant set. Tap on a task to mark it as done (or skip it), without ever bothering with your iPhone – thereby making yourself that little bit more productive. An aptly named app, then.
Free + IAP, iTunes
1Password
The 1Password app provides the means to bring across some of your passwords or secure notes to Apple Watch. These are accessed via big, friendly buttons, and you can lock everything behind a four-digit PIN. (If you're feeling especially paranoid, force-quit the app after use: hold the side button until the power screen appears, then press-hold the button until 1Password closes.) Note that 1Password is free to download, but you'll need the 'Pro Features' IAP for the Apple Watch app.
Free + $9.99 IAP, iTunes
Drafts 4
On iPhone, Drafts bills itself as the place where text starts. This is fair enough, since it's a speedy and dependable note-taking app with comprehensive sharing options. Now, text can start on your wrist, through Siri dictation. Captured text is sent to your inbox, and any selected item can be appended/prepended to another, archived or deleted. Everything got faster and more reliable with watchOS 4, and the app works even when your iPhone's gone walkabout.
$4.99, iTunes
Instapaper
The original read-later service, Instapaper might seem an odd bedfellow for Apple Watch. But along with enabling you to manage your article archive, it can live-convert articles to speech. The result's somewhat strange – like a robot reading bits of the internet to you – but it can be a convenient way to burn through articles when you're not in a position to hold your iPhone in front of your face.
Free, iTunes
Clicker
Ambition's all very well, but sometimes it's the simpler apps that grab hold – and Clicker is certainly very simple. Post launch, you tap to increment a number on the screen. Force Touch and you can subtract or start from scratch. That's it. Complication support leaves your number front and centre, so you can keep tabs on group numbers, days since an event, or exercise laps – at least up until the maximum supported number (2,147,483,647 – which is a lot of laps).
Free, iTunes
Workflow
On the iPhone, Workflow – now owned by Apple – is a hugely powerful automation tool, providing one-tap access to strings of actions that would otherwise need you to dart in and out of several apps. On Apple Watch, it's in theory the same, although the reality is not all workflows are compatible with Apple's wearable.
Even so, we reckon Workflow's a great install. The gallery includes a smallish selection of genuinely useful actions, and others can be sent to your wrist from the iPhone app. With a bit of fiddling around, Workflow adds a whole new level of power to your wrist.
Free, iTune
Entertainment and games
Podcasts, stargazing, games and more – your Apple Watch can be a boon when you want to have fun.
Night Sky
You know those smartphone apps where you hold your device to the sky, and discover the stars you're looking at? Night Sky is the same – but on your Apple Watch. Sure, it's a mite simpler, but configure the thing by aligning the moon on your wrist with the one overhead, and you'll become a digital Brian Cox, illuminating anyone nearby with facts about the heavens.
Free, iTunes
TodoMovies 4
If you're a big fan of movies, you'll want to keep track of great-looking films to check out as well as what you've already seen. TodoMovies ably deals with both, also enabling you to rate what you've watched. On iPhone, you get trailers, a comprehensive movie database to search, and themed lists to peruse. On Apple Watch, you just get access to your lists: Watched, To Watch and any custom lists you've created; but these lists can be quickly explored and reordered, and you can move and rate items.
Free,
Overcast
We reckon Overcast is the best iPhone podcast player, in part down to its excellent built-in effects for boosting voices and smartly removing silences. On Apple Watch, Overcast is essentially a remote for the iPhone app, giving you fast access to play/pause and seek buttons, and showing what's up next. Force Touch loads a handy three-button screen that lets you delve into your subscriptions, toggle effects, and recommend the current show if you happen to like it.
Free, iTunes
Watch Player
Overcast is a remote for the best podcast app on iPhone, but Watch Player exists for podcast fans who want to dispense with the phone bit entirely. You transfer entire podcast episodes to your Apple Watch, and can listen (using Bluetooth headphones) from there. The app's a touch workmanlike, and transfers take time, but for now this plugs a gap Apple should really plug itself.
$0.99
Shazam
There's still that sense of living in the future when it comes to Shazam. Waggle your phone about while a song plays in the background, and the app will reveal what it is. Now, you don't even have to have your phone if you've got a Series 3 – just wave your arm around to reveal a song's title, as well as lyrics, just in case you want to leap on to the table and wow your friends with your vocal prowess.
Free, iTunes
Sky Guide
On iPhone Sky Guide is the most beautiful and accurate star and constellation guide, so this is money well spent. On Apple Watch, the companion app gives you a calendar of upcoming events, and optional notifications regarding what's about to occur in your location, so for example you can catch the International Space Station zooming overhead. Recent software updates also boosted performance and added a complication that supports Time Travel and offers a very accurate Moon phase.
$1.99, iTunes
Lifeline…
The conceit behind Lifeline… is you've somehow received a communication from a stranded astronaut, and Taylor needs your help in order to survive. The story plays out in real-time, with you making decisions on Taylor's behalf.
In short, it's a Choose Your Own Adventure – and many games have since 'borrowed' Lifeline's basic structure. But for our money, this title's smart writing still elevates it beyond the competition. It's genuinely tense when Taylor vanishes for hours while traipsing across the desolate planet, and there's surprising emotional clout when you realise your decisions may lead to a sticky end.
$1.99, iTunes
Trivia Crack
More or less a stripped-down asynchronous Trivial Pursuit, Trivia Crack has you clash brains with someone online, choosing from six categories of questions, and collecting little characters as you go. Sounds have also been added, plus you no longer have to start games on your iPhone. Note that this doesn't mean you can then use your iPhone to cheat and look up answers. (Well, you can, but you definitely shouldn't.)
Free + IAP, iTunes
Tiny Armies
An Apple Watch game with ambition, Tiny Armies is turn-based strategy on your wrist. If you're expecting a Civilization (or even a Polytopia), you might be disappointed. But there's surprising depth here as little armies respond to your swipes, carving their way through a 'fog of war' in randomised single-screen arenas, and wiping out opponents. Perfect when you fancy a spot of conquest, but only have a minute to spare.
$0.99, iTunes
Twisty Color
Since watchOS 3, devs can have the Digital Crown control any interface element. Twisty Color takes advantage of this, having you twiddle a 'Twister' in the screen's centre. The idea is to match the colour of its surface to incoming bullets. Screw up three times and you're done. It's not exactly Super Hexagon, but Twisty Color is cheap, cheerful, actually feels like it was made for Apple Watch, and perhaps hints at better things to come for gaming on the platform.
$0.99, iTunes