Smartwatches & Fitness Trackers

The new Apple Watch ECG app works with your Apple Watch Series 4 to read your heart's rhythm and detect any irregularities that might indicate atrial fibrillation (AFib), while letting you take note of any additional symptoms you want to record. To use the ECG app, your Apple Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5.1.2 or later needs to be paired with iPhone 5s or later with iOS 12.1.1 or later. Older Apple Watches do not have this feature.

WatchOS 4 was probably the best Apple Watch software update we’d ever seen, especially for those who workout with their Apple Watch. In this update, not only did Apple add new workouts like HIIT, it also added the ability to quickly and easily swipe over to music from within the Workout app on Apple Watch. Now you don’t need to change apps and fumble around mid workout just to change the song. Here’s how to easily access music while working out with your Apple Watch.

By default, when you raise your wrist, the Apple Watch screen wakes up. Also by default, it shows you the Watch Face, assuming you want to see the time and have access to complications. But perhaps you’d rather see the most recent app or activity you were using instead. You can change the setting for Wake Screen from Watch Face to Last Activity. Here’s how to automatically reopen an app on your Apple Watch.

WatchOS 4 for Apple Watch added a lot of quality features to the smartwatch, including new watch faces. My personal favorite addition is the new Kaleidoscope watch face that uses either a built-in photo or a photo of your choice to create a colorful image in one of three different styles. We’ll go over how to use the Kaleidoscope watch face and how to create your own Kaleidoscope Apple Watch face on iPhone.

Apple will hold its fall keynote event and officially release it new iPhones on Wednesday, September 12, at the newly constructed Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. You can easily watch the event on your device or Apple TV—we'll tell you how below. At the September event, we're certain the new iPhones (maybe three iPhones!) will debut. Beyond that, we may see the new Apple Watch 4 and a new iPad Pro. Rumors have been flying about new AirPods and possibly StudioPods, so tune in and follow our coverage to stay up to date. We'll be offering commentary during the event in our Facebook group and a live podcast right after. Here’s how you can watch Apple's iPhone September 12 keynote event too.

Since WWDC 2018, we've been eagerly awaiting the release of WatchOS 5 this September. Now that Apple has confirmed the official date for the September announcement (that's the 12th of September for those of you keeping score) we're more excited than ever to dive into the rumors surrounding the Apple Watch. What might the new design feature, and what do we already know about WatchOS 5? Read on to dig into all the rumors leading up to the big announcement.

With the tech market saturated with so many gadgets, how can you know what’s worth your time and money? At iPhone Life, we know a good product when we see one. After testing out stacks of protective iPhone cases, Bluetooth wireless headphones, rugged Bluetooth speakers, iPhone and Apple Watch chargers, and more year-round, we can appreciate the difference when a company goes the extra mile to make an iPhone or iPad accessory that works seamlessly and is a pleasure to use. This holiday season, we’ve compiled our very favorite 47 tech gifts that we know anyone on your list is going to love. 

Stranger Things was a surprise hit upon its release on Netflix in July 2016. This 1980s-inspired science fiction-horror series featured eight episodes last year, and returns with nine episodes on October 27. Stranger Things Season 2 will be available exclusively on Netflix, which means you need to be subscribed to Netflix. With a Netflix subscription you’ll be able to watch Stranger Things Season 2 online through your iPhone, iPad, Macbook, or other app-enabled device. You can also stream the show through your Apple TV or smart TV when Season 2 premiers on October 27.    

Under Tim Cook’s leadership, Apple has maintained a deep sense of reverence for its late CEO Steve Jobs. Yet never has an Apple event paid as much tribute to Jobs as during this fall’s tenth-anniversary iPhone release, which took place a decade after Jobs revealed the original “one more thing.” The event took place in the Steve Jobs Theater located in the heart of Apple Park, the company’s new Cupertino, California-based campus whose design Jobs masterminded during the last years of his life. As Cook opened the fall keynote, he showed uncharacteristic emotion as he said, “Steve’s spirit and timeless philosophy on life will always be the DNA of Apple.”