Smartwatches are devices that were designed to connect with smartphones in order to receive notifications, access apps, and more. However, if the smartwatch is away from the phone, does it still work? In short, the answer is yes. While there are some limitations to what a smartwatch can do without a phone connection, for the most part they can still function as normal watches. In this blog post, we are going to discuss what are the functions that need your smartphone to stay close & what you can do with your smartwatch without needing your phone.
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Relationship with Smartphones: How do smartwatches work without smartphones nearby?
Smartphones are integral to the use of smartwatches. Without a smartphone nearby, how do smartwatches work? Most smartwatches rely on either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect to phones, and without a phone nearby, those connections will fail.
It’s worth noting that some watches (including the Apple Watch) can access phone notifications if they’re connected to a phone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. If you need to be alerted about something on your phone but don’t want to take it off your wrist, a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection may be able to help. Even without a phone nearby, the watch can track workouts. The Apple Watch, for example, has built-in sensors that know when you’re walking or running and estimates your pace and distance traveled.
Challenges: Why do some smartwatch functions not work when away from phones?
A smartwatch can be used without a phone, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. The most important feature of the watch is to keep you updated on notifications and messages, but it also needs to work as a remote control for your smartphone.
Smartwatches are becoming more popular each day and with that, the number of functions that they can do. However, there are some functions that smartwatches cannot do without a phone connection.
One reason for this is that the watches rely on the phone to send notifications when something important happens. For example, if you receive a notification from your bank about a new transaction, your watch will also notify you so you don’t have to take your phone out of your pocket.
However, if you forget to charge your watch or if there is an issue with the battery, notifications will not be sent and some features may not work at all. This is because the watch relies on cellular data to send and receive information. You can also find apps that send notifications through the watch without having to use the phone.
For example, you can set up a notification to remind you to take your medicine at the right time each morning, so you don’t have to check your phone repeatedly.
Can I leave my phone at home and use my smartwatch?
One of the most common questions people ask about smartwatches is whether or not they can work without their phones nearby. The answer to this question largely depends on the watch and the app in question. For example, some watches have basic fitness tracking features that work without a phone, but other apps require a Bluetooth connection with a smartwatch to function.
It’s also worth noting that not all smartwatches are equipped with cellular data connections, so if you plan on using your watch away from Wi-Fi networks you may have trouble staying connected.
That said, there are a few tricks you can use to make sure your smartwatch works even if you leave it at home. For example, many watches include offline maps and directions, so you can still use them if you don’t have an internet connection.
Functions that you can use on a smartwatch without a phone:
If you are working out in the morning without your phone, the sports modes in the smartwatch will still monitor how well you are doing in those exercises. These are the things your smartwatch can still do without a phone connected:
Track your fitness: Most smartwatches come with a built-in heart rate monitor, which allows you to track your heart rate throughout the day. You can also track other vitals like blood pressure, body temperature and more. These functions don’t need your smartphone to work.
If you’re running, biking or swimming outside, the watch can track your progress as well as calculate how many calories you’ve burned so far during the day.
Time and date: You can set the time and date on your watch. You can also set alarms, which will wake you up at a specific time of day. If you have a watch with an alarm, you don’t need to worry about setting it with your phone.
Alarm: Set an alarm by tapping the alarm button on the side of the watch or by pressing down on the button until it vibrates.
Timer: If you want to stop or pause a timer, tap it when it is counting down. You can also tap again once it has finished counting down.
Step count: To see how many steps you have taken, swipe left or right on your watch face. Even if your watch is disconnected from the phone, the accelerometer can still count the steps you’re taking on.
Heartrate: If your watch has this feature, check out your heart rate using its built-in sensors instead of looking at a screen that shows your heart rate every time you press a button!
Changing watch face: You can customize your watch so that it displays all kinds of information, such as time, date and battery life in a peculiar way. You can also create an entirely new look for your watch by changing its color or design using a cloud based watch face.
Google has already listed the features that work seamlessly without needing a smartphone.
How far away do smartwatches work?
The distance that a smartwatch can connect is limited by the Bluetooth range of the phone it uses. The best way to estimate this range is by using the device’s Bluetooth version.
But how far can the smartwatch be from the phone? If you have Bluetooth v4.x, you’re likely to get less than 10 feet of connection range. If your smartwatch is new and your phone has a newer version of Bluetooth 5.x, it may only work up to 30 feet away from your phone. In a nutshell, the ideal distance between a smartwatch and a phone should be 5-8 feet for best performance.
Conclusion | Do smartwatches work away from phone?
In conclusion, if your smartwatch is not connected to your phone, it likely won’t work. However, there are a few cases where it might still be able to function. For example, if you’re using a watch that doesn’t have a connected phone and you only need the functionality of a basic watch, it might work fine.
