• Tips - Set up gentler alarms that vibrate. 🤫
• Deep Dive - Conquer the holidays with the help of your watch. 🎄
• Health Challenge Update - It’s not too late to join our December Challenge! 🏆
• Fun and Interesting Tidbits - Google is joining forces with Apple. 📱

• ⏰ Opt for a gentler vibrating alarm!
• 🔋 Check your watch battery from your phone.
• 🌖 Make your watch easier on your eyes.

Your Apple Watch can do so much more than keep you on time for all your festivities. I’ll go over how your watch can help you manage your travel plans, holiday budget, gift tracking, and last but not least, how to give your watch a fun makeover to help you celebrate in style.

Holiday traveling made easy with Apple Watch

Whether you are traveling near or far to celebrate with your loved ones, your Apple Watch can help you get there! Using the Maps app on your watch is a great way to get around because it vibrates when it’s time to turn. I like to use it whether I’m driving or on foot. 

It also works if you are using public transportation, plus you can keep certain transit tickets in your Wallet app. You’ll have to do the adding of the transit ticket on your phone but can then use it on your watch! Your Apple Watch can even help you out if you’re flying, keeping your boarding pass and boarding info in your Wallet. Just like with the transit tickets, you’ll need to add your boarding pass on your iPhone, you’ll be able to then use it on your watch. 

Finally, if your holiday plans involve going to an event, you can often add event tickets to your Wallet, too. Once your event or flight is done, don’t forget to remove whatever you don’t need from your Apple Wallet to keep things tidy.

Manage your holiday budget with ease

You probably already know that you can make payments with your Apple Watch via the Wallet app. You can also send and receive Apple Cash via the Messages app on your watch, which is great for splitting bills amongst friends. 

As long as you’ve enabled it, you can even get updates on the gifts you’ve purchased to make sure they are sent out and delivered in a timely fashion—this works even if you didn’t use Apple Cash to purchase them! While you can’t see the detailed location information from your watch, you do get alerts when orders are received, items are shipped, and when they are delivered. You can get the details on your iPhone. 

Finally, I like to check how much money I’ve spent by checking my past transactions in the Wallet app, and it’s so convenient to do from your wrist.

Gift tracking and organization

While you can make sure that your gift is where it should be via the Wallet app as mentioned above, there are other ways you can stay on top of your gift-giving using your watch! As long as you have watchOS 26, you can use the Notes app on your watch, which I find super helpful as I use the Notes app for absolutely everything. 

Another useful built-in app is Reminders, which lets you build lists and check items off on your watch. And if Notes and Reminders don’t work for you, there are lots of great productivity apps for the watch that can help keep you on track. My favorite is Things 3 ($9.99) because it has a complication that you can add to your watch face.

Give your watch a festive upgrade

Many of us decorate our homes for the holidays, so why should our tech be any different? I love putting on a red-and-green (or a sparkly) band and finding a winter-themed watch face, since I miss living somewhere with snow. Here is a list of my favorite Apple Watch face apps; most have delightful seasonal options to pick from, and many are free!

Do you still have any holiday-related woes you wish your watch could help you with? Email OntheWatch@iphonelife.com and let me know; I might have a solution to offer you next year!

Our December Challenge started on December 1st, but you can still join until December 24th!  As long as you’ve been wearing your watch, you’ll get all the points you’ve earned for the month.

The monthly iPhone Life Challenge is a great way to come together as a community and motivate each other to reach our health goals by staying active. We’ll be doing a weekly accountability post for subscribers in our Insider Facebook group. Join to share struggles, trade tips, and support one another on our journeys.

To join the challenge, download the free Challenges app on your iPhone and enter the code XYFR when prompted. Need help? This article explains the steps and tells you more about the app.

Are you enjoying the challenge? Do you have any suggestions for how we can make it even better? Email OnTheWatch@iPhoneLife.com and let me know.

• 🤖 Google and Apple are finally working together! 
• 📱 Which company won the 2026 Smartphone Awards?
• 💡 Apple’s holiday Gift Guide has a few surprising spotlights.
• 💻 Does macOS 26 freeze your Mac? Learn how to fix it quick.
• 🚩 iPadOS 26.2 has a flaw that Apple is finally fixing!
• 🔎 Apple AirTag has a new competitor from China.

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