How useful is an Apple Watch for a blind or low vision user?

An Apple Watch can be amazingly useful and convenient for both blind and low vision users. Think of it as a small iPhone that's always easy and convenient to reach and use. Oh, and it also tells the time!

You can get plenty of things done with your Apple Watch without needing to take your iPhone out of your pocket or bag. It isn't just about helping you meet your fitness goals - although, if that's what you want it does that very well too.

The Apple Watch is much more than just a wristwatch. It has Siri, a comprehensive range of accessibility settings similar to your iPhone and many useful apps. The WatchOS system is very similar to iOS and you should feel at home with it.

Both VoiceOver and Zoom are available. If you're OK with devices speaking to you I recommend considering leaving VoiceOver turned on but large text, Zoom and Siri can do a lot without using VoiceOver if you prefer not to have your watch talking to you all the time.

You'll get by with just a few VoiceOver gestures and on this small device, we're talking about one and two finger gestures.

The watch face is a touch sensitive screen and there are buttons on the side of the watch. One is a rotating "digital crown" similar to the crown on conventional wristwatches which can be rotated and clicked. Depending on the watch model there will be one or two additional buttons. Control is via a mix of Siri commands, touch gestures on the screen and button actions. There are also optional hand gestures that the watch can detect, like a hand clench.

For telling the time there is a range of watch face designs to choose from and low vision users can select a watch face that best suits their vision.

VoiceOver users get a talking watch.

There is also a feature called taptic time which silently tells you the time in coded buzzes on your wrist, long buzzes for tens and short buzzes for units. 

Some watch faces allow little extras in their corners, called complications, which is what watchmakers call those extra little dials on fancy watches. My watch face is set up with four complications that I find useful. A compass, next rain, date and next calendar event. These are tiny on screen but VoiceOver speaks them and I suppose you could use Zoom to see them.

With an Apple Watch you can do a lot of basic tasks without needing to take your phone from your pocket.

Siri can make phone calls from your wrist and send text messages from your wrist.

You can answer phone calls with it too. 

VoiceOver or Siri can speak incoming messages.

You can make contactless payments with ApplePay by double clicking the side button and holding the watch to the reader. It's secure because it only works when it's on your wrist and you have to enter its passcode when you start wearing it.

Siri or apps can set timers and alarms which play sounds or vibrate on your wrist.

App notifications like reminders can be directed to the watch. Where they appear is your choice.

There are many Apple and third party apps. For example you can check your mail with the mail app or you can pay for car parking with many car park pay by phone apps.

Your watch will even help you find your iPhone.

There are fitness and other wellbeing apps designed to motivate you to achieve your goals.

There's a water lock if you want to take it swimming.

Oh, and it can save your life, too. Apple Watches can alert you to heart problems and can also detect falls and make emergency calls automatically if you fall and seem not to be moving.

There are three main Apple Watch models at present along with some designer models. You can buy the Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch 10 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple. Older versions may be available for lower prices from other suppliers. Mine is the cheapest, the SE and I chose a version which needs to be close to my iPhone to function fully but it will always be able to tell me the time and date even if I leave my phone behind. If you prefer, there is an option to buy Apple Watches that can have eSIMs installed. These can be used fully when you leave your phone behind. Apple describe these models as "GPS + Cellular". The models that can't use eSIMs are described as "GPS". You will need to pay for an eSIM service for your watch from a mobile service provider in addition to the service you already have on your iPhone if you choose the eSIM option.

I've found the Apple Watch SE to be very capable and the few additional features offered on the more expensive models don't excite me. Probably the most significant benefit of choosing a more expensive watch model is the faster processor which will offer faster Siri performance, but I find Siri's performance perfectly acceptable on my SE. The more expensive Apple Watch models can measure a few more health statistics than the SE, which may be relevant to some of you. Most of us probably don't need the Ultra model which is designed for use in hostile environments. If you want to compare models, there is a comparison feature at apple.co.uk .

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