When smartphones first appeared, many consumers weren’t aware of the limitless possibilities they offered. Manufacturers essentially took the modern computer and crammed it down into a pocket sized device. Today, we can do just about anything we previously could on a traditional computer from a portable device.

Cue in the modern smartwatch which offers a fraction of what the average smartphone does in terms of features. It’s difficult to rationalize the cost of a smartwatch when you consider the fact that most consumers already have a more powerful device. After all, one of the most common things that a smartwatch can do is sync with a smartphone and display notifications in real-time. In other words, smartwatches generally act as a companion device of sorts.

Surely, there must be other things a smartwatch can do? Technically it depends on the brand and model, but the correct answer is yes; there’s a lot more that the average smartwatch can do. That’s what we’re here to discuss. If you’ve ever wondered what kinds of neat and uber-geeky things you can do with modern smartwatches you’ve come to the right place!

Image by Qualcomm

The most obvious smartwatch feature- the clock

Naturally, smartwatches will display the time. Just like you can pull your smartphone from your pocket and glance at the clock, you can do the same with your smartwatch (you would hope so right). Some models even feature a unique display that is always-on, allowing you to glance at the screen quickly without actually interacting with the device. If you have the option, it’s better to opt for a watch that continuously displays the time while powered on.

The second most obvious feature- notification support

It goes without saying one of the most popular and widely supported features of any smartwatch is the real-time notification support. There are even traditional analog style watches that support some minor form of a notification display. We’re not going to discuss this feature in-depth, because we have already done so multiple times on the site.

In addition, this is one feature that is pretty much guaranteed for any smartwatch on the market.

You can install mobile apps

Not every smartwatch supports mobile apps, and some of them only offer support for proprietary software. The Pebble for example is only compatible with apps developed specifically for use with the platform. On the other hand, a standalone device like the Neptune Pine is compatible with Android apps freely available on Google Play. The limitations really depend on what smartwatch model you’re looking at. The existence of mobile apps open up a device to the kind of limitless possibilities I was talking about earlier. Then again, developers have to create the apps first before you can use them on the device.

With mobile apps you can do things like track fitness data, update social media profiles, receive third-party notifications and alerts, receive weather alerts, play games and much more.

Additional updates

Aside from the more obvious notification updates and alerts from apps, social media profiles and messaging you can also receive additional updates like sports scores right on your smartwatch.

Image by Neptune

Take advantage of a stopwatch or timer

Since the 80s, smartwatch models have included stopwatch or timer support. Therefore, there’s not much to say about this feature except that most modern smartwatches also include something similar built-in.

You can customize most smartwatches

We’ll go more in-depth on this topic in the next “learn” article. The main point here is that you can personalize most smartwatches. Many models allow you to do this by offering several different watch-faces or skins which work almost exactly like desktop wallpapers or smartphone backgrounds. Some watches even allow you to download and install custom user-made watch-faces from an online community.

From a physical standpoint, a lot of smartwatch are compatible with traditional watch bands. If that’s the case, you can swap out the stock band for something with a more personal flair.

Send messages or place phone calls

This feature is only available on select watch models, but it is possible. Some standalone watches will allow you to place a call or send a message directly from the device, while others transmit the data through a paired smartphone instead.

Check-in to locations using GPS

With a smartphone you can check-in to various locations through social media apps like FourSquare, Facebook and even Twitter. With many smartwatch models you can do the same thing eliminating the need to pull out your smartphone every time you arrive somewhere.

Turn-by-turn navigation or GPS support

Even if the smartwatch doesn’t include GPS functionality built-in you can have turn-by-turn directions sent to your smartwatch for quick viewing. This allows you to forego the periodic glance at your smartphone while driving. Of course, you could just setup the smartphone so that it announces the directions out loud, but again the turn-by-turn feature for a smartwatch just serves as an added bonus when applicable.

Image by Samsung

Snap photos or capture videos

That’s right, a lot of smartwatches actually include a camera or two. Of course, snapping photos from a device you’re wearing on your wrist is a bit awkward so you might want to take it off to do so. That doesn’t change the fact that you can capture photos and video from the device however. It just serves as an added bonus if you’re out and about and don’t have the time to whip out your smartphone to snap a shot. In some cases, you may even want to save yourself the trouble and just take it quickly using your watch.

Expanding on this a bit, you can also use your smartwatch to remotely trigger the camera on your phone. The Pebble has an app that allows you to do exactly this, and it can be implemented through a minor workaround. You can place your phone elsewhere and snap a photo when you’re ready by simply interacting with your watch.

Record voice memos or take quick notes

The smartwatches that feature call support also include an integrated microphone. A lot of them even include voice dictation support like modern smartphones so that you can control the device through voice commands. Regardless of what the mic is used for, this provides an even greater opportunity to record voice memos or quick notes. Sure, you can do the same thing on your smartphone but it’s a lot easier to interact and talk to a device you’re wearing on your wrist- because it’s almost always accessible.

Silence your smartphone

Ever have one of those moments where you’re in a meeting and your phone goes off? Has it ever happened to you in a movie theater?  With your smartwatch you can do more than just dismiss calls and messages you can also silence a connected device or choose an alternate sound profile.

Not all of these features are supported across all smartwatch models

Every smartwatch is different, which means some models offer features that others do not. If you’re looking to purchase a smartwatch, be sure to pay a visit to our buyer’s guide for some things you should keep in mind before plopping down the cash.

It’s important to keep in mind that everything listed here is currently possible with one model or another, but that doesn’t mean every device will support each and every feature. Some devices like the Pebble even require you to install third-party apps or software before you can take advantage of various features.

All of that aside, now you should have a pretty good idea about what kind of things the modern smartwatch can do.