The smartwatch market is in a massive growth phase. In 2020, there were approximately 70 million units in circulation. This number is expected to reach almost 250 million units over the next six years.

As the demand for smartwatches grows, major technology companies are looking to expand the uses of the modern smartwatch.

For those new to the market, they may view a new smartwatch as a way to tell time, send text messages, and check your heart rate. But the reality is that these watches have the capability for so much more.

We'll walk you through everything you need to know about the functions of the best smartwatches, and how to find the best smartwatch case for you.

The Smartwatch Layout

While every manufacturer is different, most smartwatches will have the same layout. The display will take center stage with a set of pixels that can range in brightness depending on the situation.

Under the hood lies Bluetooth connectivity, heart rate or pulse sensors, and other hardware. There is a built-in memory chip and computer system that runs off of an operating system.

This is where the heart and soul of the technology truly lies. Manufacturers can make long-term updates to the software in this computer, often through the cloud. There will be no need to plug anything in because you can download the latest update to correct any bugs or errors.

You can also choose a watch that has a wireless charging battery that does not need to be connected. Instead, a magnet will create a reverse flow of electrons to charge up your device by resting it on top of the charger.

The rest of the watch is attached to the wristband that secures it on your arm.

20 Things You Can Do With Your New Smartwatch

The potential uses for modern smartwatches continue to grow every year. Here are the top 20 things that users say they love about their smartwatches.

1. Compete With Friends

Many people know about the value of Fitbits and other workout devices. But smartwatches can also play in this league. It turns out that working out and getting fit with your friends can be a very enjoyable activity thanks to your smartwatch.

Smartwatches can also gather all kinds of data about your fitness statistics, including your heart rate, how far you've walked, and the number of steps you've taken. You can then share this information with friends and compete in a friendly setting.

This is a great way to promote accountability, which is one of the best ways for you to promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Any smartwatch for men or women will have an activity-sharing feature that can be used to transmit data between friends, family, and league members.

2. Play Games

It turns out that you don't need a full Xbox or PlayStation set up on your TV to engage in virtual gaming. Instead, you can play games right on your smartwatch. There are hundreds of games available that are designed specifically for modern smartwatches.

These are available in the Google Play Store and App Store. It's true that you won't be able to play modern blockbuster classics like Fortnite or Call of Duty. The tiny screen is too small for these classics.

Therefore, the variety of games is relatively limited in comparison. Nonetheless, this is a nice feature to have when you just want to pass some time while waiting for the bus or catching your flight.

3. Modernize Your Watch Face

Most smartwatches will come pre-installed with many watch faces. These include classic styles to mimic an analog watch face and modern digital faces.

For example, you may want your watch to simulate the look and feel of a Rolex. Others want to opt for a minimalist style. Others will choose a digital style that lends its own degree of personality to your overall outfit or look.

Whatever the style, there is a watch face available for you, either pre-installed or available as an additional purchase.

4. Cinema Mode

Technology companies recognize that it's not always appropriate to have your smartwatch beeping or buzzing when you're in public spaces. Instead, they've created a special mode to silently deliver your notifications.

You can activate this mode with the touch of a button on most smartwatches. The exact steps will vary by manufacturer. Almost every smartwatch produced has a feature like this to enjoy a movie or other people’s company in peace.

5. Design Your Own Watch Face

There are special apps available to download onto your smartwatch so that you can tinker with and tweak the style to be exactly as you want. You can update the shapes, images, expressions, and more. If you choose to include dates and other text, you can update the fonts to your specifications.

6. Navigation

For athletes and those who enjoy the great outdoors, the navigation features of smartwatches can be essential. Depending on the operating system that supports your watch, there will be different levels and options for GPS navigation available to you on the go.

You may need to purchase a watch that is equipped with cellular data for this feature.

Nonetheless, when you are out on a bike ride or driving in the car, not having to look down at your phone is extremely useful. Instead of being distracted by notifications on your phone, you can take a quick glance down to see if you are turning left or right.

Several outdoor companies create watches with off-the-grid GPS for extended forays into the wild. Trusted navigation in these remote settings can be a life-saving measure. Your smartwatch allows you to take this backup mechanism for safety with you wherever you go.

You can also set up a navigation system on a watch to vibrate whenever you need to make a turn. This could be useful on a walk or bike ride when you want a quick reminder that a turn is up ahead.

7. Changing the Screen Brightness

You are out on a walk on a sunny day, trying to get a sense of what time it is so you can return before your lunch break ends. But you can't see what time it is because your brightness isn't set appropriately.

You can avoid this situation with more preparation. Modern smartwatches allow you to adjust the brightness of the screen depending on where you are with just a click or two.

Modern smartwatches will also provide auto-brightness settings that turn to their highest value when you are in a sunlight area.

For most smartwatches, you'll need to press the watch button three times. You can also swipe down on the watch face on most operating systems to quickly change the settings.

Certain models come with a designated sunlight mode to brighten up upon command. This is much like the previous generation of digital watches from decades past.

8. Control Home Settings

One of the greatest things about the development of smart home technology is that smartwatch technology was developed right alongside it. This means there was no lag in the development of smart home features when people wanted to control them from their watch.

You may not always have your phone or computer in front of you, but you can choose to always have your watch on you when you have just sat down for dinner or a movie and want to make adjustments to the lighting or temperature.

Almost any smart home appliance can be controlled from your watch with integration.

9. Improve Battery Longevity

It's true that compared to phones, the batteries in smartwatches will die out faster. However, there are some things you can do to make the battery in your watch last a bit longer.

The first and most helpful thing to do is to disable the setting that tells the watch to be always on. If you turn off the always-on display, you'll only be using a fraction of the energy you otherwise would over a period of hours. This could allow your watch to go for days on and longer.

Another great way to improve battery longevity is to uninstall unnecessary apps. As long as you are in a setting with Wi-Fi, downloadable app content can be re-downloaded right at your fingertips. Try to focus on keeping only the apps you use, so there is no additional drain on the battery in the background.

10. Detect Watch Storage

Similarly, it's easy for a well-used watch to eat up storage slowly but as you add new features to the watch. If you don't offload apps or other content that you don't use, your storage can be cluttered even in a matter of days.

Depending on the operating system, the Settings command center will allow you to manage and update storage tasks right from your smartwatch. You'll be able to easily offload unused apps and content to free up the storage and memory on your device.

11. Payments

With recent updates to both Android Pay and Apple Pay, you can now pay for things using your smartwatch. As you go about your day-to-day, you won't need to carry a wallet as frequently since you can link your cards or bank accounts to the watch and pay directly using the watch.

This is just as convenient as whipping out your card. You don't have to carry a wallet or purse around in every circumstance.

Instead, all you have to do is bring your watch close to the payment terminal. Your payment details are automatically entered and the payment will be processed. You won't need to enter your PIN for every transaction either which is a nice bonus that saves you time.

12. Lock the Screen for Safety

You never know when a thief is going to strike. Unfortunately, smartwatch thefts may increase over the next few years as they become more available.

You may also have others in your place of residence that you don't want using your watch or looking at your content. If you set up a screen lock on your watch, you can ensure privacy and improve data security.

This can be accomplished in the Settings area of your watch operating system.

You can choose to draw a pattern or set a specific number or fingerprint as your lock code for certain models.

Overall, this improves security and provides a major deterrent to criminals and unwanted users.

13. Hailing a Ride from Uber or Lyft

Just as the smartwatch industry has exploded, so has the rise of rideshare technology. You can order an Uber or a Lyft right from your smartphone these days. This also means you can also order one right from your smartwatch.

The smartwatch can request a driver to your location immediately and provide ETA details. You can also share your location with other friends and family members to improve security during your experience.

14. Taking Great Photos

On the original smartwatch models, it was very challenging to take photos. However, new technology has advanced to use your smartwatch as a remote shutter for your phone's camera.

This allows you to set up your phone in the right frame and then signal for a photo to be taken right from your watch.

Gone are the days of needless selfies because no one else is around.

Instead, smartwatches can simplify photo-taking opportunities and even leave room for newfound creativity when you are by yourself.

15. Check Social Media

With the driving prevalence of social media these days, everyone from your neighbor to big-time influencers can benefit from checking their Facebook or Instagram profile right from their watch. You'll be able to see notifications, messages, and so much more.

While some people are looking to find ways to minimize their social media use from their lives, other people like to be constantly updated through them. If the latter sounds like you, investing in a smartwatch could be a great decision.

16. Creating an Emoji

Depending on the operating system, you may be able to create a personalized emoji on your watch screen. This helps to create a cartoon or fictionalized character of you that lends itself to unique personalization on the watch face itself.

17. Gesture Controls

Sometimes, you want to control actions from your smartwatch but don't have the capacity to touch it directly. This could be if you are cooking and have unclean hands or if you are holding a heavy item.

Most smartwatches will have a gesture control mode that is already set up for you. You can control certain motions of the watch to perform basic actions like checking notifications or sending a message. You'll also be able to use voice controls to expand the number of actions you can take without touching the watch itself.

18. Controlling Music from Your Wrist

We've all become accustomed to using our phones to listen to music. Now with modern smartwatches, we can control the music content in our headphones right from our wrist.

Smartwatches are able to connect to Bluetooth. You can use music streaming apps to deliver your favorite tunes sent right to your headphones from your watch.

You can do this using your phone as an intermediary, or you can purchase the watch with a separate data connection to stream music directly.

19. Reminders

One of the best things you can do with your watch is to set up reminders. This helps to drastically improve your productivity over the course of the day. You may not be someone who checks their phone every two minutes, but a reminder on your watch will let you know when it's time to take a break or go grab a drink of water.

With the right setup and integration, basic reminders sent to your watch can help you achieve more over the course of your day.

20. Tell Time

At the end of the day, we are still talking about a watch. The primary function of any smartwatch should be to tell you the time accurately, and keep you on track with your agenda for the day.

Smartwatch Drops and Damage

As smartwatches have grown in popularity, many users have taken these watches to the limit and caused significant damage to their favorite devices. Unfortunately, there are some circumstances in which a broken watch can't be repaired easily.

For those who are active outdoors, it is a fairly frequent phenomenon to come back from a trip with a shattered screen or drained battery following water immersion. There are too many ways that you can damage your watch that manufacturers have not prepared for.

In some cases, these issues can be repaired directly, either by you or by a trained professional.

Don't forget that if you are under warranty, the manufacturer may be able to supply you with a brand-new product, particularly if you applied for insurance at the time of purchase.

The Functions of a New Smartwatch