So, you've just set up a brand new Apple Watch. Apple's popular wearable device is an excellent extension of the iPhone, with features spanning health, fitness, communications and entertainment. But before you dive into all of these fun and exciting options, here are 10 things you should probably do first to get the most out of your watch right out of the box.
Apple Watch Series 9 
Mute (or lower volume)
By default, Apple Watch sound is turned on. At first, it's fun to listen to all the unique ringtones and tones Apple has added to its wearables. But after a while, it can become annoying, especially if you do have a lot of notifications. (More on that later.) If you typically keep your iPhone on silent, you might consider doing the same for your watch.
To silence your watch, just wake it up, swipe up from the bottom, and tap the alarm icon in Control Center. To simply lower the volume, go to Settings > Sound & Haptics on your watch or in the Watch app and use the volume icon to adjust accordingly. You can also access Silent Mode from here to mute notifications if needed.
Set up your watch to unlock your Mac
If you own a Mac, especially one without Touch ID, you'll want to set up this feature. Whenever you wake up your Mac, whether by lifting the lid of your MacBook or pressing a key on your iMac, the Apple Watch unlocks immediately on your wrist. For more information, check out Lifehacker writer Khamosh Pathak's walkthrough.
Turn off notifications for apps you don’t want
By default, the Apple Watch comes with a lot of notifications, especially if you have a lot of notifications set up on your iPhone. Luckily, managing these notifications on your watch is easy.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to Settings > Notifications . Here, go through all your apps and disable any notifications you no longer want to see. Customizing this experience is key to getting the most out of your Apple Watch: if you don't want to see any more breathing reminders, but do want to see Messenger reminders, you'll be glad you spent your time here.
For a list of notifications you should enable , check out our guide here.
Delete apps you don't want
If you have iPhone apps on your watch that you don't want, just delete them! If you let the watch download all available apps from your iPhone, you'll probably have a lot more choices than you really need. Removing these apps will make it easier to find the apps you want to use since you won't be flooded with irrelevant options every time you open Apps view.
You can delete an app from your Apple Watch by long-pressing the app on the watch and tapping the (X) that appears, just like on your iPhone. Alternatively, you can open the Watch app, scroll down to the list of installed apps, tap the app you want to remove, and then tap the toggle button on "Show apps on Apple Watch" to confirm.
Set up cellular (if you have a cellular Apple Watch)
If you have a cellular Apple Watch, it doesn't simply give you free cellular connectivity out of the box. Instead, you'll need to purchase a cell phone plan through your carrier. You can start this process from Settings > Cellular on your watch or through the Watch app on your iPhone.
Not sure if you own a Cellular Apple Watch? There are two easy ways to tell: If you have a cellular watch connected, you'll only see the Cellular Settings page in the watch app. In addition, the red ring on the crown of the Honeycomb watch is also an obvious leak point.
To learn more about calibrating your Apple Watch for the most accurate workouts, check out our complete guide here.
Set up sleep tracking
For a long time, the Apple Watch didn't have native sleep tracking. If you want to track your sleep with your Apple Watch, you'll have to use a third-party app. Today, you can use built-in tools to track your sleep habits, but you need to set them up first. You can learn more in this guide from Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki.
save some battery
If you have a newer Apple Watch, it probably comes with an "always-on" display. With it, you can quickly glance at your watch to know the time, find new notifications, or read data from the watch face without having to wake up the watch. While this feature is great, it does put a strain on the battery. To maximize battery life, consider disabling it by going to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On .
I also recommend disabling Background App Refresh from General > Background App Refresh . While this feature helps keep your various Apple Watch apps up to date, it's also another drain on battery power. It's best to just load the app when you're interested in checking out new features. You can visit here to learn more Apple Watch battery saving tips.
Learn gestures
The Apple Watch is a touchscreen device, but it operates differently than the iPhone. Here's how to navigate watchOS:
Quickly press the crown: Open the application view
Press and hold the crown: Activate Siri
Quickly press the side button: Pull out Control Center
Long press side button: Expands menu including power, medical ID, compass backtracking and emergency SOS
Swipe down from the top of the watch face: Notification Center
Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face: Widget view
Long press on the watch face: switch and customize the watch face
Cover the watch face with your palm: Put watch to sleep/mute notifications
Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 also have a new gesture called Double-tap: Whenever you need to do something on the watch face, like turning off a timer or answering a call, you can double-tap to use it. Tapping your index finger against your thumb is equivalent to pressing a button. However, even if you don't have one of these watches, you can set up something similar through the accessibility settings.
calibrate it
If you want to use your Apple Watch for fitness, you've probably used it to record a workout or two. However, the recording of these exercises may not have been as accurate as possible.
Apple doesn't advertise it clearly, but the Apple Watch actually requires calibration to record the best, most accurate workouts. It's not an intensive process—essentially, it boils down to a 20-minute walk or run outside in an open, flat environment—but without this calibration, your data may be a little skewed.
When you calibrate your workout, make sure fall detection is enabled at least while you're exercising (if not all the time). This feature can contact emergency services on your behalf if the watch detects you have fallen.
Charge
If this is still your first day with your new Apple Watch and you haven't used it yet, give the battery some juice. Most tech products come with partially discharged batteries, and the Apple Watch is no exception. If you want it to last all day or even track your sleep the first night, leave it on the charger for a while. If you have a Series 7 or later, you can take advantage of the fast charging feature to get a full charge quickly . For fast charging, you only need:
USB-C power adapter that supports at least 5W
Apple USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable
