Even if you know the basics of using your Apple Watch (tracking your fitness, making phone calls, checking notifications, etc.), there are hidden tips and tricks that make it even better. We won't call all of them "Apple Watch hacks," but here are some lesser-known ways to upgrade your smartwatch experience.

Whether you've owned an Apple Watch for some time or recently acquired one, there's more to this device than meets the eye Some of the Apple Watch's most useful features are invisible during setup and daily use. Many of these features are buried deep in the settings menu or hidden within certain apps and tools.

You can use your favorite hidden Apple Watch features on all Apple Watch models, from Apple Watch Series 8 to Apple Watch Series 4, with the watchOS 9 software version (see how to check for updates here). If you have watchOS 9 software version (click here to see how to check for updates), you should be able to use all the latest and greatest features that Apple Watch has to offer.

But where to start? Below are the best Apple Watch tips, tricks, and hacks we've found this year.

One of the most well-known features of the Apple Watch, Timer Settings, has a hidden tool you may not have seen before: you can create a list of your favorite timers that appears at the top of the Timer app on your Apple Watch. This way, the timers you use most often will be conveniently available in the app.

All you need to do to add a timer to your favorites is swipe left on the timer in "recents" and press the orange star button. It really is that easy. Once you have added a timer to your favorites, it will appear in a new menu called 'favorites' above 'recents'. You can even add multiple timers to your favorites for quick access.

If you've never seen a step count complication when changing the Apple Watch dial, it's because you haven't, at least not natively. There are complications for weather, timers, Apple Watch rings, and other useful information, but there is no built-in way to check your step count on the Apple Watch dial. However, you can hack it with a third-party Apple Watch app.

Our guide on how to install and remove Apple Watch apps will help you install your favorite pedometer app on your Apple Watch. The easiest way is to download the app on your iPhone and sync your Apple Watch; scroll down to the "My Watch" tab in the Watch app to see that the app has been downloaded to your smartwatch. Then simply edit the Apple Watch face to add third-party complications.

The Apple Watch supports optimized battery charging, and this setting is perhaps best known for keeping the iPhone battery healthy. However, since watchOS 7, the Apple Watch also offers optimized battery charging. Over time, the health of the Apple Watch battery can easily deteriorate due to a combination of factors. Optimized charging helps prolong battery health.

This feature is enabled by default, but you may want to make sure it is enabled. Open Battery Settings and select Battery Status. Toggle Optimized Battery Charging on; if Optimized Charging is enabled on your Apple Watch, you may notice that charging pauses between 75% and 80% capacity. This will only occur if the Apple Watch decides to leave the battery charging for an extended period of time. Based on past charging schedules and locations, it will predict when charging will be complete.

Another way to maximize Apple Watch battery life is the new Apple Watch low-power mode, offered only on smartwatches running watchOS 9, which allows the always-on display and background health sensor readings in the background. Tracking a workout when low power mode is enabled also limits GPS and heart rate readings.

To turn on low power mode, swipe up to open the Control Center on your Apple Watch. Tap the bubble showing the battery percentage to toggle low power mode on. A screen will appear asking you to confirm the impact of low power mode, and you can choose to turn the feature on or turn it on for a period of time. Low power mode can be turned on for one day, two days, or up to three days.

Once you learn how to control your Apple Watch with hand gestures, you will be able to use certain features of the smartwatch without touching the display or pressing buttons. In fact, you don't even need to use your other hand. You can control your Apple Watch by pinching your fingers or clenching your fists. Hand gestures are part of the Apple Watch's AssistiveTouch feature and exist primarily to make the Apple Watch experience more inclusive.

Open the Watch app on your iPhone and click on Accessibility from the "My Watch" tab menu; click on Hand Gestures from the Inputs menu, and finally click on Hand Gestures on. In the same menu that you toggled Hand Gestures on, you will see the navigation functions associated with each gesture: there are four gestures: Pinch, Double Pinch, Clench, and Double Clench, and you can choose the action you want to assign to each one. You can select the action you want to assign to each action.

You can change the orientation of the Digital Crown by changing the orientation of the Apple Watch; most Apple Watch owners wear their Apple Watch with the Digital Crown in the upper right corner of the display, but there is a way to change the orientation of the buttons. If you wear your Apple Watch on your right wrist, the Digital Crown will already be facing your forearm. However, if you are wearing it on your left wrist, the digital crown will probably be facing your hand.

In the General Settings of your Apple Watch, select the orientation: "left" or "right," depending on which way you want the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to point. Switching from right to left or vice versa will turn the display upside down. Experiment with these settings to find the orientation that is most comfortable for you.

By default, the Apple Watch will return from the app to the clock or watch face after two minutes if you lower your wrist or leave it idle. So if you are reading a message or have an app open, the Apple Watch may return to the current watch face and close any open apps immediately after entering Always On mode. Some may find this annoying, but fortunately there is a way to change it.

Open General Settings and select "Return to Watch. Change it from "Always" or "After 2 minutes" to "After 1 hour". Alternatively, scroll down and customize the Back to Clock setting for each individual app downloaded to your Apple Watch.

Whether you are traveling to a foreign country or trying to learn a new language, Siri can help with translation: the Apple Watch's built-in voice assistant supports real-time translation in 11 different languages, so you can instantly say almost any word.

To use Siri's real-time translation tool, simply say, "Siri, how do I say {word or phrase} in {language}?" and Siri will not only display the input translation, but also speak the translated word or phrase aloud. In theory, this could be used to give directions to a cab driver or to practice pronunciation.

You may have heard of an app called Shazam. Suppose you are in a restaurant or bar and hear a song you want to listen to later. Most people are familiar with the smartphone version of the app, but Shazam actually works on the Apple Watch.

To use this feature, you need to download Shazam to your Apple Watch. From there, you can open the Shazam app on your wrist when you want to know what song is playing. You can also ask Siri to distinguish between songs: press the Apple Watch's digital crown and ask, "What song is playing now?" while pressing the Apple Watch's digital crown and asking, "What song is playing now?

These are just a few of the Apple Watch tips and tricks we've covered in Tom's Guide; follow Tom's Guide on TikTok (opens in new tab) for more helpful hacks to get the most out of your tech device.