Pairing an Apple Watch with an iPhone or iPad. How to switch from an old Apple Watch to a new one What is the i icon on Apple Watch

Youtube

Telephones and other smart gadgets have long been firmly established in everyday life. This review will be especially interesting for fans of Apple technology. It is dedicated to one of the most popular models among smart watches. Let's look at how to use the Apple watch and a few basic points related to the settings, how to connect the Apple watch to the iPhone, unpair it, and more.

Things to consider

Some gadgets are quite easy to use and do not require instructions in Russian. The interface is friendly and everything is intuitive. But not in this case. Probably everyone knows the fear when using an expensive thing and studying the instruction manual for a long time. To understand the Apple watch, a few minutes is not enough. The device may be severely discharged and additional time will be required.

First start

First minutes. The box is unpacked, the user has instructions in Russian, magnetic charging, and what next? Before using the gadget for the first time, it is strongly recommended to charge the battery. This guarantees its long-term performance in the future.

The very first launch lasts more than a minute. You shouldn’t scold the Yabloko developers too much. The device is the first of its kind. The device itself is very small, so it does not contain powerful hardware. In the future, the clock will start much faster.

Inclusion

How to turn on apple watch? To do this, you just need to click the side button on the sidebar

Activation

Activation occurs when the user raises his hand to look at the watch.

Settings

How to set up apple watch correctly? The setting includes the following items:

The watch battery must be fully charged;
Selecting a language and installing the application;
Wrist selection;
Configuring security settings;
Installing applications manually or in batches in automatic mode
Customizing watch faces
View device information;
Regulation of trackers and notifications;
Music Configuration
Work organization.

Automatic synchronization

How to link a watch to an iPhone? Synchronization of Apple watches with iPhone is performed automatically. For this:

Application icons are located on the screen. Select "Apple watch"
To start synchronization, click on “Start pairing” on both devices
The yellow iPhone video finder should be combined with the animation on the watch display
As soon as the pairing is completed, a notification about the completion of the operation will appear on the iPhone screen. The user needs to click on the “Set up as new Apple watch” button
The system will ask on which hand the owner plans to wear the watch, select one of two options
Next you need to agree to the terms and conditions of use
Enter your Apple account information (username and password)
The system will provide information about geolocation services. Read it and click "OK"
Repeat the steps after getting acquainted with the voice assistant “Siri”
After this, diagnostic information will appear on the display.
Now you need to enter a 4 or 7-digit watch password
The system will offer to configure simultaneous unlocking of devices
You can choose to install applications automatically, or install them yourself later
After completing all the steps, you will receive a notification on your iPhone that the pairing has been completed.

Pairing

How to set up apple watch with iPhone? The pair can be created by the user. How to manually sync apple watch with iphone? I can imagine how much anxiety this question causes. First things first.

Creating a pair is performed in several steps:

As in the first case, you need to click on the application icon
Tap the “start pairing” button
A manual installation option will be offered at the bottom of the display. Select it and click on the button with the “i” icon
After the iPhone “sees” the clock, repeat the steps from the fourth step of the previous installation option
When creating a pair, both devices must be close to each other

Couple breakup

If you need to break a pair:

The devices must be close to each other;
Go to “my watch”, select the model and mark the letter i;
Break the pair.

If one of the devices is far away

Go to the clock settings;
Selecting the main ones;
Click on reset.

How to connect to a computer

How to connect apple watch to computer:

Under the removable strap there is a port through which you can connect to a PC using a cable.

If the clock does not turn on

Some users are concerned with the question of what to do if they can’t turn on the watch? In most cases, they simply require charging. If you still cannot turn on the gadget after a long time, contact the supplier.

Connecting to iPad

Connecting an iPad to an Apple Watch is no different from an iPhone.

If you already own a smart watch from Apple, then you should connect your Apple Watch to your iPhone in order to take advantage of all the functions of the watch. This article will tell you how to create a pair with Apple Watch. Also here you will learn how to connect your watch to an iPad, how to check for a connection between the devices, and what to do if the Apple Watch does not see the iPhone and the connection between them cannot be established.

How to pair with Apple Watch - creation process

There are 2 ways to create a pair of Apple Watch and iPhone - automatic and manual. The first way to connect gadgets is faster and easier; for it you will need:

If automatic pairing is not possible (the camera on the smartphone does not work, other problems), you can do everything manually. How to connect Apple Watch to iPhone manually:

Place both devices next to each other.
Turn on Wi-Fi or mobile network on your iPhone.
On the iPhone screen, tap the “Watch” app icon.
Turn on the “start pairing” function.
Next, select the “manual installation” mode at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the “i” symbol.
Your iPhone should now see your watch.
Then simply follow the program's instructions.

Which iPhones does the Apple Watch work with?

It all depends on what model of watch you have, but one thing is for sure - you will not be able to connect even the earliest model of Apple smartwatch to an iPhone whose model is younger than 5s. It is also necessary to have a version of the iOS operating system.

Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS) and all earlier watches will work with iPhone 5s, or later phones running the latest version of iOS.

Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) will only work with iPhone 6, or a more modern device (7, 8, X) with the latest version of iOS installed.

How to check the connection between Apple watch and iPhone?

You can check the connection in two ways - using the watch, or on the phone screen.

To check the connection on the watch display, you need to open the “Control Center”; to do this, swipe the main screen image from top to bottom. If an icon of a crossed out iPhone or a red cross appears in the upper left corner of the watch, it means that a connection has not been established between the devices.

When using the Watch app on your iPhone to check if you are connected, you should go into the app and go to the Clock tab, it will contain information about your connection.

How to connect to iPad?

The principle of connecting an Apple Watch to an iPad tablet is no different from the method of connecting to an iPhone smartphone, which you can familiarize yourself with above in this article.

What to do if Apple Watch does not see iPhone?

The first thing to do in this unpleasant situation is to check the connection, as described above in this article; if there is no connection, then this is where the problem lies.

The smartwatch manufacturer offers several solutions to choose from to solve this problem.

Method 1: Reconnect

Try connecting your Apple Watch to your iPhone again. For everything to go well, make sure that the devices are close to each other, you should also make sure that the iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and that “Airplane mode” was turned off. To do this, open the bottom curtain of the device by swiping the screen from bottom to top. Notice the round images of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth? They must be active, the image of the aircraft must be inactive.

Next, check your Apple Watch watch face. If you find an airplane icon, it means “Airplane mode” is turned on on your watch. In this case, go to the Control Center, to do this, swipe the dial from the bottom up and turn off Airplane mode by clicking on the airplane symbol.

Finally, restart your Apple Watch along with your iPhone.

If after this you cannot restore the connection, resort to the second method.

Method two: Disconnect and re-create the connection between Apple Watch and iPhone

In the watch settings, open “Settings”, then select the “General” tab and click “Reset”, then “Erase content and settings”.
In the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, you need to select “My Watch” and tap the clock at the top of the display. Next to the clock symbol there will be an icon in the form of the letter “i”; click on it and select “Unpair with Apple Watch” from the menu. You must press twice to confirm the action.
Now pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again following the instructions above.

Third method: Apple technical support

If none of the above methods work, it is recommended to contact Apple support on the manufacturer’s official website, or in “ReStore” stores, or if this is not possible, to a service center. Do not attempt to resolve connection problems caused by damaged devices yourself.

He told me how to quickly and easily connect an Apple Watch to an iPhone, set it up and start using it.

Do you have a brand new Apple Watch? Congratulations! Sit back comfortably and put everything aside. You'll have to: pair your iPhone, update watchOS, customize your Apple Watch, and, of course, install some cool apps. I will tell you about all this now.

My bad first time setup experience

Setting up the Apple Watch for the first time wasn't as fast as I expected. The process itself is very easy, but the speed of rebooting, charging and synchronizing takes some time. Therefore, having bought a new watch, do not think that you will set it up in 5 minutes in the nearest cafe over a cup of coffee and go for a walk around the city with it. In any case, it didn't work out for me.

I bought an Apple Watch at the airport with more than two hours left before boarding. And I spent all this time charging, setting up and updating watchOS.

The stumbling block was the charging itself. The watch was discharged into rubbish and did not even want to turn on. I partially charged them from a power bank. Doing it on the go is a challenge. The magnetic charger does not hold up well and constantly falls off the watch.

Having charged the watch to about 20 percent, I began the process of pairing the Apple Watch with the iPhone, but at the end of synchronizing the applications, the watch was discharged again and the whole process had to start from the very beginning. Including the charging itself.

The second time everything worked, but updating to the latest version of watchOS took some more time. As a result, after almost 2 hours I received a ready-to-use Apple Watch with almost empty batteries, so I spent the next 2 hours of the flight again fully charging it.

But it's actually not that bad. You can connect your Apple Watch to your iPhone much faster if you don’t make my mistakes. It took me 15 minutes to re-pair my Apple Watch with my iPhone. But to this time you need to add charging, time to install applications and watchOS updates. In any case, I recommend making coffee. Let's go!

How to connect Apple Watch to iPhone

You'll need a charged Apple Watch, a phone with Bluetooth running, and the Watch app. Pairing devices is very intuitive: the watch and phone themselves tell you what to do and where to press. To connect Apple Watch to iPhone, you need to do the following:

Charge your Apple Watch to at least 60%. Synchronization with iPhone and settings quickly eat up the battery. And possible watchOS updates require that the watch be charged at least 50%. This is a very important point that will save you a lot of nerves. It will take approximately 55–60 minutes to charge the Apple Watch from 0% to 60%;

Turn on your Apple Watch, holding the side button for a long time (if they do not turn on, then, most likely, they are very discharged and the Apple Watch needs to be charged again). The watch will immediately ask you to select the interface language and go into pairing mode with the iPhone.

Launch the Watch app on your iPhone and click on the “Pair with Apple Watch” button and point the iPhone camera viewfinder at the “galaxy” on the watch screen. The process is similar to scanning a regular QR code. That's it, your watch has met your iPhone. But that's just the beginning of the fun.

Follow prompts on iPhone to complete the pairing process. You will be asked to perform a series of actions that are already familiar to many for activating an iPhone or iPad.

Hand setup and selection. If this is your first watch, click “Set up as a new Apple Watch.” If you've done the setup before, you can click Restore from Backup and follow the onscreen instructions. Then press "Left" or "Right" on your iPhone to select your hand.

Enter your Apple ID password to use features such as Digital Touch and Handoff. If Find My iPhone isn't turned on on your iPhone, you'll also be asked to turn it on.

P check the settings. iPhone settings from the Diagnostics & Usage, Location Services, and Siri screens will be transferred to Apple Watch and vice versa. Therefore, if the settings of these services change on one device, they will be updated on the second.

Create a password. If you tap Create Password or Add Long Passcode on iPhone, you can create a Personal Passcode using your Apple Watch. Next, you need to decide whether the iPhone will automatically unlock the watch.

Synchronize programs. Click Install All to sync iPhone apps that are compatible with Apple Watch. Tap Later to sync only basic information, such as Mail, Contacts, and Messages.

The duration of this process depends on the amount of data being synchronized. Keep the devices close to each other until you hear a beep and feel a slight pulsation from your Apple Watch.

The clock turned on. What's next?

Next, you need to customize your Apple Watch. And I will tell you how to do this using my personal example. In fact, my changes affect almost all settings, so by setting up your watch according to my instructions, you will immediately become familiar with all the Apple Watch settings.

We will do all the watch settings through the Watch application for iPhone. Something can be configured directly through the watch, but working with a small screen is not as convenient as using phones. So open the Watch app again and let's get started.

How to update Apple Watch

First, you should check if there is new firmware for the Apple Watch and update to the latest one. For this:

Open the application Watch
Select "General"
Click "Software Update"

If there is an update for your watch, your iPhone will notify you about it. To install it, simply follow the on-screen instructions and your iPhone will do everything itself. But remember that to install, the watch and phone must be charged at least 50%.

How to install programs on Apple Watch

If, when setting up your watch, you skipped the option to automatically install all programs compatible with Apple Watch, you will have to install them manually.

All compatible programs are available in the “My Watch” tab and are divided into two categories: Apple software and everything else. To install the program on Apple Watch:

Open the application Watch;
Select any application from the list (below);
Tap Show on Apple Watch.

That's all. After a couple of seconds, the program will be installed on the Apple Watch and will appear in the list of applications.

In some applications you will see additional options like “Display in Preview”, etc. We will return to these parameters a little later.

How to Automatically Install Apps on Apple Watch

If a new application appears on the iPhone that has a version for the Apple Watch, it can be automatically installed on the watch. For this:

Open the application Watch;
Go to the “My Watch” tab;
Select "Basic";
Select “Install programs”;
Enable "Auto-install programs".

How to sort apps on Apple Watch

A list of all applications on the Apple Watch can be seen by single-clicking on the Digital Crown. There is always a circle of a clock icon in the center, and icons for other applications appear around them.

In order not to spend a long time looking for the right program, I place the most necessary ones around the clock icon, that is, in the very center. For this:

Open the application Watch
Go to the “My Watch” tab
Select "Appearance"
Place the icons in the desired order

How to set up notifications on Apple Watch

When the necessary programs are installed, I move on to setting up notifications. By default, they are completely duplicated from your iPhone. But I prefer to leave only the really important ones. Not only is this less distracting, but it also saves watch battery.

Open the application Watch
Go to the “My Watch” tab
Select Notifications

Scroll to the bottom and turn off notifications you don't want to see on your Apple Watch. I have a couple of dozen of these.

How to change the brightness of the Apple Watch screen

The Apple Watch does not have manual brightness adjustment in the usual sense; it always changes automatically depending on the ambient light. But you can choose one of three automatic brightness algorithms. This can be done both on the watch itself and in the Watch app on the iPhone.

Open the application Watch
Go to the “Brightness and Text Size” tab
Set the options you want

Personally, I set it to minimum and do not experience any inconvenience, even at the equator. In the sun the display is a little faded, but the information is still visible.

What does the Apple Watch show when activated?

Apple Watch automatically activates when you raise your hand to look at the watch. By default, the watch face is displayed. But I like it to show the last running application. For this:

Open the application Watch
Go to the “My Watch” tab
Select "General"
Select "Activate Screen" (bottom)
Select your desired action

Oh, by the way, when you are on the watch face screen, double-tapping on the Digital Crown will open the last running application.

How to change the Apple Watch watch face

Unlike all previous points, setting up the Apple Watch dial occurs on the watch itself. To change the watch face on Apple Watch, press the screen lightly until you feel vibration feedback (Forth Touch, like the iPhone 6s). A menu will open in front of you with a selection of possible watch faces. Choose the one you like and click “Customize”.

Swiping left and right will move you between watch face settings, and you can adjust them by turning the Digital Crown.

Most watch faces have space to display extensions from third-party apps. These settings are located on the last screen and can also be changed using the Digital Crown. To save your changes, press the Digital Crown and then tap the watch face.

In conclusion

Here's everything you need to start your Apple Watch for the first time. Now you can proceed to independently research the programs. Many of my favorite iPhone apps already have Apple Watch versions, so there's plenty for you to play with too.

If your Apple Watch doesn't sync with your iPhone, you should check the connection between the watch and the pairing device. If the red iPhone icon appears or is paired and you cannot see the “i” icon, you need to connect the watch to the smartphone again.

Place your Apple Watch and paired iPhone close together.
Check if your iPhone is in airplane mode and if Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules are activated by opening the “Manage” item.
When the airplane mode icon appears on the screen, go to the “Control” item and turn it off.
Reboot the connected devices.

How to sync iWatch and iPhone

If the problem persists, try breaking and creating a pair of devices:

On your watch, go to erase content and settings.
On the paired device, launch the Apple Watch app, open the watch page and select Apple Watch on the screen. Activate “i” near the clock where you need to re-pair, and select the item that allows you to break the pair - iPhone with clock. Confirm your choice.
Create the watch pair and pairing device again.

If the clock cannot be synchronized, it is likely that the clock communication modules or Wi-fi or Bluetooth antennas need to be replaced.

How to connect Apple Watch to new iPhone.

To connect a smartwatch to a new smartphone, you must fulfill a number of conditions:

A service identification number and password (Apple ID) is required.
The old and new devices must be connected to Wi-Fi.
Charging of watches and phones should be at least 70%.
Before surgery, your old smartphone must be updated to the latest version.
You need to create a backup copy of information on your old iPhone.
On your new phone, you need to sign in to iCloud and restore your saved information.
When the watch asks for permission to connect, you should allow it.
The iWatch and the new smartphone should be located next to each other.

Hello! The article will be useful to those who have already decided to buy a watch from Apple or are still looking at the new product. Let's look at the answers to the most popular questions, of which there are quite a lot: what is it, where and how to buy it, how much will it cost, do you need an iPhone to use it, what can it do for the average person? There are many mysteries - there are no answers yet. Let's try to fix this!

This post will be in question-answer format. Some of them were received by email from site readers, some I found on the Internet. In general, sit back and get ready to find out everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask :)

The Apple Watch preview is here - let's go!

Basic definitions

What is this Apple Watch that everyone is talking about?

Apple Watch is essentially a small computer; it can also be called a “smart watch”, which naturally needs to be worn on the wrist. It has a huge number of functions, including displaying time and date, the ability to monitor health (steps taken, number of calories, pulse), synchronizing data with iPhone (contacts, SMS, notes, mail), making payments (not in our country:( ), remote control and much more.

By the way, sometimes they are called iWatch by mistake. This name is unofficial and fictitious.

So, is the Apple Watch the same iPhone – only small and to be worn on the hand?

In principle, you can say so, but the most important thing is that the watch is primarily an addition to the iPhone. They are designed to make using the phone even more convenient.

Apple Watch runs a variant of iOS called WatchOS. This operating system is specially adapted (both in terms of power consumption and ergonomics) for wearable devices. It has a unique menu navigation system, recognizes the degree of pressure on the screen, there is also a replacement dial, a heart rate sensor, an NFC sensor for Apple Pay (not relevant for Russia) and much more.

Do you need an iPhone to use Apple Watch?

Yes, you will need iPhone version 5 and newer models. The operating system also has certain requirements - it must be iOS 8.2 or later. If the phone version is older, then you will not be able to “pair” with the iPhone and take advantage of most of the functions.

Can I use my iPad or iPod with my Apple Watch?

Unfortunately no, you will not be able to pair your watch with an iPad or iPod of any generation. At least this cannot be done at the moment.

When will it be possible to buy an Apple watch?

They will go on sale on April 24 in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Great Britain, and the USA. As can rightly be noted, Russia is not among these countries. So for those who want to own a new product on the first day of sales there are two ways:

Visit one of these countries.
Wait for the resellers (the price will probably be jacked up).

At the time of writing, there is no clear information about when the Apple Watch will go on official sale in the Russian Federation. There are several different data from many sources about the release date; most agree that official deliveries should be expected 2-3 months after the start of sales.

What is the price of Apple Watch in the USA and Russia?

At the moment, only prices in the USA and Europe are known for certain. The pricing itself depends on what version of the watch, its size and what strap is used.

Since this time the company from Cupertino has diversified its model range quite a bit, it makes no sense to list absolutely all the configurations. You can always watch them. Let me just note that the most inexpensive version will cost $349. For more expensive lovers, the maximum price is $17,000.

If we translate into rubles, then we should expect the Apple Watch in Russia to cost from 22,000 to 900,000 (that’s not a typo!) rubles.

Update! In the end, this is what happened: prices for Apple watches in Russia start at 21,000 thousand rubles.

Will watches purchased in Europe or the USA work in Russia?

Of course. There are no restrictions. You can absolutely safely purchase an Apple Watch anywhere and use it anywhere in the world, including in the Russian Federation.

What's included in the package?

In addition to the watch itself, the Apple Watch package includes:

Strap.
Magnetic charging cable.
USB adapter (Apple Watch Series 2 only).
User manual.

Modifications and types of Apple Watch

The watches come in three different collections based on case and display materials:

Apple Watch Sport (7000 Series Silver Aluminum with ion-x glass, composite back).
Apple Watch (316L stainless steel, sapphire crystal, ceramic glass back).
Apple Watch Edition (18k rose gold sapphire crystal, ceramic glass back).

For each edition, different variations with straps are possible.

Are there any differences between the models due to what they are made of?

No! All technical specifications are the same and they provide identical functionality. It doesn't matter if it's $359 or $17,000. The only difference is in the materials of manufacture.

Size and weight

For each modification, there are two display sizes – 38 mm and 42 mm. The remaining dimensions are as follows:

38.6 mm. Width 33.3 mm, height 10.5 mm.
42 mm. Width 35.9 mm, height 10 mm.

Weight varies depending on the material of the case and strap, the minimum is 25 g. The maximum (gold) is 69 g.

Is Russian available in the Apple Watch menu?

Unfortunately, at the moment there is no support for the Russian language in the watch. Although it is possible to quickly respond to messages specifically on the “great and mighty”.

Update! With the arrival of the new firmware, everything has changed. Now full support for the Russian language has been announced. If your watch has an old version of the OS, it makes sense to update as soon as possible. Let me remind you that software updates occur using (from the menu) a companion device (iPhone).

Is it waterproof?

The head of the company, Tim Cook, said that he regularly goes to the shower with his Apple Watch. However, at the same time he noted that he would not recommend diving or immersing them in water for a long time.

The watch is officially water resistant to the ipx7 standard. This means you can wear them to the gym and even take a shower. But you should refrain from diving 1 meter for more than 30 minutes.

What sensors does the Apple Watch have?

Each gadget, regardless of the collection, is equipped with the following sensors:

Heart rate (to measure pulse).
Accelerometer and gyroscope (counts the number of steps, and even which floor you climbed to).
Ambient light sensor (to save battery - the screen turns off when necessary).

Screen

All models are equipped with a Retina display. The screen of the Sport collection (the most inexpensive) is covered with ion-x glass. Watch and Edition have a sapphire display finish. Although Apple has not confirmed this, most agree that the display is made using OLED technology (allowing for deeper blacks and lower power consumption).

Now about the physical dimensions:

38 mm. 340x372 pixels.
44 mm. 390x312 pixels.

What processor is installed in the Apple Watch?

The watch is powered by the Apple C1 processor. There is no exact information about it yet, but they say its performance is somewhere between the Apple A4 and A5 (iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S).

Wireless connections

We couldn’t do without them, which is quite logical: for a high-tech gadget, high technology!

Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (LE) connectivity for discovery and pairing.
Wi-Fi version 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz for fast data exchange.
NFC for Apple PAY.

Internal memory capacity in Apple Watch

Is 8 GB. Moreover, all memory is divided into parts and a limited amount of space is available for each type of information.

2 gigabytes for music.
75 megabytes for photos and pictures.
The rest of the part is reserved for the Watch OS operating system and applications (which you will install).

Battery life

Apple specifies that the battery will last an average of 18 hours. The official page provides more detailed information. So, the operating time of the Apple Watch depending on the conditions:

18 hours in mixed mode.
3 hours talk time.
6.5 hours of audio playback.
If you use it exclusively as a watch, you can see the time within 48 hours.
Power reserve – 72 hours.

up to 80% – 1.5 hours.
up to 100% – 2.5 hours.

How does charging occur?

The Apple Watch comes with a special magnetic cable. It attaches to the back of the gadget. So there are no ports present. Which is quite convenient and has a positive effect on water resistance.

Apple Watch and iPhone

Do I need special software to sync iPhone with Apple Watch?

No, you don't need to download anything additional. The synchronization application is already installed on iPhone (from version 5) and iOS from version 8.2.

How to create and unpair a watch and an iPhone?

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, select the “my watch” tab and click “start pairing.”

In order to disconnect devices, there is a special item in the application. When you click it, you will be asked if you want to backup your Apple Watch data? It will come in handy if you plan to use this particular iPhone with your watch in the future.

The distance at which the connection is not interrupted

The standard Bluetooth range is 9-15 meters. It's better not to go far :). However, if Apple Watch and your phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, it will sync anywhere that network is active.

Is it possible to connect Apple Watch and another Bluetooth device to iPhone at the same time?

Apple has not yet provided official information regarding the simultaneous operation of the iPhone with the Apple Watch and other Bluetooth devices (for example, headphones). But most likely it will be possible.

Can I connect my Apple Watch to multiple iPhones?

To use it with another iPhone, you need to disconnect the connection to the one it is currently connected to. You will be prompted to make a backup copy of your data and then, when you return to the original phone, there will be no need to set everything up again!

If you forgot your iPhone at home, will the watch become useless?

No. Even if the Apple Watch doesn't have access to data, there are still plenty of features you can take advantage of:

View time.
Setting alarms and timers.
Physical activity tracking - heart rate, pedometer (although you won’t be able to track the route - there is no GPS receiver).
View photos and playlists.
Apple Pay.
Various third party applications.

Does Apple Watch affect iPhone battery drain?

From what is known at the moment, the watch uses the Bluetooth 4.0 LE (Low Energy) standard. This means their use will have virtually no effect on the phone’s battery.

In this review, I did not talk about controls, menus and the like. For two reasons:

It turned out to be quite big anyway.
It’s better to talk about these things (and show them) with a full-fledged device in hand.

I would like to note that if you are interested in any information regarding the Apple Watch that is not included in this review, please ask your questions in the comments. I will definitely supplement this article with interesting materials.