How to Control Your Apple Watch with Your iPhone

* This article is from our Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

Sometimes, the Apple Watch screen is just too small. And while most of us wouldn't want a bigger watch on our wrists to fix that problem, it might be nice to be able to more easily maneuver the screen from time to time. That's why I'm loving the Apple Watch Mirroring feature on iPhone. It allows you to navigate your Apple Watch from your iPhone, making certain hard-to-read-menu items and hard-to-press buttons a lot easier to access. 

Why You'll Love This Tip

  • Remotely navigate your Apple Watch if it’s ever out of reach, it gets frozen, or you’d simply like to use your watch on a larger screen.
  • Use Apple Watch Mirroring to allow you to access the controls of the watch without relinquishing control over your Apple Watch completely.

How to Use Apple Watch Mirror on iPhone

Apple Watch screen mirroring allows you to view your Apple Watch's screen and control your Apple Watch via your iPhone.

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Note: This feature is available for Apple Watch Series 6 and newer. Keep in mind that these controls can be a bit finicky, and remember the maxim: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. However, if you're continually failing to engage a specific function, it may be that feature is not yet available for Apple Watch Mirroring.

If you like tips like this about how to use your Apple devices, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day! Let's get into how to control your Apple Watch from your iPhone. 

  1. The first thing you want to do to mirror your Apple Watch on your iPhone is open Settings.

    The first thing you want to do to mirror your Apple Watch on your iPhone is open Settings.
  2. Scroll down to Accessibility.

    Scroll down to Accessibility.
  3. Tap Apple Watch Mirroring.

    Tap Apple Watch Mirroring.
  4. Toggle on Apple Watch Mirroring. It will be green and to the right when enabled. A live image of your Apple Watch will appear on the screen.

    Turn on Apple Watch Mirroring. It will be green when enabled and a live image of your Apple Watch will appear on the screen.
  5. Now, you can control your Apple Watch by tapping on the image like you would the Apple watch. You can also press the crown and side button, as well as drag your finger up and down over the crown to scroll.

    Now, you can control your Apple Watch by tapping on the image like you would the Apple watch. You can also press the crown and side button, as well as drag your finger up and down over the crown to scroll.
  6. Tap the "x" in the corner to close Apple Watch Mirroring.

    Tap the "x" in the corner to close Apple Watch Mirroring.

And that's how you control your Apple Watch from your iPhone. This is a really great way for me to quickly do something complicated on my Apple Watch without straining my eyes or clicking the wrong buttons. Hopefully, this helps you too! If this tip has you craving an Apple Watch all your own, check out our article on Apple's latest watch models.

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Author Details

Rachel Needell's picture

Author Details

Rachel Needell

Rachel Needell is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and a poet and author. With 10-plus years of experience working with Apple devices, she specializes in all-things iPad and is a Notes App expert, having worked on both the 2023 iPad Guide and the Notes App Guide. You can usually find her writing in the Daily Tip newsletter as one of our senior Tip writers. Rachel received her Master’s degree in English Literature in 2021 and her most recent work appears in the Winter ’21 edition of New Note Poetry. When she’s not obsessing about Apple products, you can find her voraciously reading fantasy books with her cat in Asheville, North Carolina.