8 Best Reference Apps for Apple Watch

If there’s one thing the Apple Watch is good for it’s referencing information, from productivity apps that remind at a glance of what tasks you have planned for the day, to others such as App in the Air which will give you up to the moment flight info.

The iPhone and its push notifications are an excellent way to keep on top of things and absorb the latest info as and when it breaks, but the Apple Watch is perhaps even more powerful in this regard.

The fact that you can simply check this info with a glance towards your wrist means that you’ll never be in the position to miss an important notification again.

Reference Apps for Apple Watch

If you’re a busy person with a rather hectic schedule, you may not even have the time to actively check on things or pull pages up in search of relevant information, which is what makes the Apple Watch so fantastic: your iPhone can stay in your pocket, yet you still get the info right away. More info can be grasped from reference apps such as the following, which are among the few that have been brought to your watch face.

8. Headspace (Free)

If you’re into meditation, Headspace is the app for you. This recent update for the Apple Watch brings all the most useful information directly to your wrist, including guides to help you through the process – perfect for those who could do with a refreshing break from their hectic daily schedule. – Download from iTunes

7. Hole19 (Free)

One way you may have overlooked the Apple Watch improving the lives of iPhone users is to provide them with detailed info regarding their game of golf. Hole19 provides you with a breakdown of your current score, the route you are taking and even course stats. Once you’ve started a round of golf on your iPhone, with Hole19, the Watch will pull all of the more useful info and pool it into a single basic interface that you can use as you progress around the course. It is great at anticipation what you might need, from the distance to the pin at a given moment, and of course the input system to key in your score once you’ve finished each hole. This info is then passed back to your iPhone and can be analyzed later. – Download from iTunes

6. Yelp (Free)

Yelp has become one of the world’s most used services when it comes to working out there best places to eat or drink in your general vicinity. This can be of great use if you’re traveling and in a place you don’t know well, but can be equally adept when it comes to finding great places to go in your own town.

The Apple Watch version of Yelp condenses things slightly, providing you with four main categories to choose from in Restaurans, Bars, Coffee shops and a fourth option to show things that are Hot right now. You can then view a rating, any reviews that may have been posted by other users, how expensive the place is and how far away it is from your current location as well as opening hours, etc. It’s one of the best reference apps out there when looking for a place to eat! – Download from iTunes

5. Wiki-Watch (Free)

There is no Wikipedia app for the Apple Watch at present, and the next best thing is therefore probably Wiki-Watch by developer Cronote. This app finds Wikipedia articles about places around you, which again taps into the locational awareness of the Apple Watch and really uses it to its fullest. You can also use the app to search for Wikipedia articles using your voice, which is an excellent touch and something sorely lacking from many similar Watch apps out there right now. – Download from iTunes

4. Sky Guide ($2.99)

Another interesting addition to the Apple Watch family is Sky Guide, which is one of the more beautiful apps currently available on the iPhone at present, offering an accurate view of constellations. The Apple Watch version of this app is more of a companion, since it doesn’t really offer the same kind of viewing pleasure, but it is great for looking up specific info – especially when considering upcoming events that are about to occur in your given location.

The watchOS 2 update of this one increases the performance of the app, adding one or two useful features such as the ability to move back in time using your Digital Crown. – Download from iTunes

3. XE Currency (Free)

XE Currency is a very useful app for those who are traveling and will often encounter exchange rates as they exchange money. The website is as reliable as they come and the iPhone and Apple Watch apps are a great representation of this. The Watch version of the app also boasts a few great features that might interest you, such as a recently added calculator that is great for converting how much money might be worth in another currency. – Download from iTunes

2. TripAdvisor (Free)

TripAdvisor is another must have app if you’re a regular traveler, and can provide an entire wealth of useful info as well as allowing you to discover new places around you. Most people use it when they are looking for a place to go and eat, for example, whether in their own city or a new town they happen to be visiting.

But TripAdvisor isn’t your average list of reviews: it’s user driven, meaning that all the info it takes in comes from real people who have actually experienced the restaurants, hotels or establishments in question.

They will rate the quality of the place, discuss its merits and value for money as well as posting photos of the food! It’s a fantastic, reliable resource and one of the more useful reference apps to have installed when traveling. On the Apple Watch, you can use the device’s locational awareness to quickly find nearby restaurants, hotels or landmarks and access the same ratings, reviews and even maps showing you how to get there. – Download from iTunes

1. Find Near Me (Free)

One of the best things about the Apple Watch in general is its locational awareness, which is why Find Near Me and similar apps can be so wonderfully useful. As with the likes of TripAdvisor and Yelp which we mentioned above, Find Near Me is a great way to find businesses in your general area, but also specific services that may be of interest to you.

And with this app on the Apple Watch you can do it all via Siri, searching for thing like an ATM, a car park, a spa or even a zoo. The Siri integration is something that remains painfully neglected on the Apple Watch at present, and while we hope that more developers go down this road in the near future, at least there are apps like Find Near Me that are keen on doing this kind of thing right now.

Once you’ve searched for something with Siri, you can simply click on the item to pull up additional info such as reviews, opening hours, and even maps to find  your way to the location in question. –  Download from iTunes