People love checking messages & declining phone calls on the Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is the world’s most popular smartwatch. The list of things it can do is impressively long, and its getting longer with each new generation. But did you ever wonder what people actually use the wearable device for?

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Silicon Valley research firm Creative Strategies has put together an infographic that aims to answer this question. And if you think the watch’s much touted ability to answer telephone calls is at the top of the list, you might want to think again. People actually much prefer using the device to decline calls!

The survey results were tweeted by Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin (via Cult of Mac) and they make interesting viewing. Here’s the full list.

Reading messages and emails tops the rankings. Some 80% of Apple Watch users do this at least once a week. And while declining phone calls trails only slightly, a minuscule 20% of us are using the watch to start telephone calls while only about a half use it to answer calls.

Unfortunately we do not know the proportion of users with LTE enabled watches amongst those surveyed, so there is a possibility the statistics could be slightly skewed. Checking the time is excluded from the list for obvious reasons.

Other popular activities include tracking activity, fitness and keeping tabs on heart rate. Third-party apps and Complications are also used on a regular basis.

Amongst the less popular activities are controlling smart home appliances, using the scribble feature, getting directions and third-party fitness apps. Swimming and showering with the Apple Watch were towards the bottom of the list. 

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