Apple Watch and its applications for people with limited use of their hands

I turned 50 years old in December 2017- my partner says this makes me a 'crip elder' - and I decided to treat myself to two birthday presents that will hopefully make some everyday activities a little easier. One is an Apple Watch; the other is a FreeWheel, a large wheel that attaches to the front of my wheelchair, allowing the chair to be pushed over rough and uneven terrain.

Here's my first of two posts giving my initial thoughts on one of these purchases - the Apple Watch.

What did I buy?

I bought the Apple Watch Series 3 Space Grey Aluminium Case with Grey Sport Band, 38mm without cellular connectivity. This is effectively the series 3 base model, which requires an iPhone for internet and network connectivity.

I opted for the model without stand-alone cellular connectivity, given that Telstra was not yet supporting eSIMs in Apple Watch for iPhones on business accounts (my employer supplies my phone).

What did I hope to achieve?

I had two hopes with the Apple Watch:

Be able to make and answer phone calls and send text messages more easily;
Be able to make over-the-counter electronic payments more easily.

And the results so far are pretty good.

Making phone calls / sending text messages

I have had difficulty for a long time in finding a way to carry my iPhone in such a way that I can easily reach it to answer phone calls. Inevitably, the call rings out before I can get to it. I currently carry my phone under my wheelchair seat in a Bodypoint Mobility Bag. But even with a lanyard attached, I still can't grab it quickly enough to answer a call. I also can't make a call or send a text 'on-the-go'. With little manual dexterity, getting my phone out to make a call is an entire performance, which takes some effort and time.

With my Apple Watch connected to my iPhone, I can now answer and make phone calls from my wrist. The downsides are: all calls are effectively on speaker phone, so calls are not terribly private; plus I expect I look like a complete dick / dork / douche talking into my wrist like Dick Tracy. But the convenience definitely outweighs these disadvantages.

In addition, I have been using voice commands with Siri on my iPad to do simple things like sending text messages. I find navigating the Apple Watch screen a bit tricky (at least without glasses), so Siri and the Apple Watch go well together, and with a few tweaks to my phone contacts, I can now make calls easily with voice commands:

"Call Dad"

"Call Security"

Similarly I have found that sending and responding to texts by voice command is really useful, although again this can be less than private if you are in a public place. As you'd expect, there is no keyboard for composing long texts, but emojis and a series of canned replies are available.

For both phone calls and text messages, the strongest Apple Watch application is quick or short communications; if you need to do something longer, I'd recommend getting out your phone.

Making over-the-counter electronic payments

A lack of manual dexterity means I face a lot of difficulties handling cash (my wallet is hard to get out like my phone, coins and notes are fiddly), and putting a PIN into EFTPOS machines, so I changed by debit card to one which can be used for contactless payments recently with the aim of going cashless.

However, getting a debit card out of my wallet is still a challenge for the same reasons, so the ability to pay for small purchases (e.g. coffees) with a device on my wrist would be a huge step forward.

However, only one of the four major Australian banks currently supports ApplePay and it's not my reguar bank. So my first step was to open an ANZ bank account and arrange for a small regular deposit of 'spending money' to go into it.

Once the account was set up and linked to my iPhone / Apple watch, paying by Apple Watch is reasonably straightforward - it requires double-clicking on the side button at the same time as holding the watch close to the EFTPOS terminal. It took a few practices though and I endured a few exasperated looks from shop owners. But it is still easier than getting an actual card out of my wallet.

Payments are processed like credit card payment using PayPass or PayWave though, which means that some retailers add a credit card surcharge for the privilege of paying with Apple Watch. On these occasions, getting out a card and putting in your PIN might be the better option on these occasions.

Verdict?

The Apple Watch has been successful for both making phone calls and sending text messages plus making over-the-counter electronic payments more easily, and with greater use and practice, I expect use to get easier. In addition, the Apple Watch has other apps that come in handy - weather, fitness tracker etc.

However, the price will be considerable entry barrier for many disabled people, if not most, given that an iPhone is also required. Apple is still selling the Apple Watch 1 at a lower price, but without Siri, so without the ability to use voice commands.