Left Handed Apple Watch: How To Set Up In Seconds!

Smartwatches are one of the most convenient inventions of the last decade. 

They provide the user with much more than just simply the time.

They are even able to answer calls and send messages. 

Left-handed people are one of the most hesitant people to purchase an Apple Watch or other smart watch because they aren’t sure if it will work on their other arm. 

The good news is, it’s easy to set an Apple Watch up for a left-handed person.

How do I setup my Apple Watch to be left handed?

During the initial setup of your Apple Watch, there is a screen that asks if the user is left or right-handed. This is the easiest way to set up an Apple Watch for a lefty, but you can also change this in the Settings as well.

Yes! It’s easy to setup an Apple Watch for use by a left-handed person. 

If the watch is already activated, you will have to factory reset it or find the option in settings. 

Otherwise, simply follow the instructions during the initial setup until you get to the screen where you select left-handed or right-handed.

It’s as easy as that. 

However, there are some other options and apps you might want to consider if you’re a left-handed person. 

Wear the Watch Upside Down

The setting to change a watch to left-handed mode is easy. 

However, this leads to a problem. The physical watch crown will be on the wrong side. 

This might also mean flipping your wristband orientation to put the clasps on the right side. 

Where is the Setting?

The setting for left-handed or right-hand orientation can be found under settings and general. 

There you’ll find an option for orientation. 

First, pick the orientation you prefer for your wrist. 

Next, select the orientation for the digital crown. 

Just close the settings and your preferences will be saved. 

Factory Reset

It’s sometimes easier to factory reset the device when you want to change wrist orientation. 

This will allow you to change a number of other settings to your preferences too. 

Reset your Apple Watch to factory settings like this: 

Open settings and go to general. Here is where you will find the reset option. 

Click “Erase All Content and Settings” once you are in the reset menu. 

It will ask for your passcode. 

Next is the important part. Your Apple Watch may have cellular data attached to it. 

You’ll want to keep the cellular data plan by selecting “Erase All & Keep Plan.” 

If you don’t want to keep your cellular data plan just select “Erase All.” 

Removing your cellular data plan could be a breach of contract with your lease or installment plan, resulting in the price of the entire watch being billed out.

Be careful here and choose wisely. 

Setting up your Apple Watch

Once your device finishes erasing it’s time to do the setup process.

Have your phone handy because you will need it to pair the watch. 

Also, at some point during the activation process, you will be prompted to select a cellular plan. 

Be sure not to skip this step or your cellular plan will not be attached to the watch. 

Some carriers do not require this step, and it’s done automatically. 

So, don’t panic if you don’t see this screen. 

Make sure your phone is updated to the newest iOS version to ensure an easy pairing process. 

You should also have Bluetooth turned on for the remainder of the process.

Your phone will also need an internet connection. 

It doesn’t matter if it is cellular or Wi-Fi. 

The first step is turning on your Apple Watch and putting it on.

Eventually, you will see a screen that allows you to select the option to use your iPhone to set up the watch. 

Click it and your phone will have you hold its camera over the watch. 

You can either set it up as new or restore it from a backup. 

If you are customizing the watch to your own handling for the first time, then it’s best to choose a new setup. 

The Apple Watch will now download and install the latest operating system for the Watch. 

Once the installation is done, you can just sign in with your Apple ID.

Now it’s time to customize your Apple Watch experience. 

You can select whether or not you want Siri turned on, Route Tracking, and most importantly, you can choose left-handed mode. 

You can even pick what size text your watch displays. 

Next up is security. You can skip the passcode if you want. 

Otherwise, choose a passcode for your watch. 

It’s worth noting that some features, such as Apple Pay, require a passcode to be in place before they will be active.

Lastly, Apple will show you a list of useful features and apps. 

You can select any of the apps you want to install on your phone here.

You can skip this step entirely if you want. You can always download more apps from the App Store found on the watch. 

That’s it. Your phone is now set up and ready to use. 

App Functionality

Don’t worry about any apps being incompatible in left-handed mode. 

All fitness apps, games, and productivity apps you have will work just as normal as long as you tell your watch that you are left-handed. 

There is no need to download alternative apps for using the watch in left-handed mode.

All of your apps will adjust automatically because you have changed the settings in the Watch itself.

None of the apps have their own settings for left-handed mode, so it’s as easy as toggling one button. 

Everything will automatically adjust accordingly.