Smartwatches are a form of wearable technology designed to assist you with everyday life. They act as an extension of your phone but also come with their own functions to support with tasks such as making a payment or navigating somewhere and often include in-built safety features. They’re also discreet to use and are highly portable by design.
On this page, we talk about how smartwatches can be used as a tool for people with vision impairment to support independence and mobility.
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Apple Watch is Apple’s smartwatch product. There are three different series of Apple Watch: Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Ultra.
For people with sight loss or vision impairment, an Apple Watch offers lots of features to make daily tasks more convenient. Some of these features include:
Different Android brands have their own smartwatch series, such as Google Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch. Although our Habilitation and Vision Rehabilitation Specialists don’t typically use these smartwatches with our service users, they do offer features that could be helpful for people with vision impairment.
Google Pixel Watch is Google’s brand of smartwatch. There’s only one series of Google Pixel Watch with three versions of the device. The Google Pixel Watch shares a lot of the same accessibility features with the Google Pixel phone, such as magnification and TalkBack. However, the Google Pixel Watch has some other features that make it useful for people with sight loss, such as:
Samsung have several smartwatch series, including Samsung Galaxy Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. The watches in the different series vary in features and technical specifications, so it’s important to research to make sure you’re getting the right watch for your needs. For people with vision impairment, some handy features of Samsung Galaxy Watches include:

I love the convenience of being able to tell the time discreetly through haptic feedback, make payments without faffing around with my wallet and monitor my daily fitness goals from my wrist.
Before you buy and use a smartwatch, here are some things to keep in mind:
If you already have an Apple or Android phone, check out our Apple accessibility features page or Android accessibility features page. On these pages you’ll find more information on the accessibility features included with the manufacturers’ operating systems. Remember that not all accessibility features on phones are available on smartwatches, so always double check the manufacturer’s site before buying a smartwatch.
If you’d like some support in using one of these products, speak to your Habilitation Specialist, Vision Rehabilitation Specialist, or call Guide Line on 0800 781 1444 and someone will be happy to assist you.

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Guide Dogs is committed to integrating technology into our service delivery and promoting excellence in accessibility and usability. Our staff undergo comprehensive training in technology and accessibility in collaboration with industry leaders like Apple. We foster knowledge of technology and create content through our Technology Champions, comprising Vision Rehabilitation Specialists and Habilitation Specialists. We review this content periodically to ensure that it is up to date and includes new features and changes with operating systems. We work with our partners to ensure accessibility is at the centre of the design. To find out more, there is more information in our accessibility policy.
Please note: Whilst Guide Dogs may be able to suggest various third-party websites and third-party applications which may be able to assist you, those are not endorsed by Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs have no control over those third parties and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information and support they can provide or the suitability and quality of any products or services they provide.