by Juli Clover
If you have an old Apple Watch and you’re not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis.
When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works through “carefully mechanized components” that make direct contact with the Digital Crown on Apple Watch.
The TinyPod website suggests that a cellular version of the Apple Watch could be placed inside the TinyPod and used as a miniature phone, without the need to carry an iPhone. The case leaves the back of the Apple Watch exposed, but it is worth noting that actually using an Apple Watch this way would be frustrating because it uses skin contact for authentication.
If the TinyPod were tucked away in a pocket, the Apple Watch would need to be unlocked with a passcode every time it was used, since there is no Face ID or Touch Id. The alternative would be leaving the watch unlocked without a passcode, but that’s not particularly secure.
Using TinyPod requires turning off wrist detection, which is the feature that keeps the Apple Watch unlocked with skin contact. TinyPod positions this as a bonus that allows for longer multi-day battery life, but at the same time highlights Apple Pay and Name Drop, features that would require authentication via passcode. With the back of the Apple Watch exposed, charging can be done with a standard Apple Watch charging puck.
TinyPod is available in 40/41mm, 44/45mm, and 49mm sizes to fit all Apple Watch models. It is compatible with the Series 4 and later, as well as the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra.
TinyPod’s creators introduced it earlier this year, but the device is now available for purchase. It can be ordered from the TinyPod website for $80, with a lite model that does not feature a click wheel available for $30.
Popular Stories
iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year’s lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring …
Best Buy’s Black Friday in July Sale Takes Up to $700 Off M3 MacBook Pro for Members
Best Buy’s “Black Friday in July” sale is in full swing today, and in addition to a few iPad Air discounts we shared earlier, there are also some steep markdowns on the M3 MacBook Pro. You will need a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership in order to get some of these deals. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small…
Apple Releases First iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Public Betas
Monday July 15, 2024 1:16 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided the first betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to public beta testers, bringing the new software to the general public for the first time since the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Apple has seeded three developer betas so far, and the first public beta includes the same content that’s in the third developer beta. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. …
Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 vs. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds3 Pro
Saturday July 13, 2024 8:00 am PDT by Juli Clover
Samsung this week introduced its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, which look quite a bit like Apple’s AirPods Pro 2. Given the similarities, we thought we’d compare Samsung’s new earbuds to the AirPods Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Design wise, you could potentially mistake Samsung’s Galaxy Buds3 Pro for the AirPods Pro. The Buds3 Pro have the same…
10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year’s iPhone 17
Apple’s iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple’s 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip…
Apple Seeds Revised Third Betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to Developers
Monday July 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded updated third betas iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple initially released the third betas. Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the “Beta Updates” option, and toggling on the iOS 18/iPadOS 18 Developer Beta …
