United brings popular app feature to Apple's newest Watches
United Airlines travelers who wear one of the newest Apple Watches will have one less excuse for missing their flight.
The Chicago-based airline announced this week that it's adding support for Live Activities on the Apple Watch. This feature allows travelers to conveniently access flight information — such as live boarding times, gate assignments and a countdown clock to departure — just by glancing at their wrist.
Live Activities automatically shows the most convenient and timely information needed during your travel day with United. To find Live Activities, you'll need to view the Smart Stack on your Apple Watch. You can access this by swiping up from the bottom of the watch screen.
In the Smart Stack, the United compilation will automatically become the first and most prominent thing you see during your travel day. The widget will automatically display the most important information that you need in real time, such as your gate number, seat assignment or baggage carousel number.
Tapping the Live Activity notification will open the United app, where you can view your boarding pass and even more detailed flight information.
United became the first airline to debut Live Activities on its top-notch iPhone app back in 2023. These widget-style notifications pop out of the Dynamic Island on the latest iPhone devices. United says that the notifications have already helped "millions of travelers" since their debut.
This year, Apple added Live Activities support to the Apple Watch as part of WatchOS 11. To see Live Activities, travelers need an Apple Watch that supports this latest operating system and the most up-to-date United app. Apple's new Watch Series 10, which debuted last month with the company's largest-ever display, comes preinstalled with the new operating system.
I haven't been able to try the new feature on a flight yet, but the airline showed off what the widget looks like before departure in an exclusive media demo.
I was able to see a live countdown until my flight and a notification reminder to check in. Clicking the widget opened the United app on my iPhone, and it immediately displayed my boarding pass without an issue.
"United is always looking for ways to leverage technology to improve our customers' travel journey, and this new feature is a game changer for United flyers," the airline said in a statement shared with TPG.
Related reading:
- United Airlines MileagePlus: Guide to earning and redeeming miles, elite status and more
- Best United Airlines credit cards
- United Premier status: What it is and how to earn it
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- How to survive basic economy on United Airlines
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month