Here's what you can do on the Apple Watch without your iPhone

Apple Watch all alone: what can it do? Not a lot -- it's mainly an iPhone accessory -- but there are some key things that it can handle on its own.

• by Scott Stein  /  
  @jetscott

• April 18, 2015 5:00 AM PDT Updated: April 24, 2015 7:15 AM PDT

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The  Apple Watch is, first and foremost, an iPhone accessory. It might be even more than that eventually, a truly independent gadget, but a vast majority of its current core functions -- making calls, sending messages, getting information, even playing any third-party games -- require your iPhone to be on, have Internet service, and be paired with the Watch via Bluetooth or a shared Wi-Fi network. If you're thinking about getting one, make sure you know that. It requires an iPhone 5 or later, and it can't even be set up without one.

 27 Photos

Apple Watch: A hands-on tour of Apple's first smartwatch (pictures)

(Credit: Sarah Tew)

Still, the Apple Watch can do a few things without your iPhone around -- more than I even realized. I left my iPhone behind and went for a stroll with just the Apple Watch to try it out.

Here's everything the Apple Watch can do when away from your iPhone:

Sarah Tew/CNET

Music

The Apple Watch has 6.2GB of available storage, of which 2GB can be used to store music. You sync music with Apple Watch via your iPhone and the Apple Watch app, no Mac or iTunes required (but, the music must be on your phone in the Music app, or in iTunes in the Cloud). Once your music is synced, you're free to listen as long you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones. I paired a few sets easily via the Apple Watch's Bluetooth settings: the ones I tested in the video above were the  Plantronics BackBeat Fit , a highly-rated comfy pair of fitness-targeted wraparound wireless sport earbuds. In the Apple Watch Music app, you need to Force Press and select "Source" as Apple Watch. Once that awkward step is done, music plays just like on an iPod.