I woke up groggy in the Austin airport, my head aching from where I’d put it on my lumpy backpack. My purse was beside me, our boarding passes for my family’s 5 a.m. departure tucked protectively to one side. Then a panicked thought came to my mind: WHERE WAS MY PHONE?
Let’s rewind: my husband, teenage daughter and I were flying from Seattle to Cleveland for the April 8 total solar eclipse. Due to a strange tangle of events, we missed our departure flight. The only new flight we were able to take left us stranded from midnight to 5 a.m., sleeping on the floor of the airport in the Texas capital.
If you’ve ever planned a long-awaited trip for your family and watched it start to go wrong, you know my mind was vibrating like a ball in a pinball machine. There were a million threads I was trying to weave together to save this spring break adventure.
And since it’s 2024, 999,999 of those discussions required the use of my iPhone. From rebooking the flight to alerting our hotel that we would be late to locating our luggage, I was constantly typing and calling on the screen of my trusty phone.
But I had dozed off for 2 or 3 hours on the cold floor of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and when I woke up, that phone was neither in my hand, nor in my pocket, nor in my handbag. Had I forgotten it somewhere during our sleepy late-night stroll through the airport? Was it perched on a bathroom sink or sitting on top of a vending machine? Or worse yet, had an early traveler spotted him while I was sleeping and run off with him?
Then I remembered: I was wearing my Apple Watch. Even though the battery was extremely low, it still had power. I pressed the side button below the digital crown. It brought up a screen of icons, including one showing a ringing smartphone. One press and I heard the most delicious sound my ears could hear, a softly lingering BING BING BING.
This blue button pings my lost iPhone. I am so grateful that it exists.
Gaël Fashingbauer Cooper
The Apple Watch has a feature that beeps if an iPhone is lost, and I’ve never needed it more.
It turned out that my phone had simply slipped between two suitcases. I followed the beep, found it immediately, and started breathing again.
Learn more: Using an Apple Watch Transformed My Relationship With Self-Care
I didn’t even want an Apple Watch
I never wanted a smart watch. I loved the simple style of my classic Movado Museum watch, with its elegant black and gold color scheme and minimalist design. But my techie husband got me an Apple Watch Series 7 for my birthday in 2021. He praised features like fitness capabilities and the ability to set timers. Sure, okay, I’ll try, I thought.
-Now I’m addicted.
I use the Maps app to find my way to my appointments. I use the workout app to track everything from short walks to the post office to long bike workouts. I use the weather program to check the forecast and the temperature. I use the built-in timer when I need a reminder to take a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven. I use the contactless Apple Pay option at our local drive-in burger restaurant.
But I don’t think any watch feature — including timekeeping — has made me as grateful as the “Find Your Phone” option.
Of course, there are other smartwatches, including Google’s Pixel Watch. You may find one of these other options more to your liking. I happen to be integrated into the Apple ecosystem and that suits me.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performed Dark Side of the Moon, Ain’t No Sunshine and Here Comes The Sun during the eclipse.
Gaël Fashingbauer Cooper
Let’s face it: we need our phones, even for celestial events
I don’t lose my iPhone often. It’s usually nearby, in my pocket or purse. But when I feel like I’ve left it somewhere, I’m eternally grateful that a simple tap of my wrist can make it beep, provided it’s close enough to me.
Of course, I used other means to find my lost phone. I’ve had my daughter or friends just call it to ring it. I issued it from the Find My option on my husband’s phone. But the easiest and quickest way is to just press the button on my watch.
As the moon slipped across the sun, the temperature in Cleveland dropped noticeably. It was definitely worth the drive from Seattle.
Gaël Fashingbauer Cooper
Our eclipse trip turned out to be worth it. The Cleveland sky lit up just in time and we watched the eclipse from outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The museum played Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon as the sun receded, then flowed into Bill Withers’ sad Ain’t No Sunshine for the full 4 minutes of totality, before triumphantly blasting Here Comes The Sun by the Beatles as the sun returned.
As the sun slipped behind the moon, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees instantly and the people around us erupted in the purest expression of joy, hugging, dancing and taking photos. It made memories that my family will never forget. And these days, with so much to do to stay connected, I’m grateful I didn’t have to add a lost phone to my list of mini-disasters.
