How to read your files on your watch.

How to view your Notion notes on your watch

Notion has no watch app, on iPhone or Android, so there is no way to open a page from your wrist through Notion itself.

1. Install Paperwrist on your phone (get the app). The watch app installs alongside it.
2. In Settings, connect Notion by pasting your own internal integration token. Paperwrist only reads with it; nothing is written back to Notion.
3. Pick the page or note you want and import it.
4. Open the app on the watch so sync can happen.
5. The item should show as synced on both phone and watch apps.
6. At any time, open Paperwrist on the watch and the item will be available to wherever you like. No need to be online.

This is a one-time snapshot of the page as it stood, not a live sync. Whenever the page in Notion is edited, just open the Paperwrist app on your phone and it should trigger an update from your Notion note. The internet connection is needed only at the moment you import or refresh a page, nothing else in the app uses it.

How to view your Obsidian files and notes on your watch

Obsidian has no watch app, on iPhone or Android, so there is no way to open a page from your wrist through Obsidian itself.

1. Your Obsidian vault needs to be on your phone using the phone Obsidian app, synced or just locally hosted.
2. Install Paperwrist on your phone (get the app). The watch app installs alongside it.
3. Tap Add file and navigate to your chosen Obsidian vault files through your phone's own document picker. Paperwrist supports Markdown (.md), text (.txt) and PDF files.
4. Pick the file you want and add it.
5. Open the app on the watch so sync can happen.
6. The item should show as synced on both phone and watch apps.
7. At any time, open Paperwrist on the watch and the item will be available to wherever you like. No need to be online.

Markdown files render following standard Markdown syntax, including tables. Text files are displayed as is. This is a one-time snapshot of the file as it stood, not a live sync. Whenever the file in Obsidian is edited, just open the Paperwrist app on your phone and it should trigger an update based on what's on your phone's Obsidian vault.

How to read a PDF on your Apple Watch or Wear OS watch

Neither watch platform has a built-in PDF reader. Handing a PDF to a 45mm screen usually means it opens unreadably small, or does not open at all.

1. Install Paperwrist on your phone (get the app) and open the app.
2. Tap Add file and pick the PDF through your phone's own document picker. Paperwrist renders each page to a sharp image on the phone.
3. Open the app on the watch so sync can happen.
4. The item should show as synced on both phone and watch apps.
5. At any time, open Paperwrist on the watch and the item will be available to wherever you like. No need to be online.
6. In the watch app, zoom in and out with the Digital Crown or the rotating bezel, page by page. PDF files can also be read in their plain text version, if possible (OCR).

Large PDFs take a little longer, because every page becomes an image on the phone before it is sent.

How to read a recipe on your watch with your hands full

A phone on the counter is easy to lose to flour, dough or a splash of sauce, and unlocking it with wet hands is worse.

1. Install Paperwrist (get the app) on your phone.
2. Open the recipe in your phone's browser.
3. Select the Share option.
4. Choose Paperwrist from the options.
5. Open the app on the watch so sync can happen.
6. The item should show as synced on both phone and watch apps.
7. At any time, open Paperwrist on the watch and the item will be available to wherever you like. No need to be online.

How to keep speaker notes on your wrist during a talk

Checking a phone mid-talk reads as distraction, pulling your eyes and the room's attention off wherever they need to be.

1. Write your notes or talking points on your app of choice or on a PDF file.
2. Install Paperwrist on your phone (get the app).
3. Tap Add file and pick the item from your phone's own document picker or the Notion integration.
4. Open the app on the watch so sync can happen.
5. The item should show as synced on both phone and watch apps.
6. At any time, open Paperwrist on the watch and the item will be available to wherever you like. No need to be online.
7. Glance at your wrist between points. That reads as checking the time, not as checking your phone.

How to keep reading on your watch when your phone is off or out of range

A watch that only mirrors the phone stops working the moment the phone does.

1. Install Paperwrist on your phone (get the app).
2. Tap Add file and pick the PDF through your phone's own document picker. Paperwrist renders each page to a sharp image on the phone.
3. Open the app on the watch so sync can happen.
4. The item should show as synced on both phone and watch apps.
5. At any time, open Paperwrist on the watch and the item will be available to wherever you like. No need to be online.
6. It stays stored on the watch itself, not streamed live from the phone.
7. Open Paperwrist on the watch any time after that. It reads the same whether the phone is across the room, switched off, or on a plane.

Frequently asked

Does any of this need an internet connection?

No, not to read. Once both apps are installed, your phone and watch talk over Bluetooth or your local Wi-Fi, not the internet. The one exception is Notion: importing or refreshing a page needs a connection at that moment, and nothing else in the app does.

Is there a subscription?

No. The free version keeps one document on your watch. Pro is a single payment that lifts the limit, and it stays yours.

Where do my files go?

Onto your phone and your watch, and nowhere else. There is no server of ours to send them to, because we run none.

Does Paperwrist read my whole file system?

No. It only ever sees a file you hand it through your phone's own document picker.

Does it work with any watch?

It needs an Apple Watch paired with an iPhone, or a Wear OS watch paired with an Android phone.

Paperwrist is on the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch, and in closed testing for Android and Wear OS. Get the app, or see the use cases for more of the moments behind these guides.