Apple Watch Double Tap Feature Highlighted in Latest Apple Ad

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

My biggest complaint with double tap is that I have to wait for the screen to “wake up” (go from dim to bright) for it to work. By that time I’ve already got my other hand over tapping the screen. And sometimes typing triggers it, another annoyance.

That's my gripe with both Siri and Double Tap

They do work most of the time. But neither Siri nor Double Tap registers any input unless Watch has just been waked by either raising my wrist, tapping the display, or moving the Digital Crown.

But exactly Double Tap and Siri should take input either all the time. Or really just a few seconds or minutes after the display has dimmed.

Yes, I get that it's supposed to automatically dim and go into a sort of semi-standby mode when I lower my wrist or haven't interacted with it in a while.

But Watch to me is particularly useful for hands-free gestures that I'd otherwise have to pull out my iPhone to perform.

But being that Watch often dims after even the slightest movement of Watch, or delay in my response to a notification, Siri, or Double Tap prompt, I often have to use my right hand or press my Watch against my face or nose to wake it and let me use Double Tap or give Siri input.

Really kills a lot of the convenience that Watch could offer if the raise-to-wake and "lower-to-go-into-standby-mode" algorithm was better or could be tweaked by the user.

But actually, this would ideally just have been a simple algorithm that, over time, learns the users usage patterns to more accurately know when to go into standby-mode(dim the screen and stop taking input) and learns what the user typically does in an app or as a response to a notification, Siri, or Double Tap prompt in order to avoid going into standby-mode too soon.

When I heard that S9 got a new SiP and upgraded internals, I really thought that was to improve Siri and Double tap.

But it's not better than S7 or S8 from what I've seen irl.

 

[bookcase]

I have not used double tap once since I got the S9. I don't really see the point.

 

[Alexndar]

So, the remote shutter feature using Samsung Galaxy ultra line's stylus. But, not as sure to work every time, AND costs like $400 dollars more to uses sibse you need a watch and one hand still must be free.

 

[Pezimak]

I tried this after they promoted it, found it to be pretty useless and turned it off. Also nice way for Apple to promote you double dipping on their expensive devices.

 

[AppleUser2]

This is months old?

 

[NachoNoir]

I have an AWU2 and this feature almost never works for me, no matter how I do it. I try to use it to stop timers and my wake up alarm, and 90% of the time I have to resort to the regular way to do it.

Maybe I’m “holding it wrong”

 

[jennyp]

Good ad. Would have been nice if this feature was made available in other models too.

It does work on other models. It works on my series 7 by going into Settings > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch [On] > Inputs > Hand Gestures [On] > Customise Gestures > Double Tap > [Siri, as my choice].

My one gripe as with the other poster above is that the watch has to be "awake" for it to work, which usually means raising it (oh what a first-world problem that is)

 

[iZac]

It still infuriates me that Apple moved the control centre from *swipe up* to the side button of recently used Apps.

Also, even though they begrudgingly re-added the swipe-to-change-watch-face feature, now it defaults to 10:09 and clumsily changes to the current time once the swipe animation has finished.

Oh and after 9 months, the battery life is still abysmal compared to WatchOS 9 but that may just be my own personal experience.

WatchOS 10 is an absolute dog egg and I wish that I could downgrade it back to 9

*hysterical gripe over*

 

[Digital Dude]

This was almost a funny ad. 🫤

 

[MaximizedAction]

Interesting that the ad is new to North America. It's been on TV here in Germany for over a month up until a month ago. Apple must be soft-rolling out ads like this.

 

[lc96]

Wow I’m surprised people here often don’t like double tap or say it isn’t working. I use it a lot in my opinion and I couldn’t do without. Like when riding my bicycle so I don’t have to take both hands off the steering wheel. Or to skip tracks while rowing. When I’m wearing gloves it’s also helpful. Silencing timers feels good too, very lazy

Double tap is the reason I finally got an AW and I’m still very happy with the feature.

I just don’t understand how these functions don’t work for me. Support had me take videos of my fingers double tapping, even sent a new watch, no luck. Probably unpaired and re-paired 10 times.

 

[wdfly]

The functionality is neat but the ad is just bad. The fish is so obviously fake and he's standing on a dock behind the boat instead of in it. Should make it look more realistic imo.

 

[Kay_Ess]

I just don’t understand how these functions don’t work for me. Support had me take videos of my fingers double tapping, even sent a new watch, no luck. Probably unpaired and re-paired 10 times.

I hope I don’t sound insensitive, but what’s your BMI? Because when I move my fingers the skin below the band visibly moves so there’s a lot of tension the watch can pick up on. The first thing I’m thinking off is that there is too much fat around the muscles so the inner tension is dampened too much. Just thinking with you 😊

 

[tim.rand]

Hey, just so EVERYONE knows, it doesn’t require an Apple Watch Ultra or Watch 9. I have a Watch 7 and with the Assistive Touch, Hand Gestures, you can turn on the double tap feature. I didn’t know it worked with the Camera Remote app on the watch, however. This is nice for that group shot so it doesn’t have you looking down at the watch in every shot.

And I use it ALL THE TIME to dismiss alerts. Easy and it works.

 

[yossi]

Cool feature, horrible ad

 

[coolfactor]

All the complaining about Double Tap, is it possible that Apple forgot to optimize for certain body types? Maybe fat wrists don't communicate the gesture the same way?

The complaining reminds of those that have trouble using Siri. Poor pronunciation and muffled speech are big factors that prevent Siri from decoding one's babble.

 

[coolfactor]

Cool feature, horrible ad

He's struggling to hold the fish, yet can let go to do the Double Tap?

Fun ad, but weak and unrealistic.

 

[omenatarhuri]

Cool feature, horrible ad

This ad is gross on so levels, where’s all the creativity, think out side the box, disruption of normal etc.

Come on Apple let’s go back to the cool brand and not this mundane stuff

 

[omenatarhuri]

This ad is gross on so levels, where’s all the creativity, think out side the box, disruption of normal etc.

Come on Apple let’s go back to the cool brand and not this mundane stuff

I mean this ad is kind of like the annoying “funny” uncle that your little bit embarrassed about, Samsung and Microsoft are putting out cooler stuff today who would have known

 

[MacHumors]

I've seen some dumbass ads in my time, but...

 

[Godspeed8230]

_

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I would love to see someone catch a carp that big, wrestle it into their arms, and then take one hand off to futz with their watch. lololol news at 9, man videos himself going all three rounds at once against a massive and massively pissed off fish and losing quite badly.

 

[Gloor]

the end of the ad is very 'humpy' to my opinion.

The ad in general is awful - it almost feels like a an ad for a horny fisherman than anything else

 

[makeitrainnaren]

Double Tap is probably the most unbaked feature that AW has ever had. It doesn't work half the time and literally stops working the moment you start to walk. It's also nowhere near as fast as shown in Apple's advertisements.

They likely added it at the last minute so people wouldn't mistake the S9 for being a complete copy paste version of the S8.

I actually assumed it was to get more training data for AVP as watches are sold and used infinitely more. Secondly, it's also trying to measure the clenching of nerves/blood vessels for some other health sensors that might use that data down the line...

 

[makeitrainnaren]

First they smash instruments of creativity, now they’re hurting fish….whatever next….

tbf I did notice the poor fishy was placed back into the water after mans achieved his shot. #carbonneutral2024baby