watchOS 10.2: How to Change Watch Faces With a Swipe

[MacRumors]

In watchOS 10.2, you can enable a swipe gesture to switch between Apple Watch faces more easily, just like you used to be able to in watchOS 9. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

If you are a long-time Apple Watch user, you probably remember a time when it was possible to switch watch faces with a simple swipe gesture across the display. That was the default interaction in watchOS 9, but then Apple removed the gesture with the upgrade to watchOS 10.

Apple changed the interaction because of user complaints that it was too easy to accidentally change watch faces. But for anyone who never had this problem, Apple just made things harder – by requiring a long press before swiping to change the active watch face.

Fortunately, prior to the release of watchOS 10.2, Apple seemed to realize what it had done, and it has introduced a setting that re-instates the earlier method of swiping to change watch faces. If you preferred the older interaction, the following steps show you how to enable it.

1. Open the Settings app on your watch.
2. Tap Clock.
3. Toggle on the switch next to Swipe to Switch Watch Face.

That's all there is to it. If you have more than one watch face assigned to your Apple Watch, you will now be able to swipe quickly and easily between them.

Article Link: watchOS 10.2: How to Change Watch Faces With a Swipe

 

[abatabia]

I didn’t even realize it was removed.

 

[mattlarge]

Thank you, thank you, thank you

 

[sifpilsen]

So nice that feature returned!

 

[Godspeed8230]

And here I am doing the exact same thing on my Apple Watch Series 3 on 8.8.1

 

[pdaholic]

I spent 20 min looking for this setting after my watch updated this morning. Wasn’t expecting it there. Thanks!

 

[contacos]

Apple settings are so dumb like what does that have to do with "Clock"? They really need to nuke their whole settings panel on any iDevice really and start from scratch. It's like they are trying to squeeze today's features into settings from iOS 2 and it just does not work and does not make any sense anymore.

 

[klky]

Couldn't update fast enough. Hated when they removed it.

 

[headlessmike]

I prefer to keep this disabled as I used to accidentally switch faces more often than intentionally. But I'm happy for y'all that missed the old behavior.

 

[Ctrlos]

Apple could have taken the opportunity to use those gestures to access some meaningful features, maybe a cycle of larger widgets a la Samsung or allow apps to run in the foreground as a face so your shopping list or map is only a swipe away.

But no, hey went back two steps instead. They'll never regain their lead in software innovation if they keep capitulating instead of innovating.

 

[bmakszim]

Great! Now let's give an option to assign favourite apps back to the side button and control center to the swipe up as they always have been!

 

[Mikeske]

I am glad to see the swipe feature returned. I think that they should have had the setting to be optional for long press then swipe in watch os.

 

[jorikc]

I also changed it back as soon as 10.2 was available, but I do not understand why some settings (like this one) are only available from the watch itself and not from the Watch App on my iPhone. I had searched there before giving up and going through all Settings on the watch.

Some other settings are only available from the Watch App on iPhone, so I find it unintuitive when to use which Settings.

 

[efktd]

10:09

 

[FSMBP]

10:09

OMG I thought it was just me. So sloppy…

watchOS 10 is such a regression. I feel like someone did changes for change sake.

 

[chrono1081]

Ugh really? I like the hold to swipe. It's far too easy to accidentally swipe the watch face.

 

[claude31]

As far as I remember, it did not work exactly the same way before.
In WatchOS 9, when you swiped, you got the new face showing the time. Seems so logic
In WatchOS 10.2, when you swipe, you first get the standard (10:09) time displayed for 1 second and then the actual time. Pretty ugly glitch effect.

How is it they were not able to reestablish what existed before when setting is set to "Swipe" ? Is it because they went a quick and dirty way, just reusing the long press code and simply segueing automatically to the new face. But the result is not nice looking.

 

[cbdilger]

Now put the old weather applet back?

 

[japanime]

Ugh really? I like the hold to swipe. It's far too easy to accidentally swipe the watch face.

Then don't activate the swipe function. Easy-peasy.

 

[blodyholy]

I just spent far too long using the Watch app on my iPhone looking for this setting as my watch is charging.

Unclear why it’s excluded, but don’t bother looking in case you use your phone for most AW settings as I do.

 

[navaira]

In watchOS 10.2, you can enable a swipe gesture to switch between Apple Watch faces more easily, just like you used to be able to in watchOS 9. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

If you are a long-time Apple Watch user, you probably remember a time when it was possible to switch watch faces with a simple swipe gesture across the display. That was the default interaction in watchOS 9, but then Apple removed the gesture with the upgrade to watchOS 10.

Apple changed the interaction because of user complaints that it was too easy to accidentally change watch faces. But for anyone who never had this problem, Apple just made things harder – by requiring a long press before swiping to change the active watch face.

Fortunately, prior to the release of watchOS 10.2, Apple seemed to realize what it had done, and it has introduced a setting that re-instates the earlier method of swiping to change watch faces. If you preferred the older interaction, the following steps show you how to enable it.

1. Open the Settings app on your watch.
2. Tap Clock.
3. Toggle on the switch next to Swipe to Switch Watch Face.

That's all there is to it. If you have more than one watch face assigned to your Apple Watch, you will now be able to swipe quickly and easily between them.

Article Link: watchOS 10.2: How to Change Watch Faces With a Swipe

Thanks so much for this, it was so irritating! Glad they added the option.

 

[chrono1081]

Then don't activate the swipe function. Easy-peasy.

It's accidental. It happens when you're working out pretty easy. All you had to do before was hold down for a split second, easy peasy.

EDIT: Actually it's a non-issue. I realized it's still long press the swipe has to be turned on.

 

[Tevosn]

Nice! But when you have selected the watch face “Solar graph”, you still can’t use Digital Crown to scroll in time, it just brings up the silly widget menu. Is there a fix for that?

 

[bloozmonk]

In watchOS 10.2, you can enable a swipe gesture to switch between Apple Watch faces more easily, just like you used to be able to in watchOS 9. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

If you are a long-time Apple Watch user, you probably remember a time when it was possible to switch watch faces with a simple swipe gesture across the display. That was the default interaction in watchOS 9, but then Apple removed the gesture with the upgrade to watchOS 10.

Apple changed the interaction because of user complaints that it was too easy to accidentally change watch faces. But for anyone who never had this problem, Apple just made things harder – by requiring a long press before swiping to change the active watch face.

Fortunately, prior to the release of watchOS 10.2, Apple seemed to realize what it had done, and it has introduced a setting that re-instates the earlier method of swiping to change watch faces. If you preferred the older interaction, the following steps show you how to enable it.

1. Open the Settings app on your watch.
2. Tap Clock.
3. Toggle on the switch next to Swipe to Switch Watch Face.

That's all there is to it. If you have more than one watch face assigned to your Apple Watch, you will now be able to swipe quickly and easily between them.

Article Link: watchOS 10.2: How to Change Watch Faces With a Swipe

Because 2 seconds is a looooooong time!

 

[ctg7w6]

Was so excited they returned this option. Had to look up online the day I updated because I could not figure out where the option was. What bonehead decided to put it in those settings?