Apple Watch double-tap gesture now available with watchOS 10.1
New double-tap gesture for Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 introduced with watchOS 10.1; introduces users to a fast, convenient, new way to interact with Apple Watch
Thanks to Apple’s new double-tap gesture introduced with watchOS 10.1, users can easily control Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 without touching the screen and using only one hand. Users can quickly perform many of the most common operations by touching the index and thumbs of their hands with the watch twice. This new feature complements existing gestures like tap, swipe, raise to wake, and cover to mute, making Apple Watch an easy-to-use and user-friendly device.
A practical and enjoyable experience
The double-touch gesture provides ease of use when one of the user’s hands is occupied. Users can take advantage of this feature while walking their dogs, cooking or while holding a coffee cup in their other hand.
The double-tap gesture allows users to select the primary action across various watchOS apps and notifications. For example:
- Launch Smart Grouping on all watch faces and swipe through widgets in the group.
- Answering and ending calls.
- View the message from the incoming notification, scroll through long notifications with an extra double tap, reply and send messages using dictation.
- Pause, resume and end the timer.
- Stopping and resuming the stopwatch.
- Don’t snooze alarms.
- Play and pause music, podcasts and audiobooks.
- Switching to the new Altitude view in the Compass app.
- Take photos with iPhone using the Camera Remote in the Camera app.
- Start or stop Auto Workout reminders.
- Perform primary action from notifications (for example, replying to incoming messages in messaging apps and snoozing reminders, including those from third parties).
S9 is powered by SiP
The double-tap gesture, available on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, is powered by the S9 SiP, which provides 25 percent more power efficiency than the previous generation, and the new 4-core Neural Engine, which can perform machine learning tasks twice as fast.
Neural Engine; It processes the data received from the accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart sensor using a new artificial learning algorithm. The algorithm detects the unique pattern of precise wrist movements and changes in blood flow when performing a double-tap gesture with the index finger and thumb.
The double-tap gesture works whenever the screen is awake. Moreover, this feature can be used throughout the day with minimal impact on battery life, which lasts 18 hours on the Apple Watch Series and 36 hours on the Apple Watch Ultra 2
Double-tap gesture customizations
The double-tap gesture is designed to automatically select the primary action for most apps and notifications. In two cases, users can choose a different function: navigate between widgets in Smart Grouping or select the first available widget and play/pause media or skip to the next track during an active session.
availability
- watchOS 10.1 is available starting today for Apple Watch Series 4 and newer Apple Watch models. watchOS 10.1 requires an iPhone XS or newer with iOS 17.
- The double-tap gesture is enabled by default on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 with watchOS 10.1, and no additional setup is required. This feature can be disabled from the settings.
- Feature is not supported in the following apps and experiences: ECG, Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen, Sleep Focus, Walkie-Talkie, Map (during navigation), Awareness (during active session), SOS features (Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, Traffic Accident Detection), and Training (during active session).