It’s an thrilling week for Apple software program releases. Apple has given us some early Christmas presents in iOS 17.2, together with the long-awaited Journal app with Journalling Recommendations that can be utilized in third-party apps, plus NameDrop-like tap-to-share for tickets and boarding passes and new climate and clock widgets.
Nevertheless, that’s not all we bought this week. As enjoyable as iOS 17.2 is, Apple has additionally launched updates for its different gadgets, together with iPadOS 17.2 for the iPad, macOS Sonoma 14.2 for the Mac, tvOS 17.2 for the Apple TV, and watchOS 10.2 for the Apple Watch.
With watchOS 10.2, Apple has delivered a couple of different promised options for its newest S9-powered Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2, and it’s additionally introduced again a small however sorely missed characteristic that disappeared within the watchOS 10 redesign.
Since its inception, the Apple Watch has provided the power to make use of a number of watch faces, letting you alter issues up all through the day. For instance, you may need to use the Infograph watch face to see plenty of info throughout your workday however choose to sit back out with a extra enjoyable and kooky face like Snoopy on the finish of the day.
Sadly, watchOS 10 made this extra cumbersome than it wanted to be. For years, you would rapidly swap between watch faces by doing nothing greater than swiping left or proper from the sting of your wearable’s display. Nevertheless, when watchOS 10 got here alongside, this functionality had mysteriously disappeared.
Whether or not that was an intentional design selection or one thing that bought misplaced within the shuffle is unclear, however both method, Apple has seen the error of its methods and introduced again the power to swipe between watch faces identical to you’ve been in a position to do because the early days of the Apple Watch.
Sadly, the return of this useful characteristic does have one small catch: It’s nonetheless not the default conduct. It gained’t all of the sudden begin working as quickly as you replace to watchOS 10.2 — you must go and particularly flip it on.
Fortunately, that’s not onerous to do so long as you already know the place to look. Right here’s easy methods to discover the magic change to re-enable this:
- Open the Settings app in your Apple Watch.
- Scroll down and choose Clock.
- Toggle on Swipe to Change Watch Face.
Oddly, that is a type of settings you’ll be able to solely discover within the Apple Watch Settings app; it doesn’t seem within the Watch app in your iPhone — not less than not in iOS 17.2; this might change in a future iOS replace.
What Else is New in watchOS 10.2?
The opposite huge change in watchOS 10.2 is the arrival of one other promised characteristic of this yr’s Apple Watch fashions.
When Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Apple Watch Extremely 2 in September, it promised the extra highly effective S9 chip inside would ship extra superior options, corresponding to the brand new Double-Faucet gesture and assist for processing Siri requests instantly on the wearable, thereby including the power to request and log well being knowledge instantly in your wrist with nothing greater than your voice.
Sadly, these options weren’t prepared out of the gate. The Double-Faucet gesture didn’t arrive till watchOS 10.1 in October, and whereas on-device Siri labored straight away, the Well being options are solely now arriving in watchOS 10.2.
Which means for those who’re carrying certainly one of Apple’s newest fashions, now you can ask Siri questions like “How a lot did I sleep final evening?” or “How a lot do I weigh?” You may as well ask Siri to report knowledge like your weight or physique temperature.
For privateness causes, solely gadgets that present on-device Siri assist this. Apple doesn’t need to find out about your well being requests, so you’ll be able to solely do that if Siri can handle every part in your machine. Meaning an S9 chip for the Apple Watch, however the excellent news is that Apple has additionally added this characteristic in iOS 17.2 for the iPhone, the place on-device Siri has been accessible for a while. However, older Apple Watch fashions nonetheless gained’t be capable to benefit from this, as a paired iPhone doesn’t course of Siri requests from the Apple Watch; they’ve at all times traveled on to Apple’s cloud.
There are a couple of different smaller enhancements in watchOS 10.2, together with the power to point out the Now Enjoying display whenever you’re shut sufficient to a HomePod or HomePod mini that’s enjoying music from Apple Music or Podcasts. This seems to leverage the Extremely Wideband chip discovered within the Apple Watch Sequence 6 or later and Apple Watch Extremely, because it’s solely accessible on these fashions.
A brand new Finish Exercise Affirmation change within the Exercise part of the Apple Watch Settings app allows you to determine whether or not you need your Apple Watch to ask for additional affirmation whenever you’ve completed a exercise. This was new conduct in watchOS 10.0; watchOS 10.2 reverts to how issues had been accomplished earlier than watchOS 10 however means that you can change it again on in order for you that additional immediate.