With the latest update of watchOS 10.1, Apple has integrated a notable feature into the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2: the Double Tap. Now, thanks to the update, it’s possible to activate various functions on the Apple Watch with just one hand, marking a before and after in the interactivity of this device.
A new gesture arrives on the Apple Watch
To use Double Tap, we only need to press our thumb and index finger together twice (with some force), which will display a small icon on the watch indicating that the gesture has been recognized. This new function utilizes the sensors of the Apple Watch to detect subtle movements and minor changes in blood flow when the fingers are positioned in a certain way.
A deployment of sensor technology and artificial intelligence that opens up new ways of interacting with our watch. A gesture that encompasses some of the most common actions that might be needed in the daily use of the watch:
- Access and navigate Smart Stack: From the watch face, you can open Smart Stack and then use Double Tap to scroll through the widgets.
- Manage calls: Both to answer and to end phone calls or FaceTime calls.
- View and scroll through iMessages: Allows you to view messages and scroll through them if they are long.
- Reply to messages: You can respond using dictation and send the response with a Double Tap.
- Take action on notifications: For example, snooze a reminder or respond to a message.
- Music and podcast control: Play, pause, or even skip tracks.
- Uses in health and fitness apps: Pause or resume a timer, stop and restart the stopwatch, start or stop a workout with automatic exercise reminders.
- Additional functions in apps: Such as taking a photo with the camera remote control, recording a voice note, or changing modes in the flashlight.
Although there is currently no Double Tap API for third-party apps, developers can adapt their apps through incoming notifications. With this, when receiving a notification, we can take action on it with a simple gesture.
Let’s remember that to use Double Tap, it’s necessary to update the devices to watchOS 10.1. Also, keep in mind that Double Tap won’t work when the watch is in Low Power Mode, Sleep Mode, Theater Mode, or Water Lock, and it’s necessary to raise your wrist to activate the Apple Watch before making the gesture.
While in a way, we can activate Double Tap on your Apple Watch without having the Watch Series 9, with these new capabilities, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 take a step further. They solidify themselves as health and fitness tracking devices and even more interactive and user-friendly companions for daily life. Clearly, very good news.
