2. Scroll and zoom
Spin the digital crown to scroll through lists or zoom in or out of the home screen, maps, photos, and more. Like the click-wheel on the classic iPods, it's a new way to navigate the digital world. (And it prevents your fingers from obscuring the screen while you do!)
3. Home
Single click the digital crown and get taken to the home screen. Think of it like the home button on your iPhone or iPad. No matter where you are, it'll take you back to a know state — the beginning.
4. Siri
Single click and hold down the digital crown to activate Siri, Apple's personal digital assistant. Of course, you can also raise your wrist and just say, "Hey, Siri!" but having something physical to press is a nice backup.
5. Time switch
Double click the digital crown to switch between your watch face and the last app you used. It's a convenient way to go from what you're doing to the time and back.
6. Accessibility
Triple click the digital crown to get VoiceOver or Zoom, depending on your settings.
7. Friends
Single click the side button to bring up Friends, which shows icons of all the people that matter to you. Tap to message, call, sketch, tap, or send them your heartbeat.
8. Power off
Single click and hold down the side button brings you to a screen where you power off, go into power reserve mode, or lock your Apple Watch.
9. Power on
Single click and hold down the side button to turn your Apple Watch back on or to bring it out of Power Reserve mode and back to normal operations.
10. Force quit
Single click and hold down the side button while the app you want to force quit is open. When the power off screen comes up, Single click and hold down the side button again to force quit the app.
11. Apple Pay
Double click the side button to bring up Apple Pay, the NFC-based credit and debit service. Once authorized on your iPhone 5 or iPhone 6, it'll work for as long as the watch stays in contact with your skin.
12. Screen shot
Press both the digital crown and the side button at the same time and hold for a second, and you'll take a screen shot of your Apple Watch, just like pressing the Home + Sleep/Wake button does on your iPhone or iPad. (Consider this a rumor for now, but it'll be great if it's in the shipping version.)
13. Swipe and tap
Swipe and tap on the display to change screens — for example, to move between Glances — and tap to make selections. Yes, even though there's a digital crown, capacitive touch still works on the Apple Watch.
14. Force touch
Press down on the display to activate Force Touch. Think of it like a secondary mouse click (right click) that brings up context-sensitive options.
15. And more!
Again, there's still a lot we don't know. But that's what makes the Apple Watch so interesting. It's something new to discover. And we'll know doubt discover a lot more on April 24 when Apple releases the Apple Watch!
- Secret Apple Watch controls
- Secret Siri commands
- Secret Safari shortcuts
- Secret Mail shortcuts
- Secret keyboard shortcuts
- Secret power-saving shortcuts
- Secret Apple TV controls
Originally published March 7, 2015.
Reader comments
Secret Apple Watch controls: How to navigate what's on your wrist!
Question.
Single click and hold does both Siri and powers off the device?
Clicking and holding the Digital Crown activates Siri, while the button below the crown powers off the watch when held down.
I think that it's the Friends button that you hold down to power off.
Which one pays the second mortgage on the house for the gold edition?
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Nice write up. But what made you list "secret" in the headline? So every way there is to control the watch is secret?
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It's just the name of the column. I do one every week:
Http://www.imore.com/secret-shortcuts
Funner and more succinct than not widely known or tough to discover.
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Fools me every time too, even though I know about it. Perhaps "Secrets" should be in quotes? I have yet to read a single actual secret in any of the articles in the series.
To me, this kind of information should be more in the "Getting to Know (insert topic here)" category.
You know.... I somehow missed the existence of that second button all this time. I'm actually going to grab one of these after a month of the hype. I'm a bit curious to see how it compares to Android wear, and later to the new Pebbles. Then I'll choose the one I like most. Which at this point is probably a certain yes for the Pebble Time. I'm moving away from Android, and I still am not a huge fan of iOS. Takes too much time to do to little. So I guess my watch choice has a lot more to do with the OS I have to use with it than it does the watch.
"I'm da Blur boys!" - Me with 1200 ping. Fiber in Nashville? Save me based Google.
ZI
I was just reading sax_darp comments, it was wrote 3 months ago and he I'm actually going to grab one of these after a month of the hype. I'm a bit curious to see how it compares to Android wear," Well I do not think he was going to grab anything, especially 3 months ago, I do not know where he lives, but in England the watch could not be purchased then! Also it was supposed to be released on the 24/4/2015, but you could not actually go into an Apple Store and pay £600 and walk out with the watch. You could only order one, then it took about six weeks for you to put an Apple watch on your wrist.
Marc Dearden, Lancashire, England
I almost bought a Pebble three times. Glad I found the patients to wait it out
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Yeah, but you could have had a Pebble this whole time. I've had my rev1 for about a year and a half, worth every penny.
.
But I will not be getting the new Pebble Time bc it does not support Siri, only "voice memos"(?!), nor can you respond to a message when connected to iPhone. When connected to Android, I think you get 3 suggested responses, then press the side button next to the response you want to send it.
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What rubbish you talk I do not know what a pebble is, but I can comment regarding the Apple Watch and Siri,because I have a watch and use Siri. You do not need to press any side button, you just say "Hey Siri" and ask your question and realistically you get a choice of maybe half a dozen, but usually Siri replies in one answer the correct one. I must admit it does have to get used to your accent, because I come from Lancashire my accent is very broad, even humans do not always understand what I am saying.
Marc Dearden
Thank you so much, Rene. This was much needed!
What's is this triple click on the iPhone, iPad you mentioned
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Triple click is an accessibility short cut, can be used to turn voice over, zoom or other accessibility features on and off it is located in settings>general>Accessibility>Accessibility Shortcut.
Thank You
No doubt, not know doubt.
-yours truly, the grammar police
Good
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I like the emphasis Apple has put on just making this an excellent and accurate time piece.
One of my main gripes however is that they have only analogue faces for the thing. I have no interest in analogue watch faces. I think walking around with a digital watch with a "mock" (skeuomorphic?) analogue watch face marks you as a fairly obvious geezer in fact. Like those folks that make their digital phone ring like a 1960's bell phone. It ain't cool. It's just what old folks do.
I'm hoping that Apple will announce some new digital watch faces at the event or that these will be available in the App store. The one, somewhat inflexible, digital watch face they shown us just doesn't really cut it for me.
I'm sure they've shown you every single face you'll ever see for the device /s
"I'm da Blur boys!" - Me with 1200 ping. Fiber in Nashville? Save me based Google.
There's more than enough time faces, not just analogue, you can check them here: https://www.apple.com/watch/timekeeping/ :)
Gunner isn't a word
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Nice write-up. Such a strong want, but not sure my wrist needs anything more then wrist like Georgia_Dow does.
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The fact that you use the word "Secret" in the title of the article to describe basic functionality of the watch. That, to quote Gruber, is "worrisome".
Corrected "multitouch" to "capacitive" touch.
I’m confused about how an article dated today can have comments from two weeks ago. Assuming this is an updated version of an earlier piece, maybe use an "updated on" date instead.
Nice article! I hope they support capture screen, does anyone know is they support it on the iPhone 1? :)
Not sure what you mean precisely here, but "screen capture" on any iPhone has always been done by pressing the power button and the home button simultaneously.
Yeah screen capture . I mean since theres no real evidence they are going to add that option in the Apple watch(it's a rumor like the article said). I want to know, if the first iPhone (iOS 1) ship with that option (screen capture) or it came later via update.
Sorry English is not my first language :)
Screen Capture / Screenshots was not available in iOS 1.
Any particular reason you want this feature on your watch?
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Ty for the answer :). Not any in particular, same reason is good to have it on the iPhone .
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Just press both both the d. Crown and the other button-then go to photos on your iPhone and the screen capture will be there!
Yes, you do not need to draw our attention to the fact, we already know. You also spell rumour with a u after the o.
Marc Dearden
... Someone didn't read the article.
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So Rene, be honest... are you getting one or not??
Like you have to ask. How is he gonna write about it without getting one? Someone who's whole job is to report on apple obviously has to buy their products.
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99 44/100% sure sw01 was being sarcastic
Serious question here: maybe iMore can team with 538.com to figure out how many folks who buy Watch in the first 3 months can claim it as a business expense.
He will probably get 2
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Very informative. C'mon April 10th and 24th!
And how these controls are secret?
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Just not advertised.. and when this was originally published, no one knew most of these.. This is a 3 week old article if you scroll up, you'll see 3 week old comments... not sure why it was re-publushed.. lol
Will i be able to use apple pay via the watch even though im using a iphone 5s
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Yes, same for the iphone 5.
I actually learned about the double pressing the crown to go back to last used app from this article/video, so thank you! Could have used it on my run to re-launch Strava. Oh well, always next time! Thanks Rene.
If you go to your iPhone click on Watch, > General > About > Scroll down the list to the end > View the Apple watch User guide. I thought that I would bring this to the attention of viewers, because this guide covers about everything you could possibly want to know about Apple Watch. Also when you purchase your watch, Apple offers a personal tutorial with a technician
It lasts for 30 minutes and you can ask anything you want regarding your watch. I thought this was very good of Apple.
Marc dearden
P.S. Could I just comment that the price of Apple watch in England is £599. I am telling you this because on a previous page the prices were no where near the real world!
Someone come up with a way to delete batches of text messages from the watch, rather than doing it one at a time. It's so annoying. :(