Apple Watch Series 9 tips and tricks: Make the most of your device

The Apple Watch Series 9 represents the latest model of one of the market’s leading smartwatch lineups. It’s packed with sensors, tools, and features, including updated user interactions and a redesigned interface. We rounded up our top Apple Watch Series 9 tips and tricks to make the most of your device.

Apple Watch Series 9 tips and tricks

Access and customize your Smart Stack

Apple’s Smart Stack is a home screen tool that automatically displays relevant widgets throughout your day. For example, in the morning, the stack includes Weather and Calendar widgets. You can access the Smart Stack by swiping up on your watch face and customize your Smart Stack by pinning preferred widgets, removing those you don’t need, or adding new ones. We recommend personalizing the featured app widget with three shortcuts to your most used tools.

Here’s how to access and customize your Smart Stack

• Scroll up from your watch face to access your Smart Stack.
• Press and hold the top widget to access edit mode.
• Tap the yellow pin icon to pin a desired widget to the top of your stack.
• Tap the red minus symbol to remove widgets.
• Customize your app widget by tapping the red minus symbols attached to an app you want to replace. Then tap the encircled plus symbol to add a new shortcut.

Gesture control simple tasks

Thanks to the watchOS 10.1 update, Series 9 users can utilize the device’s Double Tap gesture control. The feature makes it easy to interact with your device, even if your other hand is full. The feature is not available in Low Power Mode or when Sleep Focus is enabled.

Here’s how to use Double Tap

• Once you raise to wake your watch, double pinch your thumb and forefinger to pause music, snooze alarms, cancel timers, and more.
• From the watch face, the gesture allows you to scroll through your Smart Stack widgets.

Here’s how to set up Double Tap on your Apple Watch

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch Series 9.
• Tap Gestures, tap Double Tap, then choose from the options below.
  • Playback: Choose Play/Pause or Skip.
  • Smart Stack: Choose Advance or Select.
• You can also set up Double Tap via the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  • From the My Watch tab go to Settings, Gestures, and tap Double Tap.

Learn the device’s button assignments

If you’ve previously owned an Apple Watch, you’ll quickly notice changes to your button actions thanks to watchOS 10. From your watch face, the side button now accesses your Control Center. Meanwhile, a single tap of the digital crown will take you to your apps, while a double tap of the crown takes you to a catalog of your open apps.

Stretch battery life with Low Power Mode

Apple’s Low Power Mode helps users eke out a few extra hours between charges. Rather than settle for the company’s 18-hour claim, you can use this mode to reach beyond a full day of use.

Here’s how to stretch battery life with Low Power Mode

• From your watch face, press the side button to access your Control Center.
• Tap the battery percentage listed.
• Tap Low Power Mode.
• Scroll down and tap Turn On.

Schedule Focus modes

Like on the iPhone, Apple’s Focus modes help users quiet their digital noise for sleep, work, and other periods of disconnect. You can set your Apple Watch Series 9 to mirror the Focus schedules of your iPhone or set up new schedules from your wrist.

Here’s how to schedule Focus modes

• From your watch face, press the digital crown to access your app library.
• Tap the Settings app, then tap Focus.
• Tap the category you want to schedule: Do Not Disturb, Personal, or Work.
  • Sleep Focus automatically follows the schedule set in your Sleep app, even if iPhone mirroring is not enabled.
• Tap Add new and create a schedule.

Customize your watch face

The Apple Watch Series 9 is still only compatible with native watch faces, but fortunately, Apple offers plenty of designs for your consideration. Whether you want to display a favorite photo, lean into a specific hue, or load your face with data and shortcuts, there are versatile options for every use. WatchOS 10 even introduced additional faces, including an animated one featuring Snoopy.

Here’s how to customize your Apple Watch Series 9 face

• Press and hold your current watch face.
• Swipe all the way left and tap Add new.
• Use swipes and your digital crown to choose custom settings.

To customize a face already in your gallery, press and hold your current watch face and tap edit under the design you want to customize.

Share contacts via NameDrop

Share digits with other Apple Watch users right from your Apple Watch. With iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1, you can use NameDrop to share contact information with a nearby device.

Here’s how to customize your Google Assistant tile

• On your Apple Watch, open the Contacts app and tap your picture in the top-right corner.
• Tap Share, then bring your watch close to the other person’s Apple Watch. Your watch will vibrate when the connection is being made.
• Continue holding the devices next to each other until NameDrop appears on both screens.
• Choose whether you’d like to share your contact card and receive the other person’s or only receive the other person’s.

You can also share contact information from an iPhone to an Apple Watch by holding the display of the phone a few centimeters from the top of the Apple Watch. Follow the directions above once NameDrop appears on the screen.

Swap your Apple Watch Series 9 band

A new watch band is a quick and effective way to personalize your device. Apple Watch Series 9 bands come in all different materials, from nylon or silicone to leather or stainless steel. The best band is one that fits your lifestyle.

Here’s how to swap your Apple Watch band

• Place your Apple Watch face down on a clean, soft surface.
• Press and hold the band release button, then slide the strap along the watch case to remove it.
• Repeat for the opposite side.

Install third-party apps

Apple’s third-party app support is unrivaled, from fitness platforms to productivity tools. The App Store has options for anything you don’t find natively on the device. Though apps on your iPhone should automatically install on your device, you can also add more Apple Watch apps right from your wrist.

Here’s how to install third-party apps

• Press the digital crown to access your app library.
• Scroll down to and tap the App Store.
• Pick a category or search for the app you want to install.
• Tap Get, then double-click your side button to install.

Adjust the brightness, text size, sounds, and haptics on the Apple Watch Series 9

Many aspects of the user experience are customizable on the Apple Watch Series 9. Among these are screen brightness, text size, sounds, and haptics. Making these tweaks allows users to tailor their devices to their preferences.

Here’s how to adjust brightness and text on your Apple Watch

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch and tap Display & Brightness.
  • Brightness: Tap the Brightness controls to adjust or tap the slider and adjust the brightness using your digital crown
  • Text size: Tap Text Size then tap your preferred letter size or use the digital crown to select a size.
  • Bold text: Turn on or off Bold Text.

Here’s how to adjust sound on your Apple Watch

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch and tap Sounds & Haptics.
• Tap the volume controls under Alert Volume or use your digital crown to adjust volume levels.

Here’s how to adjust haptic intensity on your Apple Watch

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch and tap Sounds & Haptics.
• Turn on Haptic Alerts, then choose Default or Prominent
• You can also turn digital crown haptics on or off from this same menu.

That’s it for our favorite Apple Watch Series 9 tips. Have more? Drop your top recommendations below in the comments section.