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Just as promised during the Watch Series 9 unveiling, Apple is bringing its long-awaited double tap gesture to the Watch 9 and the Watch 2 Ultra. What's so important with the gesture that merits a dedicated Apple press release about the arrival of double tap in its watchOS 10.1 edition? Well, plenty!
Get the Apple Watch 9 on Amazon!
Amazon will sell you an Apple Watch 9 with a slight discount or you can sign up for its Visa card to get a better offer, and it lets you pay it in installments.
Rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 is discounted on Amazon!
Amazon has the same Apple Watch Ultra 2 discount scheme it offers for the Watch 9, meaning that you can increase the offer with its Visa card, or initiate a payment scheme.
Get the new Apple Watch Series 9 for just $6/month at Verizon!
Verizon will knock $180 off the price of the new Apple Watch Series 9 gang with a trade if you sign for a service plan. That means you can carry Apple's newest Watch 9 for just $6/month!
Apple Watch double tap gesture actions in watchOS 10.1
There are 10 major watchOS interface actions you can induce on your Watch 9 or Watch Ultra 2 with a simple double tap finger pinch gesture and Apple lists them as follows:
Answer and end calls.
Snooze an alarm.
Play or pause music, podcasts, and audiobooks.
Initiate a primary notification action (message reply, snooze reminders) also from third party apps.
Take an iPhone photo with the Camera Remote in the Camera app.
View message from notification, scroll through longer ones with an extra double tap, dictate to reply, and send.
Open the Smart Stack from any watch face and scroll through widgets in the stack.
Pause, resume, or end a timer or a stopwatch.
Switch to the new Elevation view in the Compass app.
Start or pause automatic Workout reminders.
Apple Watch double tap gesture customization
Needless to say, the double tap gesture will only grow in importance when it comes to Apple Watch actions it can initiate as the next watchOS editions and the next Watch versions only add to the gesture's roster of abilities.
For instance, while the double tap gesture initiates the main action that a notification or an app presupposes, like replying to a message, in some cases those actions can be customized further. Instead of play/pause music, audiobooks, or podcasts, the gesture settings can be changes to skip to the next media piece instead. Also, the Apple Watch user can pick whether to roll through the Smart Stack widgets, or choose the first available one when they do a double tap gesture.
Double tap gesture custom actions
Apple Watch models that support double tap gesture
Apple is quick to point out that this is all made possible only by the power vested in the Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 by the new S9 chipset that consumes a quarter less power than its predecessor, as well as the upgraded quad-core Neural Engine co-processor that doubles the speed of AI calculations and the tasks that depend on them.
The Neural Engine processes data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor with a new machine learning algorithm. The algorithm detects the unique signature of tiny wrist movements and changes in blood flow when the index finger and thumb perform a double tap.
In order words, get the Watch 9 or the Watch Ultra 2, suggests Apple, if you want to have access to the magic of the double tap gesture that cuts through the challenge of interfacing with a smallish smartwatch display.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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