GoKawiilwatchOS 27 removes Digital Crown double-click app-switching gesture
Apple's watchOS 27 beta eliminates the long-standing feature where double-clicking the Digital Crown quickly toggled between two recently used apps or the last app and the watch face. Instead, a single or double click now brings up the same new 'dynamic app grid' showing Siri plus five suggested apps, meaning the quick-switch shortcut has no direct replacement. The writer flagged this to Apple as early as June and again during the July public beta, but the behavior persists as of the current beta.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Apple Watch has very few physical controls, so losing a multitasking shortcut without a substitute reduces efficiency for users who relied on muscle memory to jump between apps like Workout and Music. It highlights a tension in watchOS 27's redesign: pushing users toward a new app-suggestion interface may come at the cost of proven, faster navigation methods.
- watchOS 27 beta removes double-click Digital Crown app-switching.
- Single and double clicks now both open the same dynamic app grid.
- No direct replacement exists yet; a fix may come in watchOS 27.1.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 — The article points out that only the Ultra gets a dedicated Action button, which is exactly why it's the pick for anyone frustrated by watchOS 27's missing double-click app switching. With a programmable Action button plus the Digital Crown and side button, you keep a real hardware shortcut for the thing you launch most.
See Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: 9to5mac.com — Zac Hall, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Apple Watch loses a useful multitasking feature in watchOS 27 that I’ve been missing”
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