Apple Watch Brings Back App Switcher in watchOS 27.2
Apple is bringing back the app switcher to Apple Watches with the watchOS 27.2 update, which is currently undergoing beta testing.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Apple removed the app switcher from Apple Watches with watchOS 27.
- The app switcher has returned in the current watchOS 27.2 beta.
- Users can access it again by double-clicking the Digital Crown.
- The Walkie-Talkie feature has been officially and permanently discontinued.
Software updates typically introduce new features rather than taking them away. When you install watchOS 27 on a compatible Apple Watch, you expect to see additions like Siri AI or a step counter on the watch face. However, users were taken aback by the sudden absence of a multitasking feature that Apple Watches had maintained for years.
As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple quietly removed the app switcher from Apple Watches with watchOS 27. Consequently, users running the beta over the summer or those who updated in September were left confused when double-clicking the Digital Crown. On watchOS 26 and earlier, that gesture opened a menu of all active apps, mirroring the iPhone app switcher to let users quickly jump back to a previously used app without navigating the honeycomb app menu.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
With watchOS 27, that workflow disappeared along with the prominent honeycomb app menu. In their place, Apple introduced a new "Dynamic app grid." Pressing the Digital Crown once displays a menu populated by apps Siri anticipates you are most likely to need, encompassing recently used applications alongside frequently launched ones.
While this aims to simplify navigation when managing numerous apps, removing the app switcher entirely drew criticism. Siri cannot guarantee the display of a specific recently opened app, potentially forcing manual searches, whereas the traditional app switcher allowed instant access to any recently launched software.
This reversal highlights Apple's responsiveness to user feedback regarding wearable user experience (UX). While pushing modern AI-driven grid interfaces aims to streamline app discovery, it often disrupts established muscle memory and efficiency, prompting Apple to backtrack on core navigation gestures.
This removal was not isolated to multitasking. Apple also discontinued the Walkie-Talkie feature within the watchOS 27 update, and unlike the app switcher, that capability has been officially retired without plans for a return.
Fortunately, recent observations by 9to5Mac indicate that the app switcher has reappeared in the watchOS 27.2 beta. Because Apple omitted this addition from official changelogs, its inclusion in the final public release of watchOS 27.2 remains unconfirmed. Users eager to recover the feature can enroll their devices in Apple's beta program, though doing so carries the risk that devices cannot be downgraded if issues arise.
Source: Lifehacker
Found something wrong in this article? Report an issue with this article
Comments
Leave a Comment