One of the new features of theApple Watch Series 9is the ability to interact with your watch without touching the screen. The new double tap gesture allows you to control your Apple Watch by tapping the thumb and index finger of your watch hand together twice. Apple says that the powerful neural engine inside the Apple Watch Series 9 make the gesture possible, by taking data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor to determine when you’ve performed the gesture. It therefore isn’t available on older models of Apple Watch, including the most recent iterationssuch as the Apple Watch 8orApple Watch Ultra.
But this isn’t exactly true. It’s possible to get something that’s very, very, similar to double tap on much older models of Apple Watch. Here’s how to try out the double tap gesture even if you don’t own an Apple Watch Series 9.
What is the double tap gesture on Apple Watch?
Double tap is a simple gesture; you just tap your index finger and thumb together twice. It only works on the same hand that you’re wearing your Apple Watch on, for obvious reasons. The gesture allows you to interact with the primary button in the Watch app that you happen to be using. So, for example, if you receive a phone call, you can double tap to answer the call. Once you’re talking, the primary button changes, so another double tap will hang up. You can also use it to play or pause music, snooze (but not stop) your alarm, or start or stop a timer.
If you’re not using an app, double tap will launch thewidget smart stackfrom your current watch face, and you can keep double tapping to scroll through the widgets.
How to get double tap on older Apple Watches
Apple states that the more powerful neural engine in theApple Watch Series 9is what makes the gesture possible. However, you can get something that’s very similar to double tap on mucholder Apple Watchesby using the Assistive Touch features of your Apple Watch.
How to use Assistive Touch for even more control of your Apple Watch
As well as Quick Actions, there are also more granular Assistive Touch features that let you completely control your Apple Watch with gestures.
How to customise Assistive Touch
If there are specific actions that you never use, and others that you use a lot but aren’t that easy to activate, you can customise what each of the Assistive Touch gestures does.
How to use a double tap to open your Smart Stack
One of the most usefulfeatures in watchOS 10is the smart stack of widgets the lives just off the bottom of every watch face. And one of the most useful features of the double tap gesture is that you’re able to use it to open the smart stack. With the default Assistive Touch settings, however, a double tap won’t open the smart stack. Here’s how to fix it.
Which models of Apple Watch can use Assistive Touch?
According to Apple, any watch from theApple Watch Series 4onwards is capable of using Assistive Touch, so Apple’s brand-new feature is actually something that you can mimic on an Apple Watch from all the way back in 2018. You’ll need to be running watchOS 8 or higher to use the feature.
