{"id":835355,"date":"2026-09-03T19:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T19:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/835355\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T19:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T19:28:13","slug":"apple-watch-loses-a-useful-multitasking-feature-in-watchos-27-that-ive-been-missing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/835355\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Watch loses a useful multitasking feature in watchOS 27 that I\u2019ve been missing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I mentioned today in my Siri AI Apple Watch piece<\/a> that there\u2019s one change I still hope Apple makes to watchOS 27 before it ships this month. It\u2019s one of those common muscle-memory features that have existed for years, and I\u2019ve been missing it all summer.<\/p>\n

Double-clicking Digital Crown no longer quickly switches between apps in watchOS 27<\/p>\n

As I wrote this morning:<\/p>\n

Now my one watchOS 27 complaint is that double-clicking the Digital Crown no longer jumps between recent apps\u2026 maybe watchOS 27.1 will do something with the double-click gesture. For a device so button-constrained that only the Ultra gets an Action button, it\u2019s odd to see a double-click gesture replaced with \u2026 nothing.<\/p>\n

I also flagged<\/a> the issue in July when Apple released the first watchOS 27 public beta version, and I shared the feedback with Apple in June as well.<\/p>\n

For years, Apple Watch has included a hidden gesture type of feature for quickly switching between two apps, or the last used app and the watch face. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of those behaviors that I haven\u2019t thought about in years, but I\u2019ve used it regularly.<\/p>\n

Dynamic app grid appears for Digital Crown single- and double-click in watchOS 27<\/p>\n

watchOS 27 beta 1 dropped the feature. The reason seems to be that Apple is really promoting the new \u201cdynamic app grid\u201d feature<\/a> in watchOS 27. Clicking the Digital Crown now shows the Siri app icon, plus five intelligently suggested app icons, and the icon to view the full app grid. <\/p>\n

The dynamic app grid has grown on me over time. It\u2019s great if the app you\u2019re looking for is already in the suggested launcher. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not a replacement for a sure-fire behavior like double-clicking to jump between apps. There\u2019s just no way to do this anymore with watchOS 27. Double-clicking the Digital Crown in watchOS 27 beta does the same thing as single-clicking the button.<\/p>\n

The old method was super quick for jumping between apps like Workout and Music and the like.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned before, the Apple Watch is so button-limited that only the Ultra model has the Action button. With this in mind, I think it\u2019s a mistake to remove a double-click gesture from one of those buttons. <\/p>\n

Double-clicking the side button below the Digital Crown still has its assignment: opening cards in Apple Wallet. Hopefully the final version of watchOS 27 restores the same gesture for the Digital Crown button, or at least watchOS 27.1.<\/p>\n

Do you use this gesture on your Apple Watch<\/a>? Is it something you\u2019ve missed in watchOS 27 beta? Will you miss it when you update? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n

Related Stories:<\/p>\n

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