How you can configure Apple Watch Extremely’s Motion button in watchOS 11

Whereas Apple did not make any {hardware} updates to the Apple Watch Ultra this yr aside from a brand new colour, it did a minimum of introduce a lot of software program options alongside watchOS 11, equivalent to sleep apnea detection and a long-overdue Coaching Load metric. In truth, as is surprisingly widespread for Apple, a few of these options went unannounced — together with a brand new method of configuring the Extremely’s Motion button.

Beforehand, the one method of fixing the Motion button’s linked operate was to enter the watchOS Settings app. I will display the brand new methodology beneath, in addition to its ongoing limitations.

How you can configure the Extremely’s Motion button in watchOS 11

Change it up immediately for sooner controls

To vary what the Motion button does, all it’s important to do is maintain it down and scroll by way of a listing of onscreen actions utilizing your finger or the Extremely’s digital crown. This works with each the unique Extremely and the Ultra 2. You may try a video of the function on Threads if you wish to see it simulated.

There’s nonetheless a restricted variety of apps and capabilities you possibly can set off. These embody:

• Exercise
• Stopwatch
• Waypoint
• Backtrack
• Dive
• Flashlight
• Shortcut

Observe that the final possibility requires creating an automation within the official Shortcuts app in your iPhone. It is extraordinarily highly effective — you could possibly, as an illustration, begin shuffling music and navigate dwelling on the identical time — however the Shortcuts interface takes some getting used to, and you will have to particularly flag a shortcut as seen in your Extremely. As soon as you have accomplished one, faucet its Extra (triple-dot) icon, then Information (i). Choose Present on Apple Watch Extremely.

In your Extremely, you will have to decide on which shortcut it’s going to default to. To do this:

1. Open the watchOS Settings app.
2. Go to Motion Button > Motion, then faucet Shortcut.
3. In the event you do not see shortcuts you have flagged, faucet the Again button, faucet Shortcut once more, then decide a shortcut.

Why cannot I make the Motion button do something I would like?

Ready for change immediately from the higher-ups

Solely Apple or third-party builders can say for positive, however we do know that, like all Apple cellular platforms, watchOS 11 is comparatively locked down. There’s in all probability no common method of linking particular instructions inside particular apps, which suggests Apple has to do the coding itself.

The corporate can also be making an attempt to maintain the Apple Watch expertise simple. Having a flood of instructions to select from would possibly overwhelm some customers, main them to disregard the button totally. The choices watchOS 11 does have are more likely to be among the most used, or a minimum of aimed in the direction of the Extremely’s (nominal) viewers of athletes, hikers, and divers.

The Shortcuts app is Apple’s reply to the issue, a minimum of for the second. I would not be stunned although if watchOS 12 opened up the Motion button just a little bit extra, or a minimum of added a number of extra suitable apps.