Add wrist gesture to your Apple Watch: this way activate the handy function

The Apple Watch has been expanded with a handy function, because you can operate the smartwatch with a fast wrist gesture. That’s how you activate it!

Wrist gesture on Apple Watch

With Watchos 26, major changes came to the Apple Watch. The operating system is equipped with Liquid Glass, which makes the interface look completely different. In addition, Apple brings more (health) functions and dials to the Apple Watch, but that is not all. Since Watchos 26, the Apple Watch has support for a fast wrist gesture, a new operating way for the smartwatch.

With the fast wrist gesture you can close notifications on the Apple Watch. For example, it is possible to push away telephone calls, close timers and remove other notifications from the screen by simply turning your wrist away. This is especially useful if you have something in your hands or are cycling, for example. It is then not necessary to operate the screen with your other hand, instead you use the wrist gesture.

This is how you activate the wrist movement

The fast wrist movement is available since Watchos 26 and is enabled as standard after installing the update. Do you want to know for sure whether the new feature has been switched on with your Apple Watch? In that case we recommend checking the wrist gesture at the Watch app settings on your iPhone. You set the simple wrist movement as follows on the Apple Watch:

Have you switched on the switch behind ‘Fast wrist movement’? Then from now on you can make notifications by simply moving your wrist away from you. When you receive a notification or telephone call, you only have to turn your wrist back and forth again. The smartwatch will then automatically return to your dial, so that the message is closed. Activating the wrist gesture is a handy addition that makes the Apple Watch even smarter.

More about the Apple Watch

The fast wrist gesture is a supplement to tap double, which came to the Apple Watch with Watchos 10.1. With Tik Double you can just accept phone calls, answer messages and view your smart stack by tapping your index finger and thumb twice. So this is the opposite of the simple wrist movement, with which you close notifications since Watchos 26.

Unfortunately, these gestures are not available on all Apple Watches. Both the ‘tap double’ and the wrist gesture can only be activated on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Nieuwerer, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and 3 and the Apple Watch SE 3. Do you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or older, but are you enthusiastic about this new way of operating? In that case it will be time for a new Apple Watch. View the lowest prices of the Apple Watch.