The buttons on the Apple Watch switch apps, activate Apple Pay, open Siri and more. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac




What do the buttons on the Apple Watch do? The Apple Watch borrows a lot from the iPhone, but the biggest difference between the two devices comes down to the way their buttons work. They do different things whether you click, double-click or hold them down.
In watchOS 10, Apple changed a lot of these features. The software update added a new Widgets view, assigned Control Center to the side button, and changed what double-clicking the Digital Crown does. (For older devices, consult our article about what Apple Watch buttons do in watchOS 9.)
Here’s a guide to the buttons on the Apple Watch.
What do the Apple Watch buttons do?
Last year’s big changes in watchOS 10 marked the first major overhaul of the Apple Watch user interface since the very first model arrived in 2015. If you’re a longtime Apple Watch user, the new actions for the buttons might trip up your muscle memory. Add the Apple Watch Ultra‘s Action button and the Shortcuts app into the mix, and you’ve got more options than ever for getting things done with your smartwatch.
Use the infographics below as a quick guide to what all the Apple Watch buttons do.
For the ‘regular’ models:
Save this and send it to someone who might need help figuring out their new Apple Watch.Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Digital Crown, side button and watch face:
Here’s what the buttons on the Apple Watch do.
The Digital Crown (the dial on the side):
Spin the Digital Crown to scroll up and down.
Click the Digital Crown to see the list of apps on your Apple Watch. Clicking it again will take you back to the watch face.
Double-click the Digital Crown to see your recently used, open apps.
Hold it down to turn on Siri. If you find yourself activating it accidentally with your wrist, you can turn that off from your iPhone in the Watch app > Siri > Press Digital Crown.
The side button:
Click the side button to bring up Control Center.
Double-click the side button to activate Apple Pay.
Hold the side button to turn off the watch, show your Medical ID, track your location on a hike or call emergency services.
From the watch face:
Swipe up to see your widgets. Here you’ll see running timers, Maps directions and music/podcasts you’re playing. You can customize the widgets below so that you can quickly access weather, messages, etc.
Swipe down to see notifications.
What do Apple Watch Ultra buttons do?
The Apple Watch Ultra comes with an Action button that you can set to whatever you want.Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Digital Crown, side button, Action button and watch face:
Here’s what the buttons on the Apple Watch Ultra do.
The Action button:
Click the Action button to do one of several things you can set. Turn on the flashlight, start a workout, set a hiking waypoint, start a stopwatch, run a Shortcut and more. Set it from Settings (on your Apple Watch) > Action button > Action.
Hold the Action button to play a loud siren noise. If you get lost or injured and you’re too exhausted to yell out for help, this may alert people around you where you are. If you don’t want to set it off accidentally, go to Settings (on your Apple Watch) > Action button > Siren to turn it off.
The Digital Crown (the dial on the side):
Spin the Digital Crown to scroll up and down.
Click the Digital Crown to see the list of apps on your Apple Watch. Clicking it again will take you back to the watch face.
Double-click the Digital Crown to see your recently used, open apps.
Hold it down to turn on Siri. If you find yourself activating it accidentally with your wrist, you can turn that off from your iPhone in the Watch app > Siri > Press Digital Crown.
The side button:
Click the side button to bring up Control Center.
Double-click the side button to activate Apple Pay.
Hold the side button to turn off the watch, show your Medical ID, track your location on a hike or call emergency services.
From the watch face:
Swipe up to see your widgets. Here you’ll see running timers, Maps directions and music/podcasts you’re playing. You can customize the widgets below so that you can quickly access weather, messages, etc.
Swipe down to see notifications.
Silence!
Now that you know what the buttons on your Apple Watch or Apple Watch Ultra do, why not take a moment to figure out how to keep that thing quiet!
How to silence your Apple Watch, use Do Not Disturb and theater mode
We originally published this post explaining what the Apple Watch buttons do on September 18, 2023. We updated the info.