Key Takeaways
- To alter the Motion button’s linked app/operate, maintain the button down, then use your finger or the digital crown.
- This could work with any Apple Watch Extremely up to date to watchOS 11 or later.
- You are still restricted to the identical set of choices present in watchOS 10.
Whereas Apple did not make any {hardware} updates to the Apple Watch Ultra this yr apart from a brand new shade, it did not less than introduce quite a lot of software program options alongside watchOS 11, similar to sleep apnea detection and a long-overdue Coaching Load metric. In reality, as is surprisingly widespread for Apple, a few of these options went unannounced — together with a brand new means of configuring the Extremely’s Motion button.
Beforehand, the one means of fixing the Motion button’s linked operate was to enter the watchOS Settings app. I will exhibit the brand new technique under, in addition to its ongoing limitations.
How one can configure the Extremely’s Motion button in watchOS 11
Swap it up immediately for quicker controls
To alter what the Motion button does, all you must do is maintain it down and scroll by means 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’ll be able to take a look at a video of the characteristic on Threads if you wish to see it simulated.
There’s nonetheless a restricted variety of apps and capabilities you may set off. These embody:
- Exercise
- Stopwatch
- Waypoint
- Backtrack
- Dive
- Flashlight
- Shortcut
Word that the final choice requires creating an automation within the official Shortcuts app in your iPhone. It is extraordinarily highly effective — you would, as an example, begin shuffling music and navigate house on the similar 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’ve got accomplished one, faucet its Extra (triple-dot) icon, then Information (i). Choose Present on Apple Watch Extremely.
In your Extremely, you’ll have to decide on which shortcut it’s going to default to. To try this:
- Open the watchOS Settings app.
- Go to Motion Button > Motion, then faucet Shortcut.
- If you happen to do not see shortcuts you’ve got 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 certain, however we do know that, like all Apple cellular platforms, watchOS 11 is comparatively locked down. There’s in all probability no common means of linking particular instructions inside particular apps, which suggests Apple has to do the coding itself.
The Shortcuts app is Apple’s reply to the issue.
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 solely. The choices watchOS 11 does have are prone to be a few of the most used, or not less than aimed in direction of the Extremely’s (nominal) viewers of athletes, hikers, and divers.
The Shortcuts app is Apple’s reply to the issue, not less than for the second. I would not be stunned although if watchOS 12 opened up the Motion button a bit of bit extra, or not less than added just a few extra suitable apps.
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