watchOS 11 continues to be lacking this one much-needed characteristic

When new Apple merchandise are launched, the up to date software program is at all times a giant deal. The joy round iOS 18 this yr is concentrated largely on the upcoming Apple Intelligence features, with macOS Sequoia additionally gaining some AI-powered instruments.

There’s one OS that by no means actually will get the identical degree of affection, nonetheless. On the Apple Watch, watchOS 11 provides some helpful new options, together with a brand-new Vitals app, coaching load evaluation, and sleep apnea detection, making some important upgrades to watchOS 10. There’s one characteristic that is nonetheless lacking, nonetheless, and it is one thing I have been wanting Apple so as to add for a very long time. Here is the one factor that I actually want Apple had added to watchOS 11.

Opening the Exercises app makes me lose the desire to stay

There are two sorts of Apple Watch customers; those that use Grid View and people who use List View. In Grid View, all of your apps are displayed as a set of small icons that you may scroll by way of to search out the app you want. App View shows your whole apps in a single lengthy, alphabetical listing.

In case you’re a Grid View fan, it’s possible you’ll not even remember that this can be a downside. Certain, it’s a must to scrabble round attempting to identify an app you utilize so little that you simply’re not likely positive what the icon seems to be like. You do not have to face the largest downside with Checklist View, nonetheless: the countless scrolling.

You open Checklist View with a press of the digital crown. Thus far, so good. Flip the digital crown to start out scrolling by way of the alphabetical listing. After which maintain scrolling. And scroll somewhat extra. In case your Apple Watch is stacked with apps like mine is, you will discover your self turning the digital crown greater than 30 instances earlier than you get to the Ws and might open the Workout app. It is a exercise in itself.

Swiping on the display is somewhat quicker however continues to be a severe effort, and while you’ve simply pressed the digital crown to open Checklist View, it feels extra pure to maintain turning it to scroll by way of the listing. No matter which methodology you utilize, deciding on the app that you simply wish to open should not be this tough. There’s a less complicated method, and Apple already is aware of the way to do it.

Different areas of watchOS present there is a easy resolution

Choosing widgets requires far much less scrolling

Probably the most irritating factor is that the proper resolution to this downside already exists in your Apple Watch. If you wish to add a brand new widget to your Smart Stack, you’ll be able to press and maintain any of your present widgets after which faucet the Plus button to pick out a brand new widget.

That is the place the magic occurs. In case you scroll at an inexpensive price by way of the listing of apps that provide widgets, it really works precisely the identical because it does in Checklist View. Nonetheless, for those who scroll quicker, your Apple Watch stops scrolling by way of the apps separately and begins to scroll by way of the alphabet as a substitute.

You get a small icon on the prime proper of the display displaying the present letter. If you wish to choose the Drugs app, for instance, you rapidly scroll by way of the letters till you attain M, pause for a second, after which you’ll be able to keep it up scrolling by way of the apps that begin with the letter M.

Utilizing this methodology is a lot quicker. I used to be in a position to get to the Exercise widget utilizing this methodology in just some scrolls of the digital crown, versus the greater than 30 it takes in Checklist View. The software program to make this occur already exists on the Apple Watch, so there’s actually no cause why the identical operate cannot be utilized to deciding on apps within the Checklist View.

Issues acquired even worse in watchOS 10 for some time

Checklist View would at all times return to the highest of the listing

Apple/Pocket-lint

The present state of Checklist View is unhealthy sufficient, however for some time it acquired even worse in watchOS 10. In watchOS 9, Checklist View was annoying to make use of, nevertheless it had a characteristic that made it somewhat extra bearable. When you had scrolled by way of Checklist View and chosen an app, the following time that you simply opened Checklist View, it might nonetheless present the identical app that you simply opened final. In case you opened the Exercise app, for instance, then the following time you opened Checklist View, you’d nonetheless be deep within the Ws within the alphabetical listing.

Nonetheless, with the discharge of watchOS 10, this characteristic went away. As a substitute, each time you opened the Checklist View, it might be again to the beginning of the listing once more. In case you opened the Exercise app from the Checklist View, after which wished to open it once more later that day, the listing would have returned to the highest, and also you’d should scroll the entire method by way of to the Exercise app once more.

Fortunately, this was mounted in watchOS 10.4, which returned to at all times displaying the final place that you simply have been within the listing. It was an enormous aid to find that this was nonetheless the case in watchOS 11.

Checklist View continues to be my app view of selection

It may very well be so a lot better with only a single change

Checklist View has its issues, however I nonetheless want it to Grid View just because it is easy to search out apps that you do not use as usually from an alphabetical listing than from a random structure of tiny app icons. If I solely ever used the identical few apps on a regular basis, the Grid View would enable me to maintain probably the most used apps on the prime, however after I’m utilizing totally different apps, having the ability to discover them alphabetically is way much less irritating.

What’s irritating is the quantity of pointless scrolling I’ve to do, and it is much more annoying realizing that Apple has already provide you with an answer for this downside elsewhere on the Apple Watch, and nonetheless hasn’t utilized it to the Checklist View. I hoped that watchOS 11 would possibly lastly be the time for the Apple Watch so as to add this much-needed characteristic, however sadly my wait goes on.