The best way to configure Apple Watch Extremely’s Motion button in watchOS 11

Whereas Apple did not make any {hardware} updates to the Apple Watch Ultra this 12 months aside from a brand new colour, it did a minimum of introduce plenty of software program options alongside watchOS 11, resembling sleep apnea detection and a long-overdue Coaching Load metric. Actually, as is surprisingly frequent for Apple, a few of these options went unannounced — together with a brand new approach of configuring the Extremely’s Motion button.

Beforehand, the one approach of adjusting the Motion button’s linked operate was to enter the watchOS Settings app. I am going to show the brand new technique beneath, in addition to its ongoing limitations.

The best way to configure the Extremely’s Motion button in watchOS 11

Swap it up right away for sooner controls

To alter what the Motion button does, all it’s a must to do is maintain it down and scroll via 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 possibly can 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 features you’ll be able to set off. These embody:

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

Word that the final possibility requires creating an automation within the official Shortcuts app in your iPhone. It is extraordinarily highly effective — you might, as an example, begin shuffling music and navigate dwelling 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 Data (i). Choose Present on Apple Watch Extremely.

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

1. Open the watchOS Settings app.
2. Go to Motion Button > Motion, then faucet Shortcut.
3. Should you do not see shortcuts you’ve got flagged, faucet the Again button, faucet Shortcut once more, then choose 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 cell platforms, watchOS 11 is comparatively locked down. There’s in all probability no common approach of linking particular instructions inside particular apps, which implies Apple has to do the coding itself.

The corporate can also be attempting 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 fully. The choices watchOS 11 does have are more likely to be a number of the most used, or a minimum of aimed in 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 shocked although if watchOS 12 opened up the Motion button just a little bit extra, or a minimum of added a number of extra appropriate apps.