How to Use the Double Tap Gesture on Apple Watch

By double-tapping your thumb and index finger together, you can answer or end calls, play or pause music, and much more. This article explains how to use Double Tap, what models support it, and how to get a similar feature on older Apple Watch models.

How to Use Double Tap on the Apple Watch

Double Tap is enabled by default in watchOS 10.1, so there's no setup required. To use the Double Tap gesture of Apple Watch, follow these steps:

1. On your watch hand, quickly double tap your thumb and index finger together.

   Apple says the feature works because the watch can detect both your wrist movement and microscopic changes in blood flow in the hand while doing the double tap. Pretty cool!

2. The actions that Double Tap can perform include:

   • Play or pause music
   • Answer or end a phone call
   • Start or stop a timer
   • Open a Smart Stack
   • Snooze an alarm
   • Respond to a text message
     

3. There are likely others that haven't been discovered yet, so consider trying Double Tap for any simple action that otherwise would require a tap on the screen.

Which Apple Watch Models Support Double Tap

Double Tap works thanks to the power of the Neural Engine built into the Apple S9 processor. That means that only Watch models that have that chip support the feature. Double Tap also requires that the Watch be running watchOS 10.1 or higher.

The models that meet these requirements and support Double Tap are:

• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Ultra 2

How to Use Double Pinch on Older Apple Watch Models

While it's true the Double Tap gesture only works on the models listed above, some older Apple Watch models—Apple Watch Series 4 and newer—also have a set of similar gesture controls tucked away in Accessibility settings. Here's how to enable and use them:

1. On your Apple Watch, go to the Settings app.

2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap AssistiveTouch.

4. Move the AssistiveTouch slider to on/green.

5. Tap Hand Gestures.
   

6. Ensure the Hand Gestures slider is set to on/green

7. There are four gestures to which you can assign actions:

   • Pinch—perform this action by tapping your thumb and forefinger together.
   • Double Pinch—perform this action by quickly double-tapping your thumb and forefinger.
   • Clench—perform this action by forming a fist.
   • Double Clench—performing this action by quickly making a fist twice in a row.

   Tap each one to customize its function.

8. Each gesture can have many different actions assigned to it, including a Tap, moving forward or backward, pressing or turning the Digital Crown, and much more.

   Tap each gesture and assign a unique action to each gesture you want to use. Practice the gesture to confirm it triggers the action you want.