“Double tapping,” as Apple calls it, allows you to interact with your watch screen by pinching your thumb and index finger, without having to touch it. It’s finally available with the watchOS 10.1 update, which enables the feature on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.
With its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, the most famous Californian manufacturer made a curious decision: the most interesting new feature of this new generation was not available on the day of their launch. Double Tap, or Double Tapotement in French, still needed some work, leading Apple to push back its release by a month. It’s a bit as if the 5x zoom of the iPhone 15 Pro Max didn’t work during its first weeks on the market.
Since October 25, Apple has offered watchOS 10.1 for download. An update available for all Apple Watches compatible with the very refreshing watchOS 10, but only major for owners of a Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2. For good reason, it activates double tapping.
A new way to interact with your watch
What is double tapping? This function, which Numerama had previewed in Cupertino and during its test of the Watch Series 9, perhaps lays the foundations for Apple’s future. Instead of tapping a screen to interact with a touch button, double-tapping lets you control what’s happening on the screen by pinching your thumb and index finger twice. Algorithms and movement sensors identify the gesture and deduce that the user wanted to validate a change.
With an Apple Watch, double tapping is particularly convenient. Since the product is permanently on a wrist, it can only be controlled with one hand (the arm on which the Apple Watch is not). If you receive a notification like “It looks like you’re taking a walk, would you like to record it?” » but your second hand is holding a bag, you are now forced to stop and twist in all directions to touch the green button in the middle of the screen (sometimes with your nose). With watchOS 10.1, you just have to move your thumb and index finger, and the function works really well.
After several weeks with double tapping, we still identified some flaws. Forget, for example, using it on a scooter with gloves, the gesture is not very well detected. Another decision by Apple, a double tap only works if you raise your wrist for the duration of the action. Otherwise, it will be interpreted as an error. It’s a bit annoying, since we sometimes realize too late that a double tap has been canceled, even though it had worked well.
To answer the phone, stop a timer, reply to a message or just play, double tapping is a great new thing. It makes the new Apple Watches a little more attractive, despite the lack of new features.
We particularly like the fact that you can double tap after receiving a message, say a response by bringing the watch closer to your mouth and then double tap again to send it. Futuristic.
Double tapping soon on iOS and macOS (after watchOS and visionOS)?
Very useful on an Apple Watch, can double tapping extend to the rest of the Apple ecosystem? We can imagine that the owner of a watch could interact with a notification sent to their iPhone or Mac by double tapping. The watch would then transmit the validation information, which would allow the user to save a little time. Apple still has to convince itself of the usefulness of such a function. Otherwise, it’s hard to see her going that far, especially since the double tap wouldn’t work without a watch here.
In early 2024, Apple will offer double tapping elsewhere. The Apple Vision Pro headset is controlled by looking and pinching your fingers, which allows it to do without controllers. Difficult to believe in the coincidence, Apple is clearly preparing something with this new gesture, which it wishes to impose in its connected world.
With watchOS 10.1, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are finally complete. Will they play a role with the Vision Pro? Response in a few months. The update also adds NameDrop functionality to Apple Watches, to initiate a contact exchange by taping two watches together. She is accompanied byiOS 17.1on iPhone and iPad.
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