Apple released watchOS 11 to the public this week, and it includes a secret Action Button upgrade for Ultra users that we weren’t expecting.
watchOS 11 is available now on all of the top Apple Watch models (even the Series 6), and it’s a release with a heavy focus on health and fitness, with a new Vitals app, sleep apnea detection, training load tracking, and rest days in the Activity app.
As is often the case, the public release of new Apple software typically heralds new features we weren’t told about at WWDC 2024, and this year is no different. As revealed by Apple designer Taylor Carrigan, you can now change the functionality of your Apple Watch Ultra’s Action Button on the fly in watchOS 11.
Now, if you hold the Action button, you can use the Digital Crown to scroll through 11 different functions: Workout, Stopwatch, Waypoint, Backtrack, Dive, Torch, Shortcut, Voice Memo, Translate, Accessibility, and Recognize Music (Shazam).
Action button: now even more convenient
With watchOS 11, you can now hold the Action Button on Apple Watch Ultra to quickly switch actions using your finger or the Digital Crown. Had a lot of fun working on this with @edchao. pic.twitter.com/S4M7dqPiowSeptember 16, 2024
As a serial Apple Watch Ultra 2 user, I’m definitely happy with this upgrade. The Action Button is one of the coolest differentiators of Apple’s more robust smartwatch line, but its single-use functionality means I often forget about its various uses.
I have mine set up to track a strength workout, which means I use it once a day at the top of the stairs at my local gym.
With these new on-the-fly changes in watchOS 11, you could spend your day customizing your Action Button functionality as you go. At the very least, it’ll significantly increase your Action Button engagement now that its functionality is no longer hidden in the Settings app on your wrist.
Apple watchOS 11 is available now for download on Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE 2, and Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.