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With watchOS 27, a feature many Apple Watch users relied on disappeared: the quick switch to the last opened app by double-tapping the Digital Crown. In the second beta of watchOS 27.2, the app switcher is back – but via a different method.
Up until watchOS 26, a double-tap of the Digital Crown opened the app switcher. From there, users could return to the last used app, scroll through other recently used apps, and close a stuck app by swiping left. This view was already missing in a developer preview of watchOS 27, as noted in a post on Apple's developer forum. At the same time, Apple redesigned the app overview with watchOS 27.
With the second beta of iOS 27.2, Apple also rolled out watchOS 27.2 Beta 2 on Monday. In it, the app switcher makes a return, as a user demonstrates on X with a video.
Key Facts at a Glance
- In watchOS 27, double-tapping the Digital Crown no longer opens the app switcher because Apple has designated the gesture for Live Rewind.
- The app switcher is back in watchOS 27.2 Beta 2.
- It is now opened by pressing and holding the bottom edge of the screen within an app.
- Live Rewind itself is expected to be released later this year as a beta version, initially in English.
Why the Digital Crown now belongs to Live Rewind
The reason for the change is called Live Rewind. This feature is part of Apple's new Audio Intelligence on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 and displays the last 15 seconds of a call as text on the watch. According to Apple's support document, it is activated by a deliberate double-press of the Digital Crown.
The gesture is therefore confirmed, and not just on the two new models. Even on older watches with watchOS 27, the double-tap no longer opens the app switcher, even though Live Rewind isn't available there. The case described in the developer forum is from an Apple Watch SE 3.
The new gesture in the beta
In watchOS 27.2 Beta 2, the app switcher can be accessed by pressing and holding the bottom edge of the display while an app is open.
The Digital Crown remains exclusive to Live Rewind. Apple is therefore not resolving the conflict by bringing back the double-press, but by giving the app switcher its own dedicated method.
A gesture for a feature that is still missing
For users in German-speaking regions, the change is currently a bad one. According to Apple, Live Rewind will only be released later this year as a beta and will initially launch in English. The double-tap function is therefore reserved for a feature that doesn't yet exist and won't work in German for the time being. It won't be available at all on older models.
That makes the return of the app switcher all the more important. Those who previously used it for quickly switching between apps or closing stuck ones only need to learn a new gesture with watchOS 27.2, instead of having to do without it entirely.
Did you miss the double-press on the Digital Crown in watchOS 27 – or never use the app switcher? Tell us in the comments how you switch between apps on your watch.
