We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our editorial policies.
Are you looking to customize the face of your Apple Watch? Luckily, whether you have the Apple Watch Series 8, the latest Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, or Apple Watch SE, changing the watch face follows the same simple process.
One thing Apple does consistently well is the cosmetic design of its products. And the Apple Watch range is no different. The ability to personalize your device with different watch faces is one of its standout features.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of changing your Apple Watch face, including how to download new faces and customize them to suit your preferences.
Make Sure Your Apple Watch Is Updated
Before we start, it’s important to ensure that your device is running the latest version of watchOS. Any old or no longer supported features could potentially disrupt the smooth running of your Apple Watch.
To check for updates, follow these steps:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap on “General” and then select “Software Update.”
- If an update is available, tap on “Download and Install” to install the latest version of watchOS.
Doing so will also ensure you have the latest watch faces available to you.
How To Change Apple Watch Faces
If you already have watch faces set up on your Watch, then switching your watch face is a quick and easy process. Thankfully, the process is the same across all variations of the Apple Watch. Here’s how you can do it:
- On your Apple Watch, touch and hold the current watch face being displayed. Swipe left or right to cycle through the faces you have currently added.
- Stop when you find a face that you want to use.
- Tap on the face to set it as your active watch face.
The ease of this process means you can seamlessly switch watch faces throughout the day to suit different activities or moods. For example, you might prefer a more professional-looking face during work hours and a more casual face for leisure activities.
How To Add New Apple Watch Faces
One of the best things about having a smartwatch is that you can customise them to look how you like. This includes adding new watch faces beyond those that come as default.
If you want to explore new watch faces and add them to your collection, follow these steps:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone. If you don’t have this, you can download it from the App Store.
- Tap on the “Face Gallery” icon located in the center of the bottom menu bar, near the base of the screen.
- Browse through the available watch faces and tap on the one you want to install.
- Tap the “Add” button to add the watch face to your collection.
- Go back to the “My Watch” section of the app and swipe to the end of the list to find the newly added watch face.
- Follow the same process above on your Apple Watch to find and select your new face.
Apple regularly releases new watch faces with each update, so make sure to check the Face Gallery periodically for the latest additions
How To Create Apple Watch Faces with Photos
If you want to add a personal touch to your Apple Watch face, you can create a custom watch face using your own photos. Here’s how:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Go to the “My Watch” section and select “Photos.”
- Choose your preferred album or create a new one.
- Select the photos you want to include in the watch face.
- Tap “Add” to create the custom watch face.
- Follow the same process above to find and select your new watch face on your Apple Watch.
Now, each time you tap on your watch, a new photo from your selected album will appear as the watch face, or a specific photo that you have chosen.
How To Organise Apple Watch Faces
As you add more watch faces to your collection, it’s helpful to organise them for easy access. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Go to the “My Watch” section and tap on the “Edit” button next to “My Faces.”
- If you want to remove a watch face, find the one in mind and tap the minus (-) sign next to it.
- Tap “Remove” to delete the face from your collection.
- If you want to simply reorder watch faces, then you can drag specific faces up or down by holding down the three horizontal lines on the right-hand side of the list.
If you have a favourite, place it at the top and then less-used watch faces further down the list.
How To Edit Apple Watch Faces
While some watch faces offer customisation options during the initial setup, you can also edit watch faces after they have been added. Here’s how:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Go to the “My Watch” section and select the watch face you want to edit.
- Depending on the wath face, you will have a different set of options to make edits such as colour or bezel style. Make the desired changes.
- Tap “Add” to save the changes.
How To Use Complications
One of the most interesting features of Apple Watch faces is the ability to add complications. Although somewhat confusingly named, complications are small, customisable elements that display information from various apps and services.
You can add complications from both the Apple Watch itself and the Watch app on your iPhone.
Here’s how you can explore and add complications from the app:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap on ‘My Faces’ and then select the watch face you want to add to.
- Scroll down and you will see the option to add complications.
- Select the area you want to add yo (e.g. Top Left) and then selet the type of complication you want to show. The available options include date, heart rate, weather and activity.
- Repeat this process to add multiple complications to your watch face. Then scroll down and tap ‘Set as current watch face’.
And here’s how you can add complications from your Apple Watch:
- Long press on the watch face you are currently displaying. Tap the ‘Edit’ button to bring up the editing mode.
- Swipe left until you reach the ‘Complications’ tab.
- Select the area you want the complication to appear on your watch face. There are four options, one in each corner.
- You can scroll through the options with your finger or with the Digital Crown on the side of your Watch.
- Choose the complication type from the available options, such as date, heart rate, weather, or activity.
- Double press the Digital Crown to exit the editing mode and return to your Apple Watch home.
Complications are really worth looking into as they add an extra layer of convenience and usefulness to your Apple Watch. If you have spent money on an Apple Watch, you want to maximise your experience, so get stuck in!
How To Create a Portrait Watch Face
If you have an iPhone that supports Portrait mode in the Camera app and your Apple Watch is running watchOS 8 or higher, you can create a watch face with 3D effects using your portrait photos. Here’s how:
- Open your iPhone Camera. Swipe across in the camera modes to reach ‘Portrait’. Take a portrait photo.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap ‘Face Gallery’ at the bottom of the screen.
- Browse the Face Gallery and select the ‘Portraits’ watch face.
- Choose the portrait photo you want to add to the watch face. You can then customise how you want the watch face to appear, such as the bezel and font style.
- Tap “Add” to create the portrait watch face.
- Return to your Apple Watch and scroll to find your portrait watch face.
When you view the Portrait face on your Apple Watch, the photos will have a 3D effect that separates the foreground from the background. For example, the time will be displayed partially behind the foreground of the portrait.
You can use the Digital Crown to zoom in and out of each photo, creating an immersive experience.
How To Share Apple Watch Faces
If you have customised a watch face and want to share it with others, like a partner or family member, you can easily do so. Here’s how:
- Press and hold the watch face you want to share on your Apple Watch.
- Tap the “Share” icon.
- Select the contact you want to share the watch face with.
- Compose your message and tap “Send.”
The recipient will automatically receive the watch face that they can then add themselves.
What If Your Apple Watch Face Isn’t Changing?
After the 10.1 update in September 2023, some users became confused about how to change watch faces. To fix this:
- Open ‘Settings’ on your Apple Watch from the Home screen by tapping the ‘Gear’ icon.
- Find ‘Clock’ and tap on it.
- Find the option to swap watch faces by swiping and turn it on.
You will now be able to swipe to change watch faces from the home screen. If you still can’t perform the function, there may be something wrong with your Apple Watch. If so, you will need to contact Apple directly.
HOW TO: Set Up Double Tap On Apple Watch Series 9
FAQs
Q – Where is Face Gallery on the Apple Watch?
A – To find the Face Gallery, open the Watch app on your iPhone. The Face Gallery can be found at the bottom of the screen, in the middle of ‘My Watch’ and ‘Discover’.
Q – How do I get more watch faces for free on the Apple Watch?
A – You can find more watch faces on supported apps on the App Store. Apps like ‘Watch Face Albums’ include packs of watch faces that can be downloaded and added to your Watch app.
Q – Which Apple Watch face has the most complications?
A – The standard ‘Infograph’ watch face can display up to eight complications simultaneously.
