Have you seen the meme about people who hang too many things on their fingers for no reason? I’m not proud to admit it, but I’m part of it. No matter how big my bag is, I always have my hands full, which makes it difficult to interact with my phone or smart watch on the go. And I’m not alone. That’s why voice-activated assistants and hands-free gestures are so attractive.
With the Apple Watch Series 9, the company introduces a new method Of interaction while improving another: Double tap and lift to talk (to Siri). It also introduces Siri processing on the device, which allows you to ask the Assistant for your health data and log your daily statistics. These are activated by the new system in the S9 package (SiP) that powers the device, which means that they will probably not be available for older models via watchOS 10.
Apple’s recent Release continues to lead the smartwatch category when it comes to combining health and fitness tracking with versatile and security features.
The 9 series also has a new second-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, like the one in the iPhone 15 series, which allows an updated interface when you ping your paired phone. On the outside, the new Apple Watch looks exactly like its predecessor, but the new Gesture alone could be intriguing enough to make some of you upgrade this year.
Double tapping
Full disclosure: Due to a series of FedEx issues, I was unable to get a separate sample of the Apple Watch with double tap enabled until yesterday. That said, I only spent about a day testing the new Gesture in the real world. To be clear, the feature will not be available on watches that will be shipped on September 22 and will be activated live after in October. Apple has sent reviewers additional units with double tap enabled for coverage and testing purposes in addition to the actual devices that will go to consumers. Don’t worry, the rest of this review is based on a 9 series I’ve had since last week’s Apple event. This is just the double tap example I received after. Still, I already have a better idea of when and how this could be useful.
Of course, if both hands, or at least my watch hand, are busy, the double tap will not help. You must have at least your thumb and index finger available to pinch. But when I’m cleaning my apartment, holding a side plank, lifting a single dumbbell or reading a book, the Gesture makes my life easier. In fact, I like it just for the pleasure of continuing to scroll Reddit on my phone in my right hand without having to put the device down to wipe something on my left wrist.
The 9 series recognizes quite well when I pinched twice quickly, but it took me a few tries to find the right cadence. You can’t type too fast or too subtly, otherwise it won’t register. I hate it when companies tell us that we are doing something wrong, but in this matter where we learn a new Move overall, I tend to get the job done.
Apple uses a combination of accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate monitor data to detect changes in movement and blood flow. This allows the watch to understand the difference between, for example, touching your middle finger and your hand. I was able to trigger a double tap by pretending to snap with my thumb and forefinger, and also by hitting the side of my digit rather than the Pad.
This is also a good time to clarify that Double Tap is very different from Assistive Touch, which was brought to watchOS in 2021. The latter is an accessible feature that has already been available in iOS for years, allowing people with different mobility needs to interact with the respective operating systems. First you need to go to the settings to activate it on the watch, then you can use gestures such as pinch and squeeze to navigate. Pressing it twice activates Assistive Touch, which makes an outline appear around the elements on the screen. Then the pinching moves through individual elements, and the pressing acts as a tapping on them.
