Did you know? Your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown has many helpful uses as well.
Think of it as the only home button for all Apple Watches. Even though this seems like a very small part of the Apple Watch, it is actually quite powerful.
It does a lot to help people enjoy Apple Watch more. It makes using the device a better experience. The Digital Crown is an exceptionally useful button for checking many notifications or tweaking multiple settings.
What is the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch?
The round, protruding button on the side of your Apple Watch is called the Digital Crown. The Digital Crown is a powerhouse in the working of the Apple Watch with functions such as scrolling, zooming, returning to the watch face, accessing Siri, and many more.
It is basically the primary input method that people use to interact with the Apple Watch.
Here are 13 Ways you can use the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch
- Head back to the watch face
Pressing the Digital Crown once will go back to the watch face, no matter which app is open on your Apple Watch.
- To browse apps
While on the watch face, pressing the Digital Crown will open up the Home Screen, wherein all the apps will be displayed in a grid view or a list view, whichever you have chosen.
- Zoom and scroll
Speaking of long lists, scrolling the Digital Crown will also scroll the screen for easier access to app apps, especially in the case of a list view. The same applies to scrolling through notifications, settings, etc. We can also zoom in and out on a photo or map when we turn the Digital Crown. The same zoom-in and zoom-out function also works when we use the Apple Watch as a remote control for the camera on the iPhone.
- Switch between apps
Double-click on the Digital Crown to open App Switcher. This will show all the open apps, and you can switch between apps. This is also how you can close unused apps so that they don’t run and consume battery in the background.
- Access Siri
Pressing and holding the Digital Crown will activate Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant. It is also helpful to press the Digital Crown as opposed to shouting “Hey Siri” out in public.
- Access Smart Stack and Notifications
When we turn the Digital Crown upwards, it opens up Smart Stack, which is a set of apps for easy access. When we turn the Digital Crown downwards, it opens up the Notification Center to access all notifications and removes the red dot on the watch face.
- ECG reading
The Digital Crown is also used to take an ECG reading. The Apple Watch’s ECG app requires us to place a finger on the Digital Crown to take the reading. This, along with the sensors at the bottom of the watch, is used to monitor the electrical patterns of your heartbeat. The finger is placed lightly without movement on the Digital Crown for 30 seconds to take this measurement.
- Unlock water lock
In an environment where the Apple Watch is subjected to water, tapping the water droplet icon in the Control Center will turn on the water lock. To unlock afterward, the Digital Crown is used by pressing and holding to eject the water from the watch.
- Volume control
While listening to music, podcasts, or calls, the Digital Crown can be used to lower or raise the volume by turning it.
- Wake Apple Watch
When not in Always On mode, the Digital Crown can be used to wake the Apple Watch. It also lowers and adjusts the brightness when turned on an off-screen. To enable this function, head to Settings > Display and Brightness >toggle on Wake on Crown Up.
- Take A Screenshot
To take a screenshot on the Apple Watch, press both the Digital Crown and the side button simultaneously. This will take a screenshot of your Apple Watch’s screen and show up directly on your iPhone’s Photos app.
- Time Travel With Watch Face
If you’re someone who perpetually runs late, you might want to consider using the time travel feature of the Apple Watch. It modifies the watch face display to show a time more than the original time so that I can manage my time better and, hopefully, show up on time for my appointments. To enable this feature on your Apple Watch,
Settings > Clock > Set Watch Face Display Time Ahead > Use the Digital Crown to increase the time for up to 59 mins
Please note that this will not alter your watch’s timing within the apps. It will only alter the time displayed on the watch face.
- Resume & Pause Your Workouts
To pause and resume your workouts without having to swipe and tap on the options, simply press the Digital Crown and the Side Button simultaneously. This will pause your workout. To resume, press the Digital Crown and the Side Button again.
Wrap Up
A small but mighty cog in the wheel of the Apple Watch is the Digital Crown. With many uses, such as scrolling and zooming, heading back to the watch face, taking an ECG measurement, etc., its functions are versatile and essential in the working of the Apple Watch.
