Apple Watch Series 10 boasts a larger display, sleeker design, and more intelligent watch faces. It is the sole model that exhibits seconds on the watch face in the always-on mode. The number of faces that support this hardware feature has recently increased – to an impressive four.
The current state of watch faces on the Apple Watch is rather peculiar. Users desire more options to personalize their watch faces, yet the prospect of third-party faces has faded away. Additionally, Apple is inexplicably removing watch faces, including the Siri face.
However, the most baffling approach has been the limited support for a new Apple Watch hardware feature across only a few faces.
Apple Watch Series 10 can exhibit continuously updating seconds even in the always-on mode, a capability restricted to three particular watch faces:
- Flux, a digital face featuring a rising line indicator for tracking seconds
- Reflections, an analog face emphasizing form over function with a seconds hand but no numerical markings
- Activity Digital, another digital face presenting numerical seconds
Upon its release, I had anticipated that existing faces would be updated in watchOS 11. That expectation did not materialize.
The positive news is that Apple’s new Unity Rhythm face in watchOS 11.3 now supports always-on seconds, akin to Reflections.
The downside? This encapsulates Apple’s strategy regarding watch faces: annually introduce a few new faces featuring always-on seconds while simultaneously removing less popular faces lacking this feature.
It is hoped that watchOS 12 will rectify this approach by updating all faces to support always-on seconds. Standard analog faces with numerals, such as Utility or California, should also incorporate always-on seconds – especially if Apple opts not to update each individual face. Every face should leverage the hardware’s capabilities.
Best Apple Watch and Accessories
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Vocabulary List:
- Peculiar /pɪˈkjuː.li.ər/ (adjective): Strange or unusual; distinctive.
- Exhibit /ɪɡˈzɪb.ɪt/ (verb): To display or show something publicly.
- Baffling /ˈbæf.əl.ɪŋ/ (adjective): Confusing or perplexing.
- Encapsulate /ɪnˈkæp.sjʊ.leɪt/ (verb): To express the essential features of something succinctly.
- Numerical /njuːˈmɪr.ɪ.kəl/ (adjective): Related to numbers or a particular set of numbers.
- Emphasizing /ˈɛm.fə.saɪ.zɪŋ/ (verb): To give special importance or prominence to something.
How much do you know?
