The Apple Watch comes with different watch faces, some of which are customizable. While using your Apple Watch, there are times that the watch’s face will change even when you don’t want it to. This can leave you wondering what you have done.
So, why does my Apple Watch face keep changing? Your Apple Watch will change when you accidentally swipe the current watch face using a gesture. The watch face may also change its layout and design automatically. In either case, the changes will vary depending on the face options and settings on your Watch.
While it is a good idea at times to change faces on your watch, there are times that this can be a nuisance, especially if these changes do not match your personality or mood at the moment. Luckily, there are ways you can use to prevent this change.
The Apple Watch is customizable and will allow you to match your mood or even outfit. Switching the face can be straightforward in some instances without your input, but at times, you may need to take a few steps to achieve this. Read on to understand how these changes occur and why they do.
Your Apple Watch will change if you accidentally swipe the current face using a gesture. With a single swipe, you can switch from modular to utility, motion to solar, or chronograph to color. The change may also result automatically with each Apple Watch featuring different capacities for customization and complications.
Changing your Apple Watch face is an easy process, but you may need some practice to attain perfection if you are a new Apple Watch user. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily change the face to match anything in your present circumstances:
- Navigate to the watch face by pressing the Digital Crown to change your Apple Watch face,
- Next, swipe right or left through the available faces and
- Select the one suitable for you.
When switching faces, you should swipe from the edge of the screen to ensure successful switching.
If you are using WatchOS 7, the face can automatically change depending on your location or the time of the day. To change the face at the set times of the day,
- open the Shortcuts on your iPhone and
- tap the Automation tab.
At the top right of your screen,
- tap the plus sign and
- select Create Personal Automation.
- Next, select Time of Day,
You will get options including Time of Day, Sunrise, and Sunset. You should tap one of these options and then choose the repeat cycle. This could be Daily, Weekly or Monthly.
- Tap the Next tab and
- Add Action.
- You can then search for the Set Watch Face, tap on it, and then
- hit the Set Active Watch Face Box.
The latter action will populate a list of faces available on your Apple Watch, and you can choose the ones you want to switch. Tap Next, then turn off the Ask Before Running option. You can confirm your choices by tapping Don’t Ask in the dialog box that populates, then tap Done when you finish the above setup.
When choosing the face to switch to, you will likely run into a challenge as your watch will display these faces in a list comprising their names. These names are Apple’s official titles. Hence, if you do not have the standard six infographic faces, your watch will state “Infograph” six times.
The list that will populate will be in the order of arrangement in your watch. The first face on your watch will be the one you will get if you swipe to the left. Also to note is that selecting Sunrise or Sunset rather than a specific time will prompt you to say more. For instance, you can say something like 30 minutes before sunrise, or just select sunset or sunrise, and the change will occur at the stipulated time.
In addition to the time of the day, your Apple Watch will also allow you to change your face at certain locations. To do this,
- open “Shortcuts”, then
- tap the “Automation” tab and the plus sign,
- select “Create Personal Automation” and then
- hit either “Arrive” or “Leave”,
- next, select the word “Choose” and
- search for your location on the map, you can pick your location from your recent destinations,
- hit your current location on the map, and then,
- tap “Done”,
- select between “Time Range” and “Anytime” to specify the time and day you want the face change to happen,
- hit the “Next” tab and “Add Action”,
- then search for the “Set Watch Face” and
- tap the box at the end of “Set Active Watch Face” to words.
- lastly, select the face you want from the list that populates,
- hit the “Next” tab then
- “Done” to effect the above changes.
Setting your Apple Watch to change faces based on location will allow automatic switching when you leave home or work, but not on some specific days. When you do the above setup, you will be telling your Watch to change a specific face.
However, you cannot limit this change to a particular duration. Thus, if you want your face to appear during work hours or just the weekend, the easiest method is to do the above setup twice. In the first setup, you will change the face to something else, then for the second time, work on the ending time or location when you would want the face to change into something else.
How Do I Stop My Apple Watch Face from Changing?
While you may intentionally set your Apple Watch face to change, there are times that these changes can be a nuisance, especially when they happen due to the swiping gesture. Therefore, knowing how to stop your Apple Watch’s face, in this case, is necessary.
To stop your Apple Watch face from changing, remove the faces you are currently not using. You can do this on your Apple Watch app by selecting the Edit option above My Faces. You can then remove the faces that you do not use. If you want to use the faces you’ve deleted, you can always add them back. Other things you can do to stop the random watch face changes include turning on the swimming mode and using the photos option for the face.
Unlocking your Apple Watch requires you to tap the screen rather than swipe. On the other hand, your Apple Watch face will change when you swipe your screen, whether intentionally or not.
Thus, press the Digital Crown instead to avoid changing your face out of confusion when unlocking your Watch. By pressing the Digital Crown, you will receive a prompt to enter your passcode, and you can access and use your Watch.
Your Watch’s face will change if there are face options in existence. As such, removing the faces that you are not interested in will save you this hassle. After removing the unnecessary faces, you can swipe and tap around your lock screen without a change of faces. To bring the deleted faces back, you can navigate to the Face gallery at the bottom of the Watch application.
The swimming mode helps keep the changing face under control. Turning this mode on will disable the gestures in your Apple Watch and stop the change of faces resulting from gestures. You can also retain multiple faces on your Watch by turning on this mode without worrying about changes as you swipe through your Watch.
Swipe up on your Watch to open the Control Center and turn on the swimming mode. Next, select the Water droplet icon, and, if successful, you will see a little droplet at the top of your screen.
You can disable the swimming mode by holding and rotating the Digital Crown. Turning on the swimming mode seems like a cumbersome process, yet it is the only option that allows you to keep multiple faces without random changes caused by swipes.
Using the photos watch face to prevent a change of faces is also viable. Your Apple Watch will rotate through different images when you swipe intentionally or unintentionally in the photos Watch face. These changes may also occur after a particular time interval.
To activate the photos watch face feature,
- navigate your Watch app on your iPhone,
- tap on the “Photos Watch Face”,
- from here, scroll to the Photos tab,
- hit “Select” at the top right corner.
You can then select all the images apart from those you want to have on your display, then hit the Trashcan icon. You do not need to worry about deleting your images from your phone’s gallery by hitting the Trashcan icon since this action will move your photos to the Watch face rotation.
Lastly, you can use the Always-On feature to keep your Face in check. In this mode, you will choose what you want to appear on your screen when your wrist is down. This information includes Face and time. To turn on the Always On feature, navigate to the setting on your Watch. Next, tap display and Brightness, then scroll down for the Always-On feature.
Can You Lock Your Apple Watch Face?
Just like other devices, locking prevents unauthorized settings and transactions from unintentional gestures. By locking your device, you can retain your settings and maintain privacy for as long as possible.
Locking your Apple watch face is possible when you wear it to prevent accidental swipes, especially during a workout. While using the workout app, you will swipe right and tap the Lock option.
On the other hand, your Apple Watch will lock automatically using the Water Lock when you start your swimming workout. When you lock your Apple watch, you will need your passcode to unlock it. Also to note is that you will receive all your notifications from your iPhone when you lock your Watch.
To lock your Apple Watch face manually, swipe the Watch Face up to see the Control Center and tap the lock icon. When locking your Apple Watch manually, you should turn off the wrist detection feature. The next time you use your Apple Watch, you will receive a prompt to enter your passcode.
Unlocking your Apple Watch is also possible automatically, in which case, you will set it to unlock when you unlock your iPhone. The Apple watch will lock automatically by default if you are not wearing it.
Hence, to change the wrist detection settings and enable lock when using your device,
- navigate to the “Settings” app,
- tap “Passcode”,
- turn the Wrist detection on or off.
Turning off the wrist detection feature will affect the Apple watch features, including heart rate tracking, automatic locking, and unlocking. You will also receive prompts to enter your passcode every time you double-click the side button to authorize a transaction.
To unlock your Apple Watch manually, enter your passcode and tap Ok. On the other hand, to unlock your Watch automatically, navigate to the Settings app on your watch and tap Passcode, then turn on the Unlock with iPhone options.
Alternatively, open your Watch on your iPhone, hit My Watch, Passcode, and turn it on with your iPhone. Your iPhone should be within the normal Bluetooth range with your Watch for the latter option.
While locking your Apple Watch will require a password, you can forget your password, especially if you recently set it. In this case, you will have to erase your Apple Watch to use it again. The first recovery option is to unpair your Watch from your iPhone, erase the Watch settings and passcode, and then pair it again. Alternatively, reset your Apple Watch and pair it with your iPhone.
Wrap Up
The Apple Watch is a smart device that monitors your bodily functions, especially when working out. One of the intelligent features of this device is the customizable face that you can change depending on your mood and personality.
While it is everyone’s wish to be in control of these changes, the sensitivity of this device will be such that some gestures on the Face will trigger changes. Fortunately, you can put the face under check by adjusting your Watch Settings.
Among the options you can explore are setting the Swimming mode, using photos, or removing the faces you are currently not using. You can also lock your face to prevent further changes with a few settings.
