Neil Hughes
The newly released Apple Watch Series 2 boasts a unique feature that allows users to check the time in a more subtle way, without distracting people nearby, via the Digital Crown. Here's how to use it.
Dubbed "Wake Screen on Crown Up," the new feature allows users to slowly turn the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch Series 2 upward, without raising their wrist. Doing this slowly turns on the Apple Watch display at varying levels of brightness.
With just a small turn upward on the Digital Crown, users can view the watch face on their wrist at a much dimmer setting. While active, the user can raise their wrist to get a closer look at the Apple Watch while retaining the dim brightness.
This new capability will make it easier for Apple Watch wearers to check the time without bothering others — Â such as in a movie theater, where the bright light of an illuminated screen is a distraction.
The key to using this feature is to begin to turn the Digital Crown without raising your wrist. In addition, if you roll the Digital Crown in the other direction without raising your wrist, the brightness decreases in the same manner until the screen goes black.
By placing your wrist back down, the Apple Watch display automatically turns off, as usual. Raising the wrist again, without touching the Digital Crown, will return to displaying the screen at its normal brightness level.
Roll the Digital Crown upward far enough and the Apple Watch Series 2 display will reach normal brightness and stay on, as if the wearer had tapped the screen or pressed a button.
It appears that "Wake Screen on Crown Up" is exclusive to the new Apple Watch Series 2 hardware, potentially tied to the capabilities of the new twice-as-bright display.
Users can enable or disable the feature by opening the Apple Watch app on a connected iPhone, choosing "General," and then "Wake Screen." By default, a new Apple Watch ships with "Wake Screen on Crown Up" enabled.
For another tip on how to be a polite time-checking moviegoer while wearing the Apple Watch, see our tip on how to create an unobtrusive, low-light movie theatre face.
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9 Comments
I'm glad they didn't make the phone thinner and made watch thicker. It shows the aren't culturally tone-deaf. These devices will get thinner, but only should when the battery life becomes very good. It's not there yet. The battery life of MacBook for example isn't good enough for me having lived with MacBook Air 13". Even the MacBook Air battery life isn't even to where I'm happy with it yet. Thin them out when battery life improves.
On the other hand I hope they don't listen to the vocal minority when it come to their computers and I hope they get rid of the jack for Lightning. If you are going to say wireless is the future then you also need Lightning consistency. It makes no sense that the bundled buds with your iPhone don't work with your Mac. The pros will deal with it—consistency should be the goal.
Besides the wireless future however, down the line I'd like to see USB become even smaller (as small as Lightning, or smaller) and Apple adopt it for everything. One standard connector across all technology products from all companies is the ideal. Wireless has standards—will eventually have one instead of two—a single wired standard is the wired future too. Our grand kids should have two options: wired or wireless. It should be that simple. Even wall outlets should use these ports. Kettles, sockets, everything.
Thank you!