Apple Watch gesture controls can be enabled on older watches. Here's how to do it

At the presentation Apple Watch Series 9 And Ultra 2 We paid a lot of attention to the new “double tap” gesture. It allows you to perform actions of the user's choice: answer an incoming call, set a timer or set an alarm. But Apple didn’t mention one thing at the presentation: in fact, there have been gesture controls in watches for a long time, albeit not so perfect.

Essentially, with the release of new models, Apple has improved and enabled gestures for everyone that can be activated right now on Apple Watch Series 4 and later. No special programs are needed: just go to “Settings” → “Universal Access” → AssistiveTouch on your watch.

Screenshots: Lifehacker

After enabling the function, you can configure actions for four gestures at once: pinch, double-pinch, pinch, and double-pinch. You can then work your magic by controlling your Apple Watch without touching the screen.

Screenshots: Lifehacker

To enable this setting, you will need a watch running watchOS 8 or later.

It is important to note that AssistiveTouch without an S9 processor can only do what the user has configured, while double tap the new watch uses machine learning to automatically highlight the main button on the screen and interact with it. Through AssistiveTouch, you'll need to first select the button you want using the Forward and Back gestures, and then use a separate gesture to press it.