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When Apple rolled out watchOS 7, the latest software update for the Apple Watchit also introduced some pretty powerful tools that allow you to customize how your Apple Watch's watch face looks. It allows you to add "multiple complications" from some of your favorite and most-used apps — both Apple and third-party apps — so that they appear right on your watch face and can quickly access them. And if you like somebody else's custom watch face, or they like your's, you can easily share watch faces with each other, too.
If you have Series 1 or Series 2, it unfortunately doesn't support watchOS 7. You have to have an Apple Watch that's a Series 3 or later to access these features.
There are many different apps that support the new complications for the Apple Watch. These include some of Apple's own apps, such as Stocks, Weather, News or Podcasts, as well as popular third-apps such as Wikiloc (for hiking), DarkSky (for weather), Snoww (for skiing) and GoSUP (for paddle boarding).
To customize you Apple Watch's watch face, there are two ways of doing it. You can do it right on your Apple Watch, or you can do on your iPhone by using the Apple Watch app. Here's how to do both.
How to customize complications (on your Apple Watch)
- Long-press on your Apple Watch's current watch face.
- Swipe to the watch face that you want to customize.
- Before selecting the watch face, tap Edit.
- You now have free range to add extra complications.
How to customize complications (on your iPhone)
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap My Watch and select the watch face you want to customize.
- Scroll down to Complications and edit as you see fit.
To search for more customize watch face templates, we suggest searching for one via the Face Gallery on your iPhone's Apple Watch app. Once you've selected a new watch face, you can easily add whichever complications you like. (Here's a complete list of complications that you can add to your watch face.)
How to share customize complications
Once you have a custom watch face for your Apple Watch, you can easily share it with a friend:
- Long-press on the watch face you want to share.
- Select the "share" icon that's next to Edit.
- Select Add Contact and select the person you want to share the watch with.
- Tap Send.
- The recipient just has to open the text, email or link that was sent to them, and tap Add.
