Owners of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 can now take advantage of the Double Tap feature that was shown off during both of their unveilings back in September. That's after Apple released watchOS 10.1 to the public, adding that feature and more to the mix.
The new update is now available for download by everyone who has a compatible Apple Watch, but you'll need to be using the latest models to take advantage of double tap. The feature allows users to double-tap their fingers to interact with apps on their Apple Watch which makes it perfect for use when you only have one hand free.
The new update has been in beta for weeks now, but everyone who wants it can install the update via the Watch app on their iPhone right now.
Convenient and delightful
Apple confirmed the arrival of the double tap in an announcement press release, saying that it is a "convenient, delightful experience" to use. It goes on to say that the double tap gesture " is helpful in common situations when the user’s other hand is occupied, such as when walking the dog, cooking, or holding a cup of coffee."
In terms of when the double tap gesture can be used, Apple outlined a handful of options that will be available to users right out of the gate. Those options include answering and ending calls, stopping and resuming a stopwatch, snoozing an alarm, and more. You are even able to use a double-tap gesture to take a photo on your iPhone, too.
It's of course a shame that this feature isn't officially supported by older Apple Watches, but Apple says that's down to the new S9 SIP used in the latest models and its ability to perform machine learning tasks twice as fast as older generations.
