The new double tap gesture for Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available today with watchOS 10.1. It changes the way people interact and use their Apple Watch. For instance, users can tap the index finger and thumb of their watch hand together twice to quickly perform many of the most common actions.
While it certainly looks cool, there is a sense of skepticism on how reliable it is. In our case, we have been playing around with the feature since it was in beta stage. There are times when it works very well — though people might look at weirdly — as you tap your thumb and index finger together. But there were occasions when the double tap gesture just didn’t respond.
David Clark, Senior Director of Apple Watch Software Engineering,explains how Apple has ensured that it remains reliable. “We have ensured that the gesture is triggered when people actually double tap their thumb and index finger.” There was a sense of curiosity on why Apple chose the index finger and thumb. Clark says that the company tested the gesture in many scenarios before deciding on the gesture.
Furthermore, Apple users an algorithm that detects that the unique signature of tiny wrist movements and changes in blood flow when the index finger and thumb perform a double tap. Apple’s Neural Engine on the Apple Watch uses and processes data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor.
We did ask Apple whether it can work underwater as well, considering the Watch Ultra 2 is meant for diving purposes. As of now, double tap doesn’t work underwater. Notably, the feature is available only on Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. That’s because of the S9 processor that has four neural engines that ensure machine learning is able to execute the double tap feature. Clark says that the S9 processor packs in enough power for double tap to function smoothly without affecting the core performance of the two new Apple Watch models.
How is it different from Assistive Touch
Apple had a similar functionality with Assistive Touch. However, it is significantly different and you will notice that once you have used double tap. For example, with double tap, you can see a message from a notification. Further, you can scrolling through longer notifications with an additional double tap, replying using dictation, and sending a message. It works quite well and gives us a glimpse on how effectively Apple can integrate more gestures, not just in Watch but iPhone as well.
Eric Charles, senior manager of Apple Watch Product Marketing, says that the company did rigorous testing before implementing the feature. “We looked at various options to see how a user will use and then further benefit from it,” says Charles. He also says that on the feedback recieved by the company, double tap’s functionality was decided. “We wanted to make it useful for users in the best possible way,” adds Charles.
The double tap feature on Apple Watch is really cool and one of those which Apple has implemented quite well. It is not easy to use the heart sensor and combine it with wrist data to enable a feature. When you tap your fingers, there are a whole lot of other parts that are taken into account before the algorithm kicks in and does its job.
However, the double tap functionality is still limited. For instance, the feature is not supported in apps and features like ECG, Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen, Sleep Focus, Walkie-Talkie, Maps (during navigation), Mindfulness (during an active session), SOS features (Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, Crash Detection), and Workout (during an active session).Also, third-party support is limited. For instance, you can’t play/pause music in Spotify but it works well with Apple Music.
Double tap does reduce your interactions with the Watch and gives a glimpse into the world of gestures. Apple has showcased that gestures can work well if they are implemented smartly. Double tap feature could very well open the doors for more gestures on the Apple Watch as well as the iPhone.