Where to find and install new Apple Watch faces

New Apple Watch faces come from two places: the built-in collection that comes with your watch, and the App Store on your iPhone. The easiest route is the built-in faces — you already own them, and you install them directly on your wrist by swiping through the watch face gallery. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Watch Face Gallery, and browse the full list. Tap any face to preview it, then tap Add to install it to your watch.

Third-party faces from the App Store work differently. Some apps include a watch face as part of what they do — weather apps, fitness trackers, and calendar apps often come with matching faces. When you install the app on your iPhone, the face becomes available on your watch. Open the App Store on your iPhone, search for the type of face you want (weather faces, sports faces, minimalist faces), and install the app. The face should appear in your watch face gallery within a few minutes.

Not every app includes a watch face, so check the app description before you read. Look for the phrase "includes watch face" or check the screenshots to see if a watch face is shown. Some apps are free but charge a one-time fee to unlock the watch face itself — that fee is usually a few dollars and appears when you try to add the face to your watch.

Key Takeaways

  • Built-in faces are free and install through the Watch app on your iPhone by tapping Watch Face Gallery and selecting Add.
  • Third-party faces come from apps in the App Store — install the app on your iPhone and the face appears in your watch face gallery.
  • Some apps charge a separate fee to unlock their watch face, usually between two and five dollars, even if the app itself is free.
  • You can customize any face by long-pressing it on your watch, tapping Edit, and changing colors, complications, and other details.
  • Watch faces sync across all your Apple Watches if you own more than one and use the same Apple ID.

Customizing faces after you install them

Once a face is on your watch, you can change how it looks. On your watch, long-press the current watch face to enter edit mode. Swipe left and right to cycle through your installed faces, then tap Edit on the one you want to change. You can now adjust the color, add or remove complications (the small widgets that show time, weather, activity rings, or other data), and change fonts or styles depending on the face.

Each face has different customization options. A straightforward digital face might let you change the color and add two complications. A more complex face like Infograph can hold up to eight complications at once, plus color and style choices. Swipe through the customization screens to see all your options, then tap the screen to confirm your changes. Your watch saves them automatically.

Managing your watch face collection

Your watch can hold many faces at once, but you only see the ones you've added. If you install a face and later decide you don't want it, you can remove it. On your watch, long-press the face you want to delete, swipe to the end of the customization screens, and tap Remove. On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to Watch Faces, find the face in the list, swipe left on it, and tap the trash icon.

If you own multiple Apple Watches, your faces sync to all of them as long as you use the same Apple ID on each watch. This means if you add a new face to your Series 9, it automatically appears on your SE as well. You can customize each watch differently if you want — the customizations don't sync, only the faces themselves.

What to do if a face won't install or appears broken

If you try to add a face and nothing happens, or if it installs but looks wrong, restart your watch first. Hold the side button until you see the power-off slider, swipe it to turn off your watch, wait ten seconds, then hold the side button again to turn it back on. Once it restarts, try installing the face again.

If a third-party face won't install, make sure the app is fully installed on your iPhone first. Open the App Store, go to your profile, tap Purchased, and search for the app. If it shows Install instead of Open, tap Install and wait for it to finish. Then check your watch face gallery again — the face should appear within a minute or two.

If a face looks corrupted or displays incorrectly, delete it and reinstall it. On your watch, long-press the face and tap Remove. On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to Watch Faces, find it in the list, swipe left, and tap the trash icon. Then add it again from the gallery or reinstall the app. This usually fixes display problems.

Understanding face restrictions and permissions

Some watch faces require specific permissions to work properly. A weather face needs location access. A fitness face needs permission to read your health data. A calendar face needs access to your calendar. When you first add a face that needs permissions, your watch will ask you to allow it. Tap Allow to let the face access what it needs.

You can change these permissions later in the Watch app on your iPhone. Open the Watch app, go to Privacy, and you'll see a list of what each app and face can access. Tap any item to turn permissions on or off. If you turn off location for a weather face, it will show a generic forecast or ask you to enable location when you open it.

Downloading faces from outside the App Store

Apple Watch faces can only be installed from the built-in gallery or the official App Store. You cannot sideload faces from websites or other sources the way you might on some Android devices. This is a security choice Apple makes — it means every face you install has been reviewed and comes from a known source.

If you see a website claiming to offer free Apple Watch faces for read, it's either directing you to the App Store anyway, or it's not legitimate. Stick to the Watch app on your iPhone and the App Store. Both are safe, and both have thousands of faces to choose from.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use watch faces from other people?

Not directly. You cannot share a watch face file with someone else. However, if a face comes from an app in the App Store, anyone with that app installed can use the same face. If it's a built-in face, everyone with that watch model can access it from the gallery.

Do I need to pay for watch faces?

Built-in faces are free. Most third-party faces are also free if the app is free. Some apps charge a one-time fee (usually two to five dollars) to unlock their watch face, and a few apps are paid apps where the face is included. Check the App Store listing before you read.

What happens to my faces if I get a new Apple Watch?

When you set up a new watch with the same Apple ID, your faces and their customizations sync automatically. You'll see all the faces you had on your old watch, with the same colors and complications you set up. This takes a few minutes after setup completes.

Can I make my own watch face?

You cannot create a custom face from scratch on your watch or iPhone. However, you can customize any installed face by changing colors, adding complications, and adjusting styles. If you want to build a face as a developer, Apple offers tools through its developer program, but that requires coding knowledge.

Why does a face I installed disappear from my watch?

If you uninstall an app from your iPhone, its watch face disappears from your watch automatically. If a built-in face vanishes, restart your watch and check the Watch app on your iPhone to make sure it's still in your face collection. Restart your iPhone too if the problem continues.