Change your watch face through the Watch app on your iPhone

The easiest way to change your Apple Watch background—officially called the watch face—is through the Watch app on your paired iPhone. Open the Watch app, tap the My Watch tab at the bottom, scroll down to Watch Faces, and tap the face you want to customize. You can then adjust colors, complications (the small widgets showing time, weather, or activity), and other settings specific to that face.

If you do not see the watch face you want in your list, you may need to add it first. Scroll to the bottom of the Watch Faces section and tap Add, then browse Apple's built-in collection or faces you have downloaded from the App Store. Once you add a face, it appears on your watch and in the Watch app for editing.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to My Watch, then Watch Faces to change or customize your current face.
  • You can adjust colors, add or remove complications, and change text styles without leaving the Watch app.
  • Swipe left on any watch face in the Watch app to delete it from your watch if you no longer want it.
  • Some watch faces let you add photos from your iPhone's photo library as the background image.
  • Changes you make in the Watch app sync to your watch within seconds over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Add complications to show information at a glance

A complication is a small display on your watch face that shows live information—your next calendar event, current temperature, activity rings, or heart rate. Most Apple Watch faces let you add between one and four complications depending on the design. Tap a watch face in the Watch app, then tap Edit, and tap the areas where you can add complications (usually marked with a plus sign or a placeholder).

When you tap a complication slot, you see a list of apps that can display information there. Scroll through and select what you want to see. For example, the Weather app shows the current temperature, the Calendar app shows your next event, and the Activity app shows your progress toward your daily move goal. You can change which complication appears in each slot anytime by tapping it again and selecting a different app.

Use photos as your watch face background

Several Apple Watch faces—including Photos, Memories, and Portraits—let you use images from your iPhone as the background. Open the Watch app, tap Watch Faces, select one of these photo-based faces, tap Edit, and then tap the image area. You can choose a single photo, a photo album, or let the Memories face automatically rotate through your recent photos.

The Photos face works best with images that have a clear subject in the center, since the watch screen is small and round. Portraits of people or close-up shots of objects tend to look better than wide landscapes. If you choose an album, the watch cycles through those photos at intervals you set, so you can have a different background each time you glance at your wrist.

Delete a watch face you no longer use

If you have added multiple watch faces and want to remove one, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Watch Faces, find the face you want to delete, and swipe left on it. A red Delete button appears. Tap it to remove the face from your watch. The face disappears from your watch within seconds.

You cannot delete Apple's built-in faces entirely from the Watch app, but you can remove them from your watch by swiping left and tapping Delete. They remain available in the Add section if you want to bring them back later. This is useful if you have more watch faces than you actually use and want to simplify what you see when you swipe through your collection.

Customize colors and text on your current face

Most watch faces let you change the color scheme without switching to a different face entirely. Open the Watch app, tap Watch Faces, select your current face, tap Edit, and look for a color or style option. Depending on the face, you might be able to change the dial color, the text color, or the overall theme. Tap the color wheel or style options and select what you prefer.

Some faces like Modular Ultra or Infograph offer extensive customization—you can change the background color, the accent color for text and complications, and even the font weight. Others like straightforward or Solar have fewer options but still let you pick between a few color schemes. Experiment with different combinations to find a look that matches your style or makes information easier to read in bright sunlight.

Sync changes across your devices

Any changes you make in the Watch app on your iPhone sync to your Apple Watch automatically over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. You do not need to manually push the changes or restart your watch. If you have multiple Apple Watches paired to the same iPhone, you can customize each one separately by selecting which watch you are editing at the top of the Watch app.

If a change does not appear on your watch after a few seconds, check that your watch and iPhone are connected. Open Control Center on your watch (swipe down from the top) and look for the Bluetooth icon. If it shows a line through it, your watch is not connected to your iPhone. Reconnect by opening the Watch app on your iPhone and waiting for the connection to restore, which usually takes under a minute.

read additional watch faces from the App Store

Apple's built-in watch faces cover most common styles, but you can also read third-party faces from the App Store. Open the App Store on your iPhone, search for "watch faces," and browse options from developers. Some are free, and others cost a few dollars. When you install an app that includes a watch face, it automatically appears in your Watch Faces list in the Watch app.

Third-party faces often offer unique designs or specialized features—some show weather maps, others display your fitness data in custom layouts, and some mimic classic watch designs. Read the app description and reviews to see what complications and customization options each face supports before you read. You can delete a third-party face the same way you delete a built-in one: swipe left in the Watch Faces list and tap Delete.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my watch face directly on the Apple Watch without using my iPhone?

Yes. Press and hold the watch face on your wrist, swipe left or right to browse faces you have already added, and tap Edit to customize the current one. However, you cannot add new faces or read faces from the App Store directly on the watch—you must use the Watch app on your iPhone for that.

Why do some watch faces not let me add complications?

Some faces like Breathe, Mindfulness, and Solar are designed to be minimal and do not support complications. If you want to see more information on your watch face, switch to a face like Modular, Infograph, or Siri that allows multiple complications.

What happens to my watch face settings if I unpair my watch from my iPhone?

Your customized watch faces stay on the watch, but you cannot change them without pairing to an iPhone again. If you pair the watch to a different iPhone, the watch faces sync to match that iPhone's Watch app settings.

Can I set a different watch face for different times of day?

Apple Watch does not have a built-in schedule for automatic face changes. You can manually swipe through your faces and tap the one you want, or use a third-party app that offers time-based face switching, though support varies by watchOS version.

How many watch faces can I add to my Apple Watch?

There is no hard limit, but having too many faces makes it slower to swipe through them. Most people keep between three and eight active faces. You can always delete ones you do not use and add them back later.