You can change your Apple Watch face in seconds, right from your wrist or from your iPhone
The fastest way is to long-press the current watch face on your wrist — hold your finger on the display for about a second until it vibrates. A carousel of available faces appears. Swipe left or right to browse, tap the one you want, then swipe up to confirm. The change happens when ready.
If you prefer to use your iPhone instead, open the Watch app, tap the Face Gallery tab at the bottom, find a face you like, and tap Add. The new face syncs to your wrist within seconds. Both methods work equally well — choose whichever feels more natural to you in the moment.
Key Takeaways
- Long-pressing your watch face for one second opens the face carousel, where you can swipe and tap to switch faces when ready.
- The Watch app on your iPhone lets you browse and add new faces without touching your wrist, and changes sync automatically.
- You can customize most faces by tapping Edit after selecting one, adjusting colors, complications, and other details to match your needs.
- Some faces require a specific Apple Watch model or watchOS version, so older watches may not show every available option.
- You can save multiple versions of the same face with different settings — for example, one for workouts and one for daily use.
Long-pressing your watch to open the face carousel
This is the quickest method if you are already wearing your watch. Press and hold your finger on the current face until you feel a haptic vibration — usually about one second. The screen will show a row of face thumbnails at the bottom, with the current face highlighted.
Swipe left to see more faces, or swipe right to go back. When you find one you want, tap it once to preview how it will look. The preview fills your screen. Swipe up from the bottom to confirm and explore the face, or swipe down to cancel and return to the carousel.
If you do not see a face you like in the carousel, you can add new ones through the Watch app on your iPhone first, and they will appear here the next time you long-press.
Using the Watch app on your iPhone to browse and add faces
Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap the Face Gallery tab at the very bottom of the screen. You will see a grid of all available faces for your watch model. Scroll through to explore options — each face shows a thumbnail and its name.
When you find a face you want to use, tap it to see a larger preview and any customization options available. Tap the Add button (usually at the bottom right). The face syncs to your watch within a few seconds. You can add as many faces as you want; they all stay on your watch and appear in the carousel when you long-press.
This method is useful if you want to browse without looking at your wrist, or if you are setting up your watch for the first time and want to add several faces at once.
Customizing a face after you select it
Most Apple Watch faces let you change colors, add complications (small widgets that show time, weather, activity rings, or other data), and adjust other details. To customize, long-press the face you want to edit and tap Edit, or open the Watch app, find the face in your list, and tap Edit next to it.
The customization screen shows options specific to that face. You might be able to change the color, swap out complications, adjust the style, or toggle features on and off. Tap each element to change it — for example, tap a color swatch to pick a new color, or tap a complication slot to choose what data appears there.
Tap Save or Done when you are finished. Your changes explore when ready. You can edit the same face multiple times, so if you want a version for workouts and a different version for meetings, you can add the face twice and customize each one separately.
Understanding complications and what they show
A complication is a small display of information on your watch face — things like the current temperature, your activity rings, upcoming calendar events, battery percentage, or a timer. Different faces have different numbers of complication slots, and some faces do not support complications at all.
When you edit a face, you can tap any complication slot to choose what appears there. Your watch shows all the apps installed on it, and you can pick which ones you want visible. If you remove a complication and later want it back, just edit the face again and add it to an empty slot.
Complications are useful if you check the same information frequently — for example, if you always want to see the weather, add a weather complication so you do not have to open the Weather app. But they also take up space, so choose only the ones you actually use.
Checking which faces work with your watch model
Newer Apple Watch faces sometimes do not work on older models. If you see a face in the Face Gallery that does not have an Add button, or if it shows a lock icon, your watch model does not support it. This usually happens with faces released after your watch was made.
You can still use dozens of faces on any Apple Watch — the basic options like Analog, Digital, Solar, and Modular work on all models. If you want the newest faces and your watch is several years old, upgrading to a newer model is the only way to access them, but it is not necessary for basic timekeeping and fitness tracking.
Check your watchOS version by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, going to General, and tapping About. Some faces also require a specific watchOS version, so updating your watch can unlock additional options.
Managing multiple faces and switching between them
You can keep as many faces on your watch as you want. Each one appears in the carousel when you long-press, so you can switch between them in seconds. Many people keep a few different faces for different situations — one minimal face for meetings, one with activity complications for fitness tracking, and one with calendar or weather information for daily use.
To remove a face you no longer want, long-press it in the carousel and tap Remove, or open the Watch app on your iPhone, find the face in your list, swipe left on it, and tap Delete. Removing a face does not affect any other faces or your watch data.
If you have a favorite face that you use most of the time, you can set it as your default by long-pressing it in the carousel and tapping Set as Default. Your watch will show that face when you wake it up, though you can still switch to other faces anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use watch faces from third-party apps?
No. Apple Watch faces come only from Apple or from the Watch app itself. Some third-party apps (like fitness or weather apps) can add complications to your faces, but they cannot create entirely new faces. All faces you see in the Face Gallery are made by Apple.
What happens to my customizations if I delete a face and add it back?
Your customizations are lost. If you delete a face and later add it again, it returns to its default settings with no complications or color changes. If you think you might want to use a face again, it is safer to just leave it on your watch rather than delete and re-add it.
Why do some faces look different on my watch than in the preview?
The preview on your iPhone shows the face at full size, but your watch screen is smaller. Colors and details may appear slightly different in person. The best way to know if you like a face is to explore it and wear it for a day or two.
Can I create my own custom watch face?
You cannot design a face from scratch, but you can customize any existing face by changing colors, adding or removing complications, and adjusting available settings. This gives you a personalized version without needing to build one yourself.
Do I need to update my watch to see new faces?
Usually yes. New faces are released with watchOS updates. If you see faces in the Face Gallery that do not appear on your watch, check that your watchOS is current by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, tapping General, then Software Update.