What you can change on your Apple Watch screen
Your Apple Watch display has several settings you can adjust without visiting a repair shop or changing the hardware itself. You can make the screen brighter or dimmer, change the text size, switch between different watch faces, adjust colors, and turn on features like the always-on display. Most of these changes take less than a minute and happen right on your wrist.
The watch faces are the main visual element — these are the different designs that show the time and information you choose. You can have multiple faces saved and switch between them by swiping left or right on the watch screen. Beyond faces, you control how the screen behaves through the Settings app, which works similarly to settings on an iPhone.
Key Takeaways
- Watch faces are changed by swiping left or right on your current watch face, then tapping the one you want to use.
- Brightness and text size are adjusted in the Settings app on the watch itself, under Display & Brightness.
- The always-on display feature lets your watch show the time even when your wrist is down, but uses more battery.
- You can customize individual watch faces by long-pressing them to add complications — small widgets that show weather, calendar, or fitness data.
- If you make a change and want to undo it, you can always switch to a different watch face or reset display settings to their defaults.
Switching between watch faces
The fastest way to change what your watch looks like is to switch watch faces. Raise your wrist to wake the screen, then swipe left or right across the watch face. Each swipe moves you to the next saved face. When you see the face you want, stop swiping and tap it once to make it active.
If you have only one watch face saved, swiping will not show you anything new. You need to add more faces first. To do this, long-press (hold your finger on the screen for about two seconds) any watch face. A menu appears at the bottom with an add button — tap the plus sign to see the full library of available faces. Scroll through the options, tap one you like, then tap Add to save it.
Once you have added multiple faces, you can organize them by swiping to each one and long-pressing it again. You will see options to customize that specific face, delete it, or move it up or down in your list. Rearranging faces does not affect how they work — it just changes the order you see when swiping.
Adjusting brightness and text size
To change how bright your screen is, open the Settings app on your watch. You will see a gear icon on your home screen — tap it. Scroll down and tap Display & Brightness. You will see a slider for brightness. Drag it left to make the screen dimmer or right to make it brighter. The change happens when ready as you move the slider, so you can stop when it feels right.
Text size is in the same Settings menu. In Display & Brightness, scroll down past the brightness slider and tap Text Size. A larger or smaller version of the letter A appears on screen. Tap the plus button to increase size or the minus button to decrease it. This affects text throughout your watch, including notifications and app menus. If you make text too large, some information may not fit on screen, so you may need to scroll more often to see everything.
Both brightness and text size changes stay saved until you change them again. If you ever want to return to Apple's default settings, go back to Display & Brightness and look for a Reset option at the bottom of the menu.
Turning on the always-on display
By default, your Apple Watch screen turns off when you lower your wrist to save battery. The always-on display feature keeps the watch face visible at all times, even when your arm is down. This is useful if you want to glance at the time without raising your wrist, but it drains the battery faster.
To turn this on, open Settings on your watch and tap Display & Brightness. Scroll down and look for the toggle labeled Always On. Tap it to turn the feature on — the toggle will change color to show it is active. When always-on is enabled, your watch face will dim significantly when you lower your wrist, but the time and basic information will still be visible.
If you notice your battery is draining much faster than usual after turning on always-on, you can turn it back off the same way. Some watch faces work better with always-on than others — if the dimmed version looks too faint, try switching to a different face that has higher contrast.
Customizing individual watch faces with complications
Complications are small widgets on your watch face that show specific information — weather, your next calendar event, activity rings, or the current temperature. Most watch faces let you add or remove complications to show what matters to you. To customize a face, long-press it until the menu appears at the bottom, then tap Edit.
When you are in edit mode, tap any empty area on the watch face or tap an existing complication to change it. A list of available options appears. Scroll through and tap the one you want. Some complications show more detail than others — a weather complication might show just the temperature, or it might show the temperature plus the forecast. Tap your choice and it replaces what was there.
You can have the same complication in multiple places on one face, or use different faces for different situations. For example, you might have a fitness-focused face for workouts and a calendar-focused face for work days. Each face saves its own set of complications, so switching faces also switches the information you see.
Using color and appearance options
Some watch faces let you change the color scheme. When you are editing a watch face (long-press it and tap Edit), look for a color option near the top or bottom of the screen. Tap it to see available colors. The watch face preview updates as you tap different colors, so you can see what each one looks like before you confirm.
Color options vary by watch face — some faces offer many color choices, while others offer only a few or none at all. If a face does not have a color option, you can switch to a different face that does. The color you choose is saved for that specific face, so you can have one face in blue and another in red without affecting each other.
Beyond color, some faces let you change the style or layout. For example, a digital face might let you choose between different number fonts, or an analog face might let you choose between different hand styles. These options also appear in the edit menu for that face. Experiment with different combinations to find what you prefer.
Troubleshooting display changes that do not stick
If you make a change to brightness or text size and it reverts back after you close Settings, your watch may have a setting that overrides your choice. Check Display & Brightness again and look for an option called Auto-Brightness. If this is turned on, your watch automatically adjusts brightness based on the light around you, which can override manual brightness changes. Turn it off if you want your brightness setting to stay exactly where you set it.
If a watch face you customized does not look the way you saved it, make sure you tapped the checkmark or confirmation button to save your changes. When you are editing a face, you must confirm your edits before leaving the edit screen, or the changes will be lost. Long-press the face again and tap Edit to check what is actually saved.
If your screen is stuck on one brightness level or the display looks wrong, try restarting your watch. Press and hold the side button until you see the power-off slider, then drag it to turn the watch off. Wait a few seconds, then press and hold the side button again to turn it back on. This often fixes temporary display glitches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different watch faces for different times of day?
Not automatically, but you can manually switch faces whenever you want. Some third-party apps let you set up automation so faces change at certain times, but this requires downloading an app from the App Store and setting up the automation in the Shortcuts app. For most people, manually swiping to a different face takes just one second.
Does changing brightness or text size affect battery life?
Brightness does affect battery — a dimmer screen uses less power. Text size does not directly affect battery, but larger text may mean fewer items fit on screen at once, so you might scroll more. The always-on display feature has the biggest battery impact of any display setting.
What happens if I delete a watch face I like?
You can add it back anytime. Long-press any watch face, tap the plus button, and scroll through the library to find it again. All the complications and colors you had set up will be gone, but you can customize it the same way you did before.
Why does my watch face look different on someone else's Apple Watch?
Watch faces can look different depending on which Apple Watch model you have — older watches may not support all faces or all complications. The watch face library also changes with software updates, so newer faces may not be available on older watches. If you see a face on someone else's watch that you do not have, check if a software update is available on your watch.
Can I create my own custom watch face from scratch?
Apple Watch does not let you build a completely custom face from nothing. You choose from Apple's library of pre-made faces and customize them with colors and complications. Some third-party apps offer additional face designs, but you cannot design one pixel by pixel like you might on a computer.