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Force Quit Apple Watch Apps in watchOS 27.2

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apple watch 10 titanium finishes crownPrior to watchOS 27, the easiest way to force quit Apple Watch apps was by swiping across them in the App Switcher screen, but getting to it has changed because the Digital Crown double-click gesture that got you there is now reserved for Apple's upcoming Live Rewind AI feature. Fortunately, the Apple Switcher is still available in watchOS 27.2

From the app you want to quit, press and hold the bottom of the screen to reveal the App Switcher. Then swipe left on the app you want to quit and tap the X to force quit it. You've now quit the app. Quitting an app doesn't save battery power, but it's useful if the app is misbehaving.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

blairh Avatar
7 weeks ago
This is lame. All these people are gonna google how to do this when an issue arises.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
7 weeks ago
It's been 12 years and Apple still hasn't figured out the Apple Watch UI. The side button did Glances, then a Dock, the Crown double click brought up the last app, or turning it on the watch face did Time Travel. None of these work. Even the spatial concept of the OS keeps changing.

The Watch has four input methods, five if you count the crown turn and press as two. Three of these are hard buttons that are very prominent and should be reserved for key OS functions.

The Digital Crown should act on the app on screen, whether that's the watch face or another app. Some faces have usable functions. Maybe Live Rewind is a Watch face with that turned on. Swipe to that watch face if you want Live Rewind.

The side button should be the app button. One press brings up the simplified honeycomb grid. Scroll up with the Digital Crown or your finger within the app grid and you get the full app honeycomb, scroll down and you see Control Centre. Two presses brings up Apple Pay. Press and Hold brings up recent apps carousel like on iOS. Swipe side to side to get back to your intended app or swipe them away to force quit them.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
7 weeks ago
Seems complicated. There should be an option to use the crown double-click option if live rewind feature is turned off.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dirk Pieters Avatar
7 weeks ago

It's been 12 years and Apple still hasn't figured out the Apple Watch UI. The side button did Glances, then a Dock, the Crown double click brought up the last app, or turning it on the watch face did Time Travel. None of these work. Even the spatial concept of the OS keeps changing.
This is what bothered me on Apple Watch and what bothers me on iPadOS. It seems that every release stuff like this has to be done in a different way.

Consistency be gone!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AusMness Avatar
7 weeks ago
I’ve got no problem with giving the double click a new function on the series 12s but it kinda sucks we can’t use it to jump straight to the main grid or something on older watches that don’t get the feature
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slix Avatar
7 weeks ago

Seriously? This is how Apple have now done it? Talk about diminishing the user experience… sounds awful. I did used to enjoy my Ultra 3, should have guessed Apple would change the user experience for ‘exclusive’ features in the new models..
This is actually how you used to force quit an app on iOS, before the app switcher came in iOS 4. But I agree, it's way less intuitive.

I hope they make the app switching an option again, I literally use it every day to access apps I recently used quicker.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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