Key Takeaways
- To change the Action button’s linked app/function, hold the button down, then use your finger or the digital crown.
- This should work with any Apple Watch Ultra updated to watchOS 11 or later.
- You’re still limited to the same set of options found in watchOS 10.
While Apple didn’t make any hardware updates to the Apple Watch Ultra this year except for a new color, it did at least introduce a number of software features alongside watchOS 11, such as sleep apnea detection and a long-overdue Training Load metric. In fact, as is surprisingly common for Apple, some of those features went unannounced — including a new way of configuring the Ultra’s Action button.
Previously, the only way of changing the Action button’s linked function was to go into the watchOS Settings app. I’ll demonstrate the new method below, as well as its ongoing limitations.
How to configure the Ultra’s Action button in watchOS 11
Switch it up in an instant for faster controls
To change what the Action button does, all you have to do is hold it down and scroll through a list of onscreen actions using your finger or the Ultra’s digital crown. This works with both the original Ultra and the Ultra 2. You can check out a video of the feature on Threads if you want to see it simulated.
There’s still a limited number of apps and functions you can trigger. These include:
- Workout
- Stopwatch
- Waypoint
- Backtrack
- Dive
- Flashlight
- Shortcut
Note that the last option requires creating an automation in the official Shortcuts app on your iPhone. It’s extremely powerful — you could, for instance, start shuffling music and navigate home at the same time — but the Shortcuts interface takes some getting used to, and you’ll have to specifically flag a shortcut as visible on your Ultra. Once you’ve completed one, tap its More (triple-dot) icon, then Info (i). Select Show on Apple Watch Ultra.
On your Ultra, you may have to choose which shortcut it’ll default to. To do that:
- Open the watchOS Settings app.
- Go to Action Button > Action, then tap Shortcut.
- If you don’t see shortcuts you’ve flagged, tap the Back button, tap Shortcut again, then pick a shortcut.
Why can’t I make the Action button do anything I want?
Waiting for change directly from the higher-ups
Only Apple or third-party developers can say for sure, but we do know that, like all Apple mobile platforms, watchOS 11 is relatively locked down. There’s probably no universal way of linking specific commands within specific apps, which means Apple has to do the coding itself.
The Shortcuts app is Apple’s answer to the problem.
The company may also be trying to keep the Apple Watch experience straightforward. Having a flood of commands to choose from might overwhelm some users, leading them to ignore the button entirely. The options watchOS 11 does have are likely to be some of the most used, or at least aimed towards the Ultra’s (nominal) audience of athletes, hikers, and divers.
The Shortcuts app is Apple’s answer to the problem, at least for the moment. I wouldn’t be surprised though if watchOS 12 opened up the Action button a little bit more, or at least added a few more compatible apps.
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