14 Great Ways To Use The Digital Crown On Your Apple Watch

The Digital Crown on your Apple Watch is a versatile control mechanism that offers a wide range of functionalities, making your interaction with the watch more intuitive and efficient. Here are 14 great ways to use the Digital Crown, each providing unique benefits and enhancing your overall Apple Watch experience.

1. Wake Your Display

You can wake your Apple Watch display by slowly rotating the Digital Crown. This feature, enabled through Settings > Display & Brightness by turning on Wake on Crown Rotation, allows you to gradually brighten the screen without disturbing others, especially useful in settings like movie theaters.

2. Return to the Home Screen

Pressing the Digital Crown once will return you to the Home Screen, no matter which app or screen you are currently on. This is a quick way to navigate back to your main interface.

3. Open the Last Used Apps

Double-clicking the Digital Crown opens the last app you were using, allowing you to quickly switch between your most recent activities. This feature is particularly useful for multitasking.

4. Activate Siri

Press and hold the Digital Crown to activate Siri, your personal assistant. This method is an alternative to saying "Hey Siri" and provides a tactile way to access Siri's features.

5. Select a Watch Face

You can use the Digital Crown to select and switch between different watch faces. Simply press the Digital Crown to return to the Home Screen, then press it again to switch to the watch face, and rotate the crown to navigate through available faces.

6. Scroll Through Lists, Screens, or Items

The Digital Crown functions similarly to a scroll wheel, allowing you to scroll through lists, screens, or items in apps like Messages or Mail. Turn the crown forward to scroll down and backward to scroll up.

7. Use the ECG App

For Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, you can use the Digital Crown to take an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading. Hold your index finger on the Digital Crown for 30 seconds to capture the reading, which can be saved automatically in the Health app.

8. Adjust the Volume for Music or Calls

Rotate the Digital Crown to adjust the volume during music playback or calls. Turning the crown forward increases the volume, while turning it backward decreases it.

9. Zoom In or Out

You can use the Digital Crown to zoom in or out on maps, photos, or other content. Turn the crown forward to zoom in and backward to zoom out.

10. Exit Schooltime

If you are in Schooltime mode, which limits watch functionality to help students focus, you can exit this mode by pressing the Digital Crown.

11. Turn Off Water Lock and Eject Water

After a water workout, press and hold the Digital Crown to unlock the screen and eject water from the watch.

12. Take a Screenshot

To take a screenshot on your Apple Watch, press the Side button and the Digital Crown simultaneously. This action captures the current screen and saves it to your Photos app.

13. Pause a Workout

During a workout, you can pause the activity by pressing the Digital Crown. This allows you to temporarily stop tracking your exercise without ending the session entirely.

14. Turn On or Off the Digital Crown Haptics

You can enable or disable the haptic feedback of the Digital Crown, which provides tactile feedback when you turn the crown. This setting can be adjusted in the Watch app on your iPhone.

Digital Crown Versus the Side Button

Understanding the difference between the Digital Crown and the Side button is crucial for effective navigation. The Digital Crown is the circular dial used for scrolling, zooming, and other interactive functions, while the Side button is the rectangular button next to it, used for accessing the Dock, Apple Pay, and other features.