Apple Watch’s missing App Switcher just made a comeback in watchOS 27.2 Beta

Apple appears to be walking back one of the more noticeable navigation changes in watchOS 27. The second developer beta of watchOS 27.2 restores App Switcher, letting Apple Watch users quickly jump between recently used apps again.

The change arrives less than a week after Apple released watchOS 27.2 beta 1. In watchOS 27, Apple removed the previous shortcut that allowed users to double-click the Digital Crown to access recently used apps. The omission meant there was no longer a similarly quick way to move between apps.

However, Apple is not bringing back the old Digital Crown shortcut just yet. Instead, beta 2 introduces a completely different gesture for accessing the App Switcher.

Apple brings back App Switcher with a long press

In watchOS 27.2 beta 2, users can press and hold the bottom of the Apple Watch screen while inside an app to open the App Switcher. Once it appears, the experience largely resembles the previous version.

Users can rotate the Digital Crown to move through recently opened apps. To remove an app from the switcher, they can swipe left on it and tap the “X” button.

The change was spotted by members of the Apple Watch community and shared by user Bones on X. The discovery is significant because the App Switcher itself had disappeared from watchOS 27, rather than simply being moved to another obvious location.

For people who frequently jump between apps, that could make watchOS 27.2 feel considerably more familiar than the initial watchOS 27 release.

The gesture could still change before release

There is one important catch: watchOS 27.2 is still in beta. Apple could modify or remove the new gesture before the final version reaches users. The report suggests the public release is likely to arrive next month, although Apple has not confirmed a final release date.

The change also shows how small interface decisions can have a noticeable impact on smartwatch usability. The previous double-click gesture had been part of Apple Watch navigation for years, so removing it changed an established interaction pattern for existing users.

For now, Apple appears to be experimenting with a replacement rather than simply restoring the old behaviour. If the gesture survives the beta process, watchOS users will once again have a dedicated way to move between recent apps, albeit with a press-and-hold gesture instead of the familiar Digital Crown double-click.