watchOS 7 Removes Force Touch Support From Your Apple Watch, Here's Everything That's Changed

With the release of watchOS 7, Apple has added several new features to compatible Apple Watch models, such as new watch faces and sleep tracking, but it also drops support for the Force Touch gesture that some users may have come to think of as a second nature interaction on their wrist.


When users firmly pressed their Apple Watch screen, Force Touch technology would sense the extra pressure exertion and display additional content and controls depending on the context. But in watchOS 7, Apple has removed all Force Touch interactions from the UI, making the Force Touch sensor gasket in Apple Watch Series 5 and earlier models effectively superfluous.

apple watchos5 force touch diagram
Below, we've collected 10 new functions in watchOS 7 that replace our favorite Force Touch features on Apple's digital timepiece. Some are more well known than others, but hopefully you'll learn at least one thing about what a firm press on your Apple Watch screen used to do, and what you need to do now that it's gone.

1. Clear All Notifications

The Apple Watch's notifications dropdown can get busy pretty fast, especially if you often forget to dismiss an incoming alert after reading it. Rather than deleting notifications one by one, a Force Touch gesture let you clear them all with a tap.

notifications
Now you have to swipe down to scroll to the top of your notifications and then tap the Clear All button.

2. Create and Remove Watch Faces

To create a custom watch face with a background picture, you still open the Apple Watch Photos app and select a photo.

watch face
Instead of pressing firmly on the display like you used to, tap the Create Watch Face icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen instead, and then select Kaleidoscope or Photos.

3. Compose a New Message

On opening the Mail and Messages apps, you used to be able to reveal the option to compose a new message with a Force Touch gesture.

messages
Now that's gone, you need to swipe down to reveal the New Message button at the top of your messages list.

4. Change Move Goal and Get a Weekly Activity Summary

Using Force Touch on the Activity app's main screen used to reveal a Weekly Summary showing how many times you've beaten your daily move goal so far this week. Pressing down on this screen again revealed a Change Move Goal button to adjust the amount of calories you're aiming to burn.

activity
Both of these options have been replaced by individual buttons that you'll find right at the bottom of the Activity app's main screen, below today's activity stats.

5. Share Your Location With a Contact

When viewing a message in the Messages app, using Force Touch allowed you to quickly share your location with the message sender or view more details about the contact.

messages
These options can now be found at the very bottom of the message screen, directly below the Instant Replies.

6. Switch Between App Grid View and List View

Force Touch in the App View would switch between the default honeycomb-style Grid layout and the alternative List View.

settings
In watchOS 7, you can find both options in the Settings app under App View.

7. Hourly Temperature Forecast and Chance of Rain

The standard forecast display on the Apple Watch's stock Weather app shows the general weather conditions for the day ahead. Prior to watchOS 7, using Force Touch in the app displayed buttons for switching between weather conditions, chance of rain, and temperature.

weather
Fortunately, you can still access these views just as easily by tapping the 12-hour forecast to cycle through them.

8. Control Camera Settings Remotely

With the Apple Watch Camera app open, Force Touch would reveal a hidden submenu offering access to your iPhone's HDR, Flash, Live Photo, and Flip controls.

camera
In watchOS 7, all of these controls are accessed by tapping the three dots in the bottom-right of the screen, which reveal a vertical scrolling menu.

9. Switch Calendar View

Prior to watchOS 7, changing view options within the Calendar app could be done using Force Touch.

calendar
These options are now found in the Settings app under Calendar -> View Options.

10. Switch and Edit Watch Faces

Out of all the changes following the removal of Force Touch, this is almost certainly the least abrasive, and involves an almost identical gesture.

watch face
To switch between watch faces or customize the currently selected one, simply long press on the watch screen to invoke the watch face selector.

Final Thoughts

Force Touch was one of those Apple Watch features that was so discreet and unassuming that this arguably worked against it in the long run. Apple hasn't said why it removed the firm-press gesture in watchOS 7, but it could be that not enough users were aware of it for it to be genuinely useful.

That's a shame, because just like 3D Touch on ‌iPhone‌, Apple implemented the haptic feedback technology across the entire watchOS interface, putting additional functionality right at your fingertips. Of course, ‌3D Touch‌ went the same way as Force Touch on Apple Watch when the ‌iPhone‌ XR was launched, which some would argue suffered from the same lack of discoverability.

The ‌iPhone‌ XR introduced ‌Haptic Touch‌ to replace ‌‌3D Touch‌‌. While ‌‌Haptic Touch‌‌ (aka long press) is essentially a feedback mechanism, ‌‌3D Touch‌‌ offered genuine input options like Peek and Pop. This change has since expanded to the entire ‌iPhone‌ lineup, which has allowed Apple to remove the capacitive layer integrated into the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ display.

Will you miss Force Touch after updating your Apple Watch to watchOS 7? Are there any other Force Touch gestures we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...
iPhone 17 Air Front Page Tech 2

'iPhone 17 Air' With Ultra-Thin Design Allegedly Revealed in New Video

Monday February 17, 2025 6:53 pm PST by
YouTube channel Front Page Tech today revealed the alleged design of Apple's widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" model, set to launch later this year. "iPhone 17 Air" render created by @zellzoi for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech shared renders depicting what it believes is likely the final design of the "iPhone 17 Air." The device is expected to feature an ultra-thin...

Top Rated Comments

Böhme417 Avatar
58 months ago
Yay for removing a feature I use all the time...
Score: 81 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
58 months ago
Force Touch / 3D Touch was one of the cooler subtle features Apple introduced that made devices more enjoyable to use, and it was unique to Apple devices. I wonder why Apple felt the need to get rid of it? I still miss it when using my phone; tapping and holding just doesn't feel as cool and interactive as pushing harder.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
astroturfme Avatar
58 months ago
Why would anyone accept a vendor disabling a hardware-based feature that was working perfectly fine previously? There’s no reason previous models could not support both a long press and the new options. Not really impressed with apple on this one.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
58 months ago
I loved Force Touch -- it was an ideal way to interact with the Watch and I used it all the time. The new way so far seems cluttered and less intuitive.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miniyou64 Avatar
58 months ago
They really made me not want to buy this model. And I’m in the market for a new Apple watch...
- no force touch
- no major upgrades
- no redesign (same style as previous 2 cycles)
- no pure black stainless steel (?!!??)

Seriously Apple what is wrong with you guys.

Complacency I think.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
19callum93 Avatar
58 months ago
RIP Force Touch, you’ll be missed ?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)