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Apple Watch Series 9's Big Reveal? An Innovative Double-Tap Gesture

The Apple Watch Series 9 includes bright displays, a new S9 SiP (System in Package), and a handy new method of control: double tap.

At Apple's Wonderlust event, the company unveiled a new Apple Watch lineup as expected. And while the wearables feature the usual mix of better internals and displays, the real standout might be a new software trick.

If you opt for the Apple Watch Series 9 or the Apple Watch Ultra 2, you'll get a new gesture to control your watch: double-tapping your index and thumb together. Use it to answer or hang up a call, take a picture, and more. Essentially, the gesture activates the primary button task on the Apple Watch, so if you're in a timer, it will pause, for instance.

This isn't the first time Apple has introduced gestures into the Watch. Previous watches are capable of pinch and clench gestures, along with double pinch and double clench. And it's worth noting the previous double-pinch gesture is identical to the double tap. But those gestures are aimed more at accessibility, where someone might have touble working with a small touch screen.

The new double tap expands on the idea and brings the feature to everyone instead of burying it an accessibility menu. But it is exclusive to the Series 9 and Ultra 2 Watches, as Apple says it depends on the latest S9 SIP.

Apple says double tap will roll out at the software level later this month.

About Josh Hendrickson