Apple is bringing the App Switcher back to the Apple Watch, just with a different gesture than before. The feature reappeared in watchOS 27.2 beta 2, released to developers less than a week after the first beta.
watchOS 27 removed the ability to quickly jump between recently used apps when it launched, and workarounds for the missing App Switcher have been the main way around it since.
The New Gesture Is a Press and Hold, Not the Digital Crown
On watchOS 26 and earlier, double-clicking the Digital Crown pulled up the App Switcher, then turning the crown scrolled through recent apps. watchOS 27 dropped that shortcut along with other changes to how the Digital Crown works, and the App Switcher disappeared along with it.
watchOS 27.2 beta 2 doesn’t bring the Digital Crown shortcut back. Instead, pressing and holding the bottom of the screen while inside an app now opens the App Switcher. From there, the rest of the experience works the same as before: turn the Digital Crown to scroll through recent apps, or swipe left on one and tap the “X” to remove it.
Apple has brought back the App Switcher!
On watchOS 26 and earlier, you could access the App Switcher by double-clicking the Digital Crown, then turning the Digital Crown to navigate through your recently used apps. You could also swipe left on an app and tap the “X” button to… pic.twitter.com/G5fa0TeTR9
— 𝓑𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼 (@limpless_skelly) September 22, 2026
Betas change before final release, and Apple hasn’t confirmed this exact gesture will make it into the version most people install. watchOS 27.2 is expected to arrive more broadly next month.
Bringing the feature back at all, even in an early beta, is a sign Apple is listening to complaints about losing it in the first place.
Our Take
A press-and-hold on the screen is a reasonable trade for double-clicking a physical crown, though it’s a step down for anyone used to triggering the switcher without looking at their wrist. Apple restoring this two betas into 27.2 suggests it underestimated how many people relied on quick app switching daily.
