watchOS 27 brings more than new features to Apple Watch. The update also quietly removes one app entirely and changes how the Digital Crown behaves, both as a single click and a double click.
None of these changes were highlighted during Apple’s WWDC26 keynote in June, and they only became clear once the software reached wider testing over the summer.
Walkie-Talkie Is Gone From Apple Watch
Walkie-Talkie, the real-time voice app that only worked between two Apple Watches, is not available in watchOS 27. Apple has not offered a replacement or an alternative way to send quick voice messages between watches.
The app had been part of watchOS since 2018, letting users send short voice clips or hold live conversations without opening an iPhone. Anyone who relied on it for quick check-ins with family members will need to find another way starting with this update.
Double-Clicking the Digital Crown No Longer Switches Apps
For years, double-clicking the Digital Crown jumped between your two most recent apps, a fast way to bounce between something like a workout and a music app without returning to the home screen first. In watchOS 27, that shortcut is gone.
Double-clicking now does the exact same thing as a single click. Apple has not explained the change or said whether a different multitasking shortcut is planned for a future update.
A Single Click Now Opens a Dynamic App Grid
Clicking the Digital Crown once used to open your full app launcher, a behavior that had stayed consistent since the very first Apple Watch. watchOS 27 replaces that with a smaller, dynamic grid instead.
The new view shows five suggested apps, a dedicated Siri icon, and a button to reach the complete app grid. Scrolling the Digital Crown upward still gets you to the full list of installed apps.
| Digital Crown Action | Before watchOS 27 | In watchOS 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Single click | Opens full app grid | Opens dynamic grid with 5 suggested apps and Siri |
| Double click | Switches between two recent apps | Same as a single click |
The Change Puts Siri Front and Center
Giving Siri a fixed spot in the new dynamic grid fits a pattern across Apple’s entire 2026 software lineup, where Siri AI gets prominent placement in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and watchOS 27 alike. On Apple Watch, that means Siri is now one tap away from the watch face by default, whether you want it there or not.
There is currently no setting to restore the old app switcher behavior or bring back the full-size app grid as the default view for a single click.
