How to Automatically Change Your Apple Watch Face Based on Time or Location.
Auto-changing watch faces is one of the many Apple Watch hacks that few people know about. The process is quite simple and involves using the Shortcuts app to create a watch face automation.
Read :Â Â How to Set Up Your New Apple Watch
We’ll show you how to change Apple Watch faces based on schedule and location.
Note. Apple Watch Automation in Shortcuts works with iPhones and Apple Watches running iOS 14 or watchOS 7, respectively.
Change Apple Watch Face Based on Time
Open the Shortcuts app on iPhone and follow these steps:
Click the Automation tab and select Create Personal Automation. Select Time of Day from the New Automation screen. Set your preferred time when you want the Apple Watch screen to change. You can select Sunrise, Sunset or set a specific time of day.
To set a specific time, touch a preset time and select the hours, minutes, and whether it is AM or PM. Tap anywhere outside the time window to continue.
Then select the Repeat schedule – Daily, Weekly, or Monthly – and click Next in the upper right corner.
For the “Weekly” schedule, select the days you want to repeat the watch face automation. If you prefer the “Monthly” schedule, select the day of the month when you want to repeat the automation.
Click the Add Action button.Go to the Applications tab, click Clock and select Set watch face.
Or type watch face in the search bar and click “Install watch face”.
The next step is to select a watch face category. Click Watch Face under Set Active Watch Face.Select a watch face category to continue. Or tap Ask Every Time to manually select your preferred watch face at the scheduled time.
Refer to this Apple Watch user guide to learn more about watch faces and their features.
Click Next to continue.Turn off the Ask before launch option, select Don’t ask, and click Done to save the automation.
This will redirect you to the automation panel. To edit an automation, click on it and select the condition you want to change. Click “Done” in the upper right corner to save your changes.
Uncheck “Enable this automation” to pause automatic watch face change using shortcuts.
To remove an automation, return to the Automation toolbar, swipe the watch face automation to the left, and click Remove.
The Shortcuts app will display a notification when an automation runs on a set schedule. Check your Apple Watch face to make sure it works.
If you want to change your watch face multiple times a day, week, or month, you’ll need to create multiple automations. Let’s say you want different clock faces at 10:00 and 18:00 each day, create an automation for each period.
Change Apple Watch Face Based on Location
Different watch faces for different periods of the day are fun. However, it is much more interesting to change the Apple Watch watch face depending on your actions in a certain place.
The Shortcuts app allows you to set your watch to use a new watch face when you arrive or leave an area. Follow these steps to set up location-based automation for your Apple Watch watch face.
Open Shortcuts, select Automation at the bottom of the screen, and tap the plus sign at the top right.Tap the Create Personal Automation button.Select Arrive if you want to change your Apple watch face watch. when you reach your preferred location. Otherwise, select “Leave” to change the watch face when you leave the place/location.
Click “Select” in the “Location” bar. Click “Allow while using the app” to give the Shortcuts app access to your location. Select a recent location from the list or enter an address in the search bar. Click “Current Location” to set your current region as your preferred location. Tap Done in the top right corner to continue.Choose Anytime to use a different watch face every time you arrive (or leave) at a location. Otherwise, select “Time Range” to select the period in which the change occurs. Click “Next” to continue.
Let’s say you set the time range from 17:00 to 21:00; your watch face will only change when you arrive or leave the location during those hours.
Click “Add Action” to continue.Go to the Applications tab, select “Watch” and click “Set Watch Face”.
Better yet, type the watch face in the search bar and select Install Watch Face.
Click “Face” in the “Set Active Watch Face” section, select a watch face category, and click “Next”. Check location-based automation and click “Finish.”
Note. Unlike time-based automation, your watch face will not automatically change when you arrive or leave a location. Instead, the shortcuts will display a pop-up asking you to confirm manually changing the watch face.
Watch Face Not Changing Automatically? Try These N Fixes
Your watch may not automatically change its wallpaper if it is outdated or disconnected from your iPhone. Bugs in your iPhone’s operating system can also cause the problem. If your watch face isn’t changing to match time or location automation, these troubleshooting tips should fix the issue:
Turn off Airplane Mode on Apple Watch
Airplane mode disconnects the Apple Watch from the iPhone. Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face and check the top right corner of the Control Center.
If there’s a red crossed-out phone icon in the top right corner, your Apple Watch isn’t connected to your iPhone. Disabling Airplane Mode should fix this issue.
Scroll down to Control Center, tap the orange airplane icon, and wait until the iPhone icon turns green.
Or go to Settings > Airplane Mode and turn off Airplane Mode.
Also, make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off in the Airplane Mode Behavior section.
One more thing: make sure Bluetooth on your iPhone and Apple Watch is turned on. Open the Settings app on your watch, tap Bluetooth, scroll down and turn on Bluetooth.
Do the same for your iPhone. Go to Settings > Bluetooth, turn on Bluetooth, and make sure your Apple Watch shows Connected.
Refer to our guide to reconnecting your Apple Watch to iPhone if the issue persists.
Check location service permission
You need to give Shortcuts and Apple Watch Watch faces access to your location in order to use location-based automation. Otherwise, the application will not be able to track your arrival or departure from the area.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone, go to Privacy > Location Services > Apple Watch Faces, and select While Using the App. Also, make sure you include the exact location.
Return to the Location Services menu and set up the same location access for the Shortcuts app.
Select “Shortcuts”, select “When using the app” and turn on “Precise Location”.
Reboot devices
Restarting your Apple Watch or iPhone can fix temporary glitches preventing the watch face from changing automatically.
If you’re charging your Apple Watch, remove it from the charger. Press and hold the side button of the watch and drag the power off slider to the right.
Wait 30 seconds for your watch to turn off completely. After that, press and hold the side button again to restart the watch. Release the button when you see the Apple logo on the screen. If the problem persists, restart your iPhone and check again.
Update your devices.
Software bugs in your iPhone or Apple Watch operating system can prevent information from syncing correctly between both devices. Open the Apple Watch and iPhone settings menu and install any available software updates for both devices.
To update your Apple Watch, you must first update the software on your iPhone. Connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network, go to Settings > General > Software Update, and then click Download and Install.
Then open the Watch app, select the My Watch tab, select General > Software, and click Download and Install.
Automation is Fun
Apple Watch has an extensive collection of watch faces, but not all watch faces are available in all regions. Similarly, watch face collections also vary by Apple Watch model and operating system. Keeping your Apple Watch up to date increases your chances of getting the latest watch faces from Apple. You can also spice things up by using custom watch faces from third party sources.
How to Automatically Change Your Apple Watch Face Based on Time or Location
How to Automatically Change Your Apple Watch Face Based on Time or Location