{
  "id": 17630211,
  "title": "What is AssistiveTouch on your Apple Watch and when should you use it?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/what-is-assistivetouch-on-your-apple-watch-and-when-should-you-use-it",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-01T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Engadget",
    "slug": "engadget",
    "url": "https://www.engadget.com/2302464/what-is-assistivetouch-apple-watch-when-use-it/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "AssistiveTouch is an accessibility feature on your Apple Watch that allows you to control the device without touching the screen. This feature, built into Apple Watch running the latest watchOS version, uses data from the gyroscope, accelerometer, and optical heart rate sensor to detect subtle movements.\n\nOnce enabled, you can perform various actions like tapping buttons, scrolling, and even using Apple Pay, all without directly touching the screen. These actions can be customized to suit your preferences. For instance, a single tap could open the Notification Center, while a double tap might bring up a new feature.\n\nThe feature also includes a \"Try it out\" option in the Hand Gestures settings, which provides a guided animation to help you understand how to use the AssistiveTouch gestures. Once activated, a highlight appears around screen elements, indicating which will be tapped when you make the assigned gesture.\n\nAlthough primarily designed for accessibility, AssistiveTouch can be beneficial in everyday situations too, such as when your hands are occupied. However, it's important to note that enabling AssistiveTouch will disable Apple's universal double tap gesture, which you'd typically use to answer calls or scroll through widgets.\n\nAssistiveTouch is one of the lesser-known, yet highly useful features on your Apple Watch. It's worth exploring other accessibility settings as well, like Auto-Answer Calls or Show Audio Transcriptions, and even adjusting Text Size for better visibility. For Apple Watch Ultra users, learning to assign different actions to the Action Button could also be beneficial.",
  "summary": "Your Apple Watch can respond to simple hand and finger gestures with AssistiveTouch. Learn how to set it up, toggle it off and when it's actually helps.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Tom's Guide",
        "title": "I walked another 8,000 steps with the Apple Watch 12 and Fitbit Edge: Here’s which came out on top",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/i-walked-another-8-000-steps-with-the-apple-watch-12-and-fitbit-edge",
        "published": "2026-11-01T11:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechRadar",
        "title": "I tested the Google Fitbit Edge against the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro on a 5km run",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/i-tested-the-google-fitbit-edge-against-the-garmin-fenix-9-pro-on-a",
        "published": "2026-11-01T14:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}