watchOS 11 nonetheless lacks this much-needed function

When a brand new Apple product comes out, up to date software program is at all times a giant deal. Vigorous round

iOS 18
This yr the principle focus is on the upcoming

Apple good features
and

macOS Sequoia
Additionally acquired some synthetic intelligence-driven instruments.

Nonetheless, there’s one working system that by no means actually bought the identical stage of affection. On Apple Watch,

watchOS 11
Added some helpful new options together with the brand new Vitals app, coaching load evaluation and

sleep apnea testing
which brings some main upgrades to watchOS 10. That is one factor I actually hope Apple contains in watchOS 11.

Opening the Exercise app makes me lose my will to dwell

There are two kinds of Apple Watch customers: those that use grid view and those that use listing view. In grid view, all of your apps seem as a group of small icons that you may scroll to search out the app you want. The Functions view shows all purposes in an extended alphabetical listing.

If you happen to’re a grid view fan, you may not even understand this can be a drawback. After all, it’s important to rack your mind looking for an app that you simply use so little that you simply’re not fairly positive what its icon appears to be like like. Nonetheless, you do not have to face the most important drawback with listing views: infinite scrolling.

You possibly can press the Digital Crown to open listing view. Up to now, so good. Flip the Digital Crown to begin scrolling by way of the alphabetical listing. Then hold scrolling. Roll somewhat extra. In case your Apple Watch is cluttered with apps like mine, you will end up turning the Digital Crown greater than 30 occasions earlier than you get to the Ws and open

exercise app
. That is an train in itself.

Swiping throughout the display screen is barely sooner, however nonetheless a tough process, and once you’ve simply pressed the Digital Crown to open the listing view, it feels extra pure to proceed rotating it to scroll by way of the listing. Irrespective of which technique you utilize, selecting which apps to open should not be that tough. There’s a neater method, and Apple already is aware of learn how to do it.

Different areas of watchOS counsel there is a easy answer

Choosing widgets requires much less scrolling

Essentially the most irritating factor is that the proper answer to this drawback already exists in your Apple Watch. If you wish to add a brand new widget to your

Knowledge stacking
you may maintain down any present widget and faucet add button to pick a brand new gadget.

That is the place the magic occurs. If you happen to scroll at an affordable pace by way of a listing of apps that provide widgets, it really works precisely the identical because it does in listing view. However if you happen to scroll sooner, the Apple Watch stops scrolling one app at a time and begins scrolling by way of the alphabet.

You may see a small icon within the higher proper nook of the display screen exhibiting the present letter. For instance, if you wish to choose the Medicines app, you may rapidly scroll by way of the letters till you attain M, pause for a second, after which you may proceed scrolling by way of apps that start with the letter M.

It is a lot sooner to make use of this technique. Utilizing this technique, I solely have to scroll the Digital Crown a couple of occasions to entry the Exercise widget, in comparison with greater than 30 scrolls in listing view. Software program for this already exists on the Apple Watch, so there isn’t any motive the identical performance cannot be utilized to deciding on apps in listing view.

Issues bought even worse for a time in watchOS 10

Record view will at all times return to prime of listing

Apple/Pocket Velvet

The present state of the stock view is unhealthy sufficient, however there was a time when it bought worse

watchOS 10
. In watchOS 9, stock view is annoying to make use of, however it has a function that makes it extra bearable. After you scroll by way of the listing view and choose an app, the following time you open the listing view, it would nonetheless present the identical apps you final opened. For instance, if you happen to open the Exercise app, the following time you open Record View, you will nonetheless be caught with the “W” within the listing of letters.

Nonetheless, with the discharge of watchOS 10, this function disappeared. As an alternative, each time the listing view is opened, it goes again to the start of the listing once more. If you happen to open the Exercise app from listing view after which wish to open it once more later within the day, the listing will return to the highest and you should scroll to the Exercise app once more.

Fortunately, this difficulty has been

watchOS 10.4
it would return to at all times exhibiting your final place within the listing. I am very relieved to search out that that is nonetheless the case in watchOS 11.

Record view remains to be my utility view of alternative

Simply make one change to get higher

Record view has its issues, however I nonetheless want it to grid view as a result of it is simpler to search out apps you do not use usually from an alphabetical listing than from a random structure of small app icons. If I am solely utilizing the identical few apps on a regular basis, the grid view will enable me to maintain the apps I exploit most frequently on the prime, however after I’m utilizing totally different apps, having the ability to discover them alphabetically is way much less irritating .

It is irritating that I’ve to do lots of pointless scrolling, and much more annoying that Apple has proposed an answer to this drawback elsewhere on the Apple Watch, however nonetheless hasn’t applied it into the listing view. I hoped that watchOS 11 would possibly lastly be the time for the Apple Watch so as to add this much-needed function, however sadly my wait continues.