What is the Apple Watch Double Tap feature and is it worth it?

Apple's flagship feature on its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches is the Double Tap gesture, which triggers actions on your Apple Watch without you having to touch the screen.

In theory, this means you can tap two fingers together to control features on the watch with just one hand - such as answering calls, pausing music and more. It does this by detecting your movement and changes in blood flow using sensors. 

There was a similar feature on older Apple watches within the accessibility settings, but Apple has expanded capability significantly on the latest models.

We asked our smartwatch test lab to trial this feature and find out how useful it is. They had some reservations, finding it glitchy in certain scenarios.

Eat well, live better, stay healthy – sign up for our free monthly Food & Health newsletter for all the latest insights delivered straight to your inbox

What can you do with Apple's Double Tap?

Double Tap shortcuts some actions. On the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra Watch 2 you can use it to:

1. Scroll through apps
2. Answer and end phone calls
3. Scroll through, answer and snooze notifications (including third-party apps such as WhatsApp)
4. Pause, resume, and end a timer or stopwatch
5. Snooze an alarm
6. Play and pause music, podcasts and audiobooks
7. Switch to Elevation view in the Compass app (Ultra 2 only)
8. Take an iPhone photo using the Camera app
9. Start or stop automatic Workout reminders

We tested it out in our lab and found it can be convenient when you've only got one hand free for actions and can't tap the screen. 

It's easy to use, and the watch reliably picked up the action in our test. It worked flawlessly in scenarios including when accepting calls, browsing the smart stack and replying to messages using dictation.

Fitness tracker vs smartwatch - which is best for you? We explain how to decide

What are the limitations of Double Tap? 

We have a couple of gripes about Double Tap, based on our experts' tests.

When you double tap to stop a timer or stopwatch, there is a second or two delay between your double tap and the action taking place. If you're trying to beat your quickest run and are after an accurate time, this isn't going to cut it. There's a similar delay when pausing music, although this isn't likely to be as annoying.

Your Apple Watch also needs to be awake for the double tap to register, which can further slow down the action. You may have to raise your wrist to wake it up before double tapping.  

That being said, unless you're doing some serious time trials, it's likely to be a helpful extra feature to have, especially if you use the smart functions on your watch a lot and like to be hands-free - answering calls while cooking dinner for example.

Which Apple watches have Double Tap?

This feature is only fully available on the latest Apple watches (Series 9 onwards) and these aren't cheap. 

Get our full expert view in our Apple Watch Series 9 review and Apple Watch Ultra 2 review to see how these models compare with older versions and rivals - before parting with your money. If you're already sold on the latest Apple tech, they are available at the retailers below.

Apple Watch Series 9 prices

Apple Watch Ultra 2 prices

See all our Apple watch reviews.

Looking for cheap alternatives? Check out the best smartwatches for under £200 that impressed in our tests

Is Double Tap only on Apple?

While Double Tap is an Apple feature, Samsung has similar functionality on its flagship smartwatches. These are called Universal Gestures. The watch detects you pinching your fingers, making a fist or shaking your wrist. 

You can enable these in the accessibility settings, but the feature isn't as extensive as Apple's Double Tap  (it is, like Apple's previous version, primarily an accessibility feature).

However, with action gestures like these becoming more common on top-spec wearables, we expect this to expand and for other manufacturers to follow. 

Ultimately, while it's a nice feature to have - particularly if you often find yourself scuppered by not having a hand spare - it's not essential. 

Other aspects, such as battery life and accuracy, are likely to make a bigger difference to your day-to-day experience. 

We put these and more to the test in our smartwatch lab. See our latest recommendations in our guides to the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers.

News, deals and stuff the manuals don't tell you. Sign up for our free, monthly Tech newsletter.