I Was Completely Wrong About This New Apple Watch Feature

For years, tech companies have experimented with gesture controls on smart devices. Moto Actions is one of the first that comes to mind, with its twist-to-open-camera shortcut. But smartwatches are the real playground for gestures. It simply makes sense to decline a call by flicking your wrist instead of touching the display.

The problem was that until recently, smartwatch gestures were unreliable. They often missed the intended action, frustrating users. Even Pebble, the much-loved smartwatch brand that made a comeback in 2025, annoyed fans with its “Shake to Dismiss” feature, which frequently cleared the wrong notification.

So when Apple announced the wrist flick gesture on Apple Watch, I was skeptical. My experience with double-tap on the Apple Watch Series 9 (review) had been disappointing. It never managed to dismiss my morning alarm, so I stopped using it altogether.

That changed this week when I installed the watchOS 26 public beta. Suddenly, both wrist flick and double tap started working consistently. Now I find myself using them more and more:

• Flicking my wrist away to dismiss notifications
• Declining calls with the same movement
• Tapping my index finger and thumb together to accept calls
• Cancelling alarms with a wrist flick
• Marking reminders complete with double tap

It turns out my frustration with double-tap was due to detection issues. Wrist flick, combined with double tap, just works, and the two gestures now complement each other. Before, my smartwatch often failed to recognize the tap of my thumb and index finger in the morning to cancel my alarm. Now, the more reliable flick of the wrist fixes that, and the same goes for dismissing calls, where flicking is simply easier than double pinching.

This improvement is not purely a software tweak. It is powered by the precision of Apple’s sensors and Neural Engine, which allow the watch to detect gestures more accurately and consistently, which might not be good news for owners of older Apple Watch models.

Why It’s Limited to Newer Models

The new Apple Watch wrist flick gesture is limited to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (review), Series 10, and Series 9 because it relies on the S9 SiP (System in Package) and its upgraded four-core Neural Engine.

This hardware processes gestures entirely on-device using the gyroscope, accelerometer, and motion sensors in real time without draining too much battery. Older models like the original Ultra or Series 8 lack the necessary processing power and motion detection efficiency. 

Apple is not alone in exploring gesture control. Samsung offers Double Pinch and Universal Gestures, including wrist rotation, on its Galaxy Watch models. Huawei’s Watch 5 features double tap and double slide.

Recently, Meta showed off research on a wristband that reads gestures and even intentions using surface electromyography (sEMG), which measures muscle activity with remarkable precision. I expect we will see more of these advanced gesture controls in wearables, and they will blend into our daily habits just as naturally as the Apple Watch wrist flick has for me.

How to Try the New Wrist Flick Gesture on Apple Watch

To use the new Apple Watch wrist flick gesture, you will need watchOS 26. This also requires an iPhone running iOS 26, compatible with iPhone 11 or newer. You can follow our iOS 26 guide to get your phone ready.

After updating your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, go to General > Software Update > Beta Updates, and install the public beta.

Next, go to Settings > Accessibility > Gestures on your Apple Watch and toggle Wrist Flick on. Pairing wrist flick with Apple’s double tap gesture lets you navigate notifications and calls almost entirely hands-free.

Are you using the new wrist flick feature? Share your experience in the comments, especially if you have tried it together with double tap.