Apple Watch Complications Explained: Add, Edit, Remove
Complications are the small pieces of information on your Apple Watch face, such as the weather, your steps or the next calendar event. To add or change one, press and hold the face, tap Edit, swipe to the last screen, tap a complication and turn the Digital Crown to pick another. You can also set them up from the Watch app on your iPhone.
What a complication is
The name is old watchmaking slang for any extra feature on a dial beyond the time. On Apple Watch, a complication is a tiny window that shows live data or opens an app when you tap it. A face has a fixed number of slots, and the number depends on the face. Some faces have just one or two. Others have many.
Many apps from the App Store also include complications, so your list grows as you install more apps.
Add or change a complication on the watch
- With the face showing, press and hold the display, then tap Edit.
- Swipe left all the way to the end. If the face supports complications, they appear on the last screen.
- Tap the complication you want to replace to select it.
- Turn the Digital Crown to choose a different one. Apple's example is switching to Activity or Heart Rate.
- Press the Digital Crown to save, then tap the face to switch to it.
Adding and changing use the same steps. If a slot is empty, selecting it and choosing one from the list adds it.
Remove a complication
Use the same Edit steps and select the slot you want to clear. Scroll to the top of the list and choose the option that leaves the slot empty. In the Watch app, the label can vary between versions, so look for the entry at the top of the list rather than hunting through the apps.
Use the Watch app on your iPhone
The Watch app is useful when you want to set up a face on a larger screen.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap Face Gallery and choose a category, then tap Get on a face.
- Pick your features and complications.
- Tap Add to Watch.
For a face you already own, tap My Watch, open the face under My Faces, and choose a complication for each slot. Menu names can differ slightly across watchOS versions.
Before you begin
Complications live on the watch face, so the face you choose decides what you can show. If you want more slots, switch to a face that has more of them first. Then customize it. Your changes are saved to that face only, so other faces keep their own setup.
Which complications are most useful
The best choice depends on your day. Here are the types most people reach for first.
| Complication | Good for |
|---|---|
| Steps or Activity | Keeping an eye on daily movement without opening an app |
| Weather | Checking the temperature or conditions before you head out |
| Calendar | Seeing your next event at a glance |
| Heart Rate | Viewing your latest reading for general awareness |
| Battery | Knowing when to charge, especially on long days |
| Timer | Starting a kitchen or workout countdown in one tap |
Steps and battery suit almost everyone. Weather and calendar are best for busy mornings. A timer on the face saves several taps when you cook or train.
Pick a mix that stays readable
More is not always better. A face crowded with five or six items gets hard to read. Try this approach.
- Choose the two or three things you check most.
- Put the most important one in the biggest slot.
- Use a second face for workouts, with a timer and activity.
- Review your setup now and then and swap out what you never glance at.
Where to find more faces
Tima is an iPhone app with a gallery of hand-picked Apple Watch faces. You can browse them at watchface.us/faces. To install one, open it on an iPhone with Tima installed, tap Install on the face, then open the Watch app on the iPhone and add the face to the watch.
For the official walkthrough, see Apple's page on how to add complications to the watch face.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my complication not updating?
Restart the watch and check that the app is installed and allowed to refresh. Third-party complications depend on their app, so updating it often helps.
Do all faces support complications?
No. The number of slots depends on the face, and some have none. If the Edit screen has no complications page, that face does not offer them.
Can I use more than one of the same complication?
That depends on the face and the slot. You can try it in Edit by selecting a second slot and choosing the same item.
Are complications the same as widgets?
They are similar. Both show small bits of information at a glance. On the watch face, the slots are called complications.
