How to Add a New Watch Face to Your Apple Watch
You can add a new face to your Apple Watch in three main ways: pick one from the Face Gallery in the Watch app on your iPhone, add one directly on the watch, or open a face that someone shared with you. All three end the same way, with a new face in your collection that you can switch to at any time.
Add a face from the Face Gallery on your iPhone
This is the easiest route because you get a big preview and can adjust everything before the face reaches your wrist. Apple's guide calls the Face Gallery the simplest way to browse, customize and add faces.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap Face Gallery at the bottom of the screen.
- Browse the collections and tap a face you like.
- Choose the style, color and complications you want. Complications are the small bits of information, such as weather or activity, that sit on the face.
- Tap Add.
The face now appears in your collection. To switch to it, swipe across the watch face on your wrist until you see it.
If you want a face built from your pictures, the Photos category in the Face Gallery lets you shuffle your library, shuffle an album, or choose photos by hand. Apple says you can pick up to 24 photos when you choose them manually.
Add a face directly on your Apple Watch
You do not need your iPhone nearby for this one.
- With any watch face showing, touch and hold the display.
- Swipe left all the way to the end, then tap the Add button, which looks like a plus icon.
- Tap a collection, such as New Watch Faces or Data Rich. To see everything, scroll down and tap All Watch Faces.
- Tap Get next to the face you want, then tap Add.
Menu labels and the exact layout of these screens change a little between watchOS versions, so your watch may word things slightly differently.
Add a face from a shared link or message
Anyone with an Apple Watch can share a face. If a friend sends you one, you receive it as a link or attachment.
- Open the text, email or link that contains the shared face.
- Tap the shared watch face.
- Tap Add.
If the face uses a third-party complication that you do not have, you can download that app from the App Store, or choose Continue Without This App. Your watch needs watchOS 7 or later to accept shared faces. Our post on how to share an Apple Watch face covers the sending side in detail.
Can I use custom watch faces on Apple Watch?
Yes, with limits. Apple controls how faces are drawn on the watch, so the options are narrower than on some other smartwatches.
What Apple allows
- Face Gallery faces. You can customize colors, styles and complications on each one.
- Shared faces. A face someone else configured can be sent to you and added in a few taps.
- Photo faces. You can build a face from your own photos.
- Complications from apps. Apps from the App Store can add their own data to a face.
What Apple does not allow
An app cannot install its own watch face that draws whatever it likes. Apple does not offer a way for a third-party face app to publish a face directly into the Watch app. What those apps can do is give you a collection of ready-made faces built from the options Apple provides, which you then add through a share link or the Watch app.
So when a site promises fully custom faces with any layout, read the details. The face you get will still be an Apple face with its own choices of style, color and complications.
| Method | Needs iPhone? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Face Gallery | Yes | Previewing and customizing before you add |
| On the watch | No | Quick changes when you are out |
| Shared link | Usually yes | Copying a face a friend already set up |
Where Tima fits in
Tima is an iPhone app with a gallery of hand-picked Apple Watch faces. You can browse them on the web at watchface.us/faces. To install one, open it on an iPhone that has Tima installed and tap Install on the face. Then open the Watch app on the iPhone and add the face to your watch.
Apple's own instructions are in the Apple Watch User Guide and the page on sharing Apple Watch faces.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I find the Add button on my watch?
Touch and hold the display first, then swipe all the way to the left. The plus button sits at the end of your face collection.
How many faces can I keep on my Apple Watch?
Apple's pages do not give a single fixed number that applies to every setup, so check your Watch app collection. If you want a new one and the list feels full, remove faces you no longer use.
Do I need an iPhone to add a face?
No. You can add faces from the watch itself. The Face Gallery in the Watch app gives you a larger view when you want to customize first.
Can I add a face I received on my Mac or iPad?
Yes. Download the watch face file from the link, send it to your iPhone with AirDrop or the Files app, then open it with the Watch app and add it.
