watchOS 7: Here’s how sharing Apple Watch faces works

One of the features in watchOS 7 that I’m most excited about is support for sharing watch faces with other Apple Watch users. This is a small but useful new capability that makes it easy to share your personalized watch faces with other people through Messages, social media, and much more.

Sharing watch faces

First and foremost, you can share Apple Watch faces from the Apple Watch companion app on iPhone. In the Apple Watch app, you can scroll through your collection of watch faces and use the built-in share sheet to easily send one to someone via Messages, Mail, and many other platforms.

You can also share watch faces directly from your Apple Watch by long-pressing on the watch face, then choosing the new share icon along the bottom. Whereas on iPhone you can share faces to a variety of different platforms, sharing directly from Apple Watch is limited to Messages only as of beta 1.

When someone shares an Apple Watch face with you

When someone shares an Apple Watch face with you, the process is as simple as tapping the link and opening it in the Apple Watch companion app on iPhone. On Apple Watch itself, you can access faces shared via Messages and add them without using your iPhone at all.

Things are currently a little wonky when you try to add a watch face shared on Twitter or other platforms. Here, the watch face simply appears as an iCloud link where you can save it, then open it in the Apple Watch companion app on iPhone.

If the Apple Watch face shared with you by another user has a complication from an app you don’t have installed, the Apple Watch app on iPhone will easily allow you to download that prior to adding the face. You can also opt to continue without adding that complication.

Furthermore, once you add the shared watch face, you are free to customize it just like you would any other watch face. Essentially, you can use someone else’s watch face as a template, and customize the complications and colors as you so desire.

Curated watch faces from Apple and other sources

Apple also says that you’ll be able to find curated Apple Watch faces in the App Store. For example, much like the App Store highlights apps and collections, it will also highlight some of the best customized Apple Watch designs. Because watchOS 7 is still in beta, there aren’t any curated faces available just yet, but Apple offers a preview of how it will work.

Finally, you’ll also be able to add Apple Watch faces from the web. For example, a company such as Nike could offer a fitness-focused watch face design via its website, allowing users to easily add the Apple Watch face to their Apple Watch.

Wrap-up

It’s important to note that none of this is equivalent to third-party faces. Any watch face that you add from another source will still be based on the pre-installed styles from Apple. watchOS 7 just makes it easier for you to share your favorite watch faces with other people, and for them to share watch faces with you.

What do you think of Apple’s implementation of Apple Watch face sharing in watchOS 7? Let us know down in the comments!

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