To change your Apple Watch face, press firmly or touch and hold the current face, swipe to the one you want, and tap it. To edit complications, tap Edit under the face, swipe to the Complications screen, select a slot, and turn the Digital Crown to pick a data source. You can do everything from the watch itself or from the Face Gallery in the Watch app on your iPhone. Below is the complete walkthrough, plus fixes for the most common problems.
- Swipe left or right on a held face to switch instantly
- Complications are the small data widgets you customize per face
- The iPhone Watch app gives you the fastest, most complete editing experience
What complications actually are
A “complication” is a term borrowed from traditional watchmaking, where it meant any function beyond telling time. On Apple Watch, complications are the small tappable widgets placed around or inside a face — things like the date, temperature, your Activity rings, a timer, or a shortcut to an app. Each face supports a specific set of complication slots (corners, sub-dials, or a center area), and each slot can hold one data source. Not every face offers the same number or shape of slots, which is why some faces feel information-dense while others stay minimal.
How to change your watch face on the watch
- Raise your wrist or tap the screen to wake the display.
- Touch and hold the face (on older models running earlier software, press firmly).
- Swipe left or right to move through the faces you’ve already added to your collection.
- Tap the face you want. It becomes active immediately.
If you only see one or two faces, you haven’t built a collection yet. Add more using the gallery steps further down.
How to add or edit complications
- Touch and hold the active face, then tap Edit.
- Swipe left to the Complications screen (it’s usually the last panel).
- Tap the slot you want to change — the selected slot is highlighted.
- Turn the Digital Crown to scroll the list of available data sources, then tap or press to confirm.
- Repeat for each slot, then press the Digital Crown to save and tap the face to start using it.
Third-party apps can offer complications too. If you’ve installed an app that supports them, it appears in the source list once the app is on your watch.
Using the Face Gallery on your iPhone
The Watch app on your paired iPhone is the easier place to browse and design faces, because you see everything on a larger screen.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Face Gallery tab at the bottom.
- Choose a face, pick colors and styles, and assign complications from the menus shown.
- Tap Add. The face syncs to your watch and joins your collection.
From the My Faces section you can also reorder your collection by dragging, or remove faces you no longer use.
Which faces support the most complications?
If your goal is maximum information at a glance, face choice matters. Availability varies by model and software version, so treat the table below as a general guide rather than a fixed spec sheet.
| Face | Style | Typical complication slots | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infograph | Analog, data-dense | Up to 8 | Power users who want everything visible |
| Infograph Modular | Digital, data-dense | Up to 6 | A large center widget plus corners |
| Modular | Digital | Up to 5 | Balanced info without clutter |
| California / Utility | Analog | 2–4 | A cleaner, classic look |
| Photos / Portraits | Personal | 0–2 | Minimalists who prioritize a wallpaper |
Sharing and organizing faces
You can share a configured face — including its complication layout — with another Apple Watch user. Touch and hold the face, tap the share icon, and choose a contact or method. The recipient gets the layout, though any third-party complications they don’t own will prompt them to download the matching app.
Troubleshooting common problems
A complication shows no data or a dash
Open the underlying app once on the watch or iPhone to let it authorize and load. Check that the app has the permissions it needs (weather and other data sources require location access). If it still fails, remove and re-add the complication.
The face won’t change or feels frozen
Make sure you’re touching and holding the face itself, not an app screen. If the watch is unresponsive, restart it. A stubborn sync issue between phone and watch can often trace back to connectivity — our guide to fixing Bluetooth connection problems covers the usual culprits.
New faces from the gallery aren’t appearing
Confirm your watch and iPhone are on the same account and updated to compatible software versions. Older watches don’t support every face or complication introduced later.
Once you’re comfortable customizing faces, it’s worth thinking about how your choices affect the rest of the watch. Animated and always-on faces with many live complications draw more power — see our tips on improving smartwatch battery life and how models stack up in comparing battery life across smartwatches. If you’re brand new to the device, start with our walkthrough on setting up an Apple Watch for the first time.
Frequently asked questions
How many complications can one face have?
It depends on the face. Minimal faces like Photos may have none or one, while data-dense faces such as Infograph can hold up to eight. The slots’ shapes also differ — some accept only compact text, others show graphs or gauges.
Can I use my own photo as a watch face?
Yes. Choose the Photos face in the Face Gallery or directly on the watch and select an image or album from your library. Portrait-mode shots can be used with the Portraits face for a layered depth effect on supported models.
Why does my weather complication update slowly?
Complications refresh on a system-managed schedule to conserve battery, so live data like weather may lag the on-screen clock by a few minutes. Opening the weather app forces a fresh pull.
Do complications drain the battery?
Complications that pull live data more frequently use slightly more power than static ones, but the effect is usually modest. Animated faces and always-on display have a larger impact on overall battery life.