The premium and yet ruggedized Apple Watch Ultra is set to launch this week. One of its most anticipated features is the new Action Button. Apple added this on the left side of the Apple Watch Ultra’s titanium case. We’ve listed four possible things that you can do with the Apple Watch Ultra’s Action Button.
Activate the Apple Watch Ultra Siren
If you need a blaring siren, you can activate this 86-decibel alert by pressing and holding the Action Button. Once activated, the siren can be heard from up to 600 feet (180 meters) away. As much as we want to say that you enjoy the feature, we won’t. On the contrary, we hope that you don’t need to use it in real-life situations. The built-in siren of the Apple Watch is meant to be used to call for help during an emergency.
Use the Apple Watch Ultra’s Action Button to Assign Shortcuts
During the WWDC keynote in June, Apple released the new and powerful App Intents API. This now powers the Apple Watch Ultra’s Action Button. As such, you can assign shortcuts to it. By assigning shortcuts to the Action Button, you can allow it to perform different functions throughout the day.
Use the Apple Watch Ultra’s Action Button to Perform Multifunctions
Now here’s one thing that the Action Button can do that most multi-athletes probably can’t wait to try out. The Action Button can be assigned to perform multiple functions with a single button press. For triathletes, this would be most useful while in training if they assigned the Action Button to control the Workout app. For example, the first press could be assigned to open the Running workout, the second press to shift to swimming, and so on.
By assigning multifunctions to the Action Button, users, especially athletes, don’t have to look at the Apple Watch Ultra’s display anymore to control its activity tracking. Nor do they need to scroll through functions using the crown. Triathletes should absolutely love that feature.
Assign Customized Actions
The Apple Watch Ultra’s Action Button is meant to be a highly customizable feature. As such, you can assign it to perform various functions. During setup, you can assign a specific function to the Action Button. However, you can always change this function later in Settings, where you will find a list of apps that support the control.
These functions include starting Backtrack or the Workout app, turning the flashlight on and off, marking a Compass Waypoint, starting the Stopwatch and more.
That being said, the verdict is yet to be handed on whether Apple made the right decision in adding the Action Button to the Apple Watch Ultra. Although the Watch Crown has been performing several functions effectively for years, however, it still has some shortcomings. Hopefully, the Action Button of the Apple Watch Ultra can address those.