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Apple watch ultra night mode not working

just got the apple watch ultra 2 today and the night mode crown scrolling doesn’t work and it just goes to news and weather menu. Updated software, reset the watch. But no way I can change the night mode manually. Only can change from the phone ‘auto/on/off’ anyone have the same issue?

Apple Watch Ultra 2, watchOS 10

Posted on Sep 22, 2023 3:05 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 1, 2023 8:53 AM

Hope apple brings back this feature, I don’t want it automatically- it was great using the crown.

70 replies

Nov 25, 2023 2:54 PM in response to sheepdog66

Same problem, the Digital Crown functionality for the ultra is now completely removed and replaced with the same functionality as if you just pushed it. It seems that someone in Apple has not considered the reasons the ultra has additional functionality on the Digital Crown. Not only does night mode no longer work when turning the crown, the compass longitude and latitude were also available by turning the crown in compass mode on the Wayfairer watch face. Now, to go to night mode, you have to navigate into the edit screen for on, off or auto. Auto is next to useless as it’s on even at home when you want your watch face illuminated, you can’t swap to night mode any more while out running or walking at night unless you stop, take off your gloves, and navigate to the edit watch face. If you want that Lat and Long you have to wait a while until the compass slowly reveals it, but by that time the screen has dimmed and it’s hard to see them, if you turn the crown or touch them the screen to bring the brightness back, oh yeah they disappear, ohh hold on you can just turn the crown to see them…oh no, of course you can’t, Apple have just turned your ultra watch into a normal apple watch!!! Come on Apple, even your website still lists these as core functionality of the Ultra, but that seems of no concern to the iOS developers??? What is the point of having a watch for outdoor activities all year round when you remove the easily operated night function and replace it with an indoor gloves off function. please please please bring back those functions or allow users the option of registering the Digital Crown to a function, as currently its has no useful functionality at all!!

Oct 16, 2023 11:48 PM in response to ThorsHammer451

I’m sick of it. They have ruined then whole behaviour of the watch that I bought.


I used to swipe up the screen to change settings. This is now the side button.


The auto mode for night mode does not work. I sat in a taxi and watched it have some type of attack as it could not decide if it was day or night. I only like to use night mode in pitch black and preferred to manually switch. It had a satisfying feel to it with the crown.


Apple have seriously messed up in my opinion. Whoever’s decided this new interface should work this way should probably be sacked.


Its almost 3 weeks now and my muscle memory is still not used to the changes. I actively hate it how as I am forced to think about it so regularly.

Dec 13, 2023 5:33 AM in response to ChuKronos

Both the scroll and swipe (redundant) to see widgets is even more useless to me as those widgets (date, time, weather, calendar, health, etc.) are already set as “complications” on my Wayfinder watch face.


Apple could have at least made it a setting where you could CHOOSE what features you want to attribute to the crown rather than forcing users to deal with a very prominent useless feature.

Feb 3, 2024 10:34 PM in response to Ishosha

NIGHT MODE WORK AROUND:


The Apple Watch Ultra was my first foray to the series and like you, the scrolling night mode was a huge selling point for me as well.  I agree Apple needs to fix this (including the scroll/swipe duplication).  It's seriously annoying.  However, I found a pretty slick work around.  


  1. Within your Apple Watch app on the iPhone create a night mode watch face of your choice (and remember its name)


  1. Download SHORTCUTS app from Apple App Store


Within the shortcuts app, go under Apple Watch shortcuts; use the + to ADD ACTION 


In the above search bar, type "Watch"


In the list below select SET WATCH FACE 


Then fill in the "set active watch face to [select face name] ". 

 Note: you can use the little carrot (>) to turn off "show me when run"

  • You can ignore the rest - SAVE 
  • you can name your shortcut whatever you want (ie night mode)
  • Make sure privacy settings under info include sharing with your Apple Watch 


  1. Now back to your Apple Watch app on the iPhone... 
  2. >ACCESSIBILITY
  3. >ASSISTIVE TOUCH  (turn on) 
  4. > HAND GESTURES (turn on)
  5. Chose your gesture... (ie TAP)
  6. Scroll down and select the SHORTCUT you created in step 2 above. 


I made two shortcuts, one with a night mode red watch face that I can activate simply by taping my fingers once and then I can quickly return to my preferred day watch face by a double tap of the fingers.  


One watch face shortcut assigned to "tap" and the other assigned to "double tap".  


Note:  I found it better to have ACTIVATION GESTURE set to "None"


 Now you can bypass the scroll wheel using simple gestures of just one hand.  Hope this is helpful!

Feb 6, 2024 8:53 AM in response to Alexhsw08

Why apple, why...

It's 17:46 here a bit dark and my watch is already in dark mode and I can't read ****.

The dark mode on crown was just perfect, I like the widgets in new WatchOS but I have now two ways to access them. Once via crown, once by pulling up for the price of dark-mode. Could you give us at least some configuration option??

Feb 13, 2024 8:31 PM in response to Alexhsw08

The worst part is, there’s no good reason for the crown to function as it does. It’s duplicating the swipe up on face feature. I used the crown for all sorts of things. On the solar dial face you could scroll forward and backward in time to see sunset or sunrise. On the Astronomy face you could crown scroll the phases of the moon forward and backward in time to see the next new or full moon.

Apple, please roll back this “feature”. It serves no purpose, because the swipe up gesture does the same thing as the crown now.

Feb 3, 2024 9:56 PM in response to Alexhsw08

NIGHT MODE WORK AROUND:


The Apple Watch Ultra was my first foray to the series and like you, the scrolling night mode was a huge selling point for me as well.  I agree Apple needs to fix this (including the scroll/swipe duplication).  It's seriously annoying.  However, I found a pretty slick work around.  


  1. Within your Apple Watch app on the iPhone create a night mode watch face of your choice (and remember its name)


  1. Download SHORTCUTS app from Apple App Store


Within the shortcuts app, go under Apple Watch shortcuts; use the + to ADD ACTION 


In the above search bar, type "Watch"


In the list below select SET WATCH FACE 


Then, fill in the "set active watch face to [select face name] ". 

 Note: you can use the little carrot (>) to turn off "show me when run"


  • You can ignore the rest - SAVE 
  • you can name your shortcut whatever you want (ie night mode)
  • Make sure privacy settings under info include sharing with your Apple Watch 


  1. Now back to your Apple Watch app on the iPhone... 
  2. >ACCESSIBILITY
  3. >ASSISTIVE TOUCH  (turn on) 
  4. > HAND GESTURES (turn on)
  5. Chose your gesture... (ie TAP)
  6. Scroll down and select the SHORTCUT you created in step 2 above. 


I made two shortcuts, one with a night mode red watch face that I can activate simply by taping my fingers once and then I can quickly return to my preferred day watch face by a double tap of the fingers.  


One watch face shortcut assigned to "tap" and the other assigned to "double tap".  


Note:  I found it better to have ACTIVATION GESTURE set to "None"


 Now you can bypass the scroll wheel using simple gestures of just one hand.  Hope this is helpful!



Apple watch ultra night mode not working

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