Apple Watch Ultra 2 Brightness

So I have recently found a setting (possibly released in watchOS 10.4) that has helped another user. Go to the Watch app, then scroll down to accessibility. Then enable the toggle listed at “Minimum Brightness”. This should increase the minimum brightness from the standard limit it usually has. Hope this helps you out!

All. Install watchOS 10.4.

Settings / Accessibility / Minimum Brighness ☀️

Enjoy!!

Hello rickt1942,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. We understand having issues with brightness of your Apple Watch Ultra, and we'd like to clear things up.

This is expected behavior as Apple Watch display brightness may change according to the ambient light level. There is no option to disable auto-brightness on Apple Watch.

If you first wake Apple Watch in the dark and then expose it to a bright source of light, the display brightness will automatically increase. If you then immediately bring it back into the shadows again, the display will stay at full brightness until the Watch goes idle again (either screen off or Always On - dimmed).

Also, check out this helpful resource: Adjust brightness, text size, sounds, and haptics on Apple Watch Ultra

Hope this helps. Kind regards.

Thanks for the posts on 10.4. I had updated WatchOS when I got it (earlier this week) but it only updated to 10.3.

Now that I'm running 10.4 my minimum brightness (even in low light environments) is working great.

Thanks for the posts (and to Apple for the software fix)!

Then update to 10.4 now!

Settings / Accessibility / Minimum Brightness

That's it!

You now get past the too-dim screen. ☀️

Enjoy.

This is one step the next step is completely turn off auto brightness

You can’t on Apple Watch.

The brightness issue on my watch sorted itself out on 10.3 so for a couple of weeks when I raised my wrist in the dark it went to full brightness and wasn’t dim at all. My other recent issue was that my battery depleted after 6 hours even with everything off. I was charging my watch 3 times a day. I have updated to 10.4 just now. I hope this resolves the battery issue

I just switched from a series 7 to Ultra 2. I noticed with the first few hours that it’s really hard to see in the dark.

We’re not saying you have to provide full user control of the setting, but perhaps change the minimum nit count in the dark to be a tad higher. I never had this issue with my old Series 7.

I agree that the auto-brightness feature that detects ambient light and reduces brightness does not work for me. As someone with low vision (especially in the dark) the brighter screen of the Ultra 2 was a big reason I upgraded from my Apple Watch 4.

This feature makes it impossible for me to read the screen in a dark environment. Some options that would help resolve this:

1. Allow a toggle to "turn off ambient brightness control"
2. More advanced, provide a slider to choose the brightness level in "low abmient light" (which I would turn very high)
3. Provide an interaction to "override" the low brightness with the crown (on raise of the wrist)

What other suggestions can anyone make to help the Apple team consider ways they could deliver a software fix for this? Other than this, the watch is amazing. If this can't be fixed, I'll be forced back to my Apple Watch 4.

Hoping for a quick reply from Apple on this? :-)

Same here it is so dim in the dark I have to turn a light on to red it.

This almost makes it worthless.

at a movie or driving at night you can not see the stupid display.

This needs to be fixed ASAP.

I will not spend $800 for a watch I cannot read a night.

what about doing a night drive, will it be so dark it can not be read without having to shine a light on it????????

In 10.5 they reduced the minimum brightness to half. we are dealing with imbeciles

Ridiculous feature. Who on earth would want a clock face to dim when it’s dark. We want it full brightness when it’s dark. I do night running and cannot even see the display. Oh hang on I will just get my torch out of my pocket and shine it on the watch to get it to full brightness for 5 seconds whilst I am running in the dark. This watch will be returned. My first Apple Watch and I am very disappointed. This feature should be user selectable

It is very disappointing expected behavior which is causing I am not able to read display at night when actually it has to be more readable.. I need to switch on the lights in room to able to read Ultra 2 display.

[Edited by Moderator]

Fellow enthusiasts, let me introduce you to a nifty trick I’ve dubbed the Quantum Photon Replenishment Maneuver. It’s quite simple:

1. First, set your watch’s action button to flashlight mode.

2. Cup your hand over the watch face to create a ‘mini photon echo chamber.’

3. Briefly engage the flashlight for about half a second, then turn it off. There’s no risk of overcharging, but ensure the light stays on just long enough to activate the process.

Once you remove your hand, you’ll notice your watch springs into a state of ‘heightened awareness’ with the brightness fully restored. Granted, it’s a fleeting fix, but it should buy you just enough time to navigate those crucial moments in the dark.