What does "Always On" in Apple Watch 9 mean?

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What does "Always On" in Apple Watch 9 mean?

I bought an Apple Watch 9 and retired my perfectly good Apple Watch 5 because I wanted to have a watch that was always on, and the 9 was so advertised. Silly me; I didn't understand what Apple meant by "Always On."

I need to have access to the current seconds for more than 70 seconds. 5 minutes of such access would be great. 3 minutes would be OK. 1.17 minutes (aka 70 seconds) is inadequate. I realize that keeping seconds active does consume battery power. But an option for more than 1.17 minutes of "on" would be a better approximation to "Always on" than is now available. How about it?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Apple Watch Series 9, watchOS 11

Posted on Jan 9, 2025 8:13 PM

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Answer 1

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Ingo2711

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82,673 points

Jan 10, 2025 12:15 AM in response to hans216

The display might only stay on longer, if you tap it again before the 70 seconds are over.

I tried this, using the Activity Digital watch face, tapping on the part of the display where the time is shown, before the 70sec are over, will keep the display on for a longer period.

But putting the wrist down will switch the display off again.

If you want Apple to add such a feature, let them know directly by using the feedback link, as this is the only way to reach them.

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

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149,012 points

Jan 9, 2025 10:43 PM in response to hans216

Use the Always On feature with your Apple Watch - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Jan 10, 2025 10:03 AM in response to hans216

Did you already search the AppStore for apps that can display the time for a longer period?

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Answer 4

hans216 Author

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8 points

Jan 9, 2025 11:49 PM in response to Ingo2711

Do ANY of them support a moving seconds hand for more than 70 seconds? A digital seconds readout, even as a series of dots, as is shown on a few faces, would satisfy my needs if it were to persist for a couple or three minutes.

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Answer 5

hans216 Author

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8 points

Jan 10, 2025 9:39 AM in response to Ingo2711

That's what I've found, as well. But I haven't found ANY that support a moving seconds hand for more than 70 seconds, even when in Always On mode. If you do find such a Watch face, I'd be very interested. Please share.

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Answer 6

hans216 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 10, 2025 10:30 AM in response to Ingo2711

Great suggestion! Thanks. I've given up on getting a persistent seconds hand on my "Always On" Apple watch, but I found a number of apps on the AppStore that will put a clock face WITH A SECONDS HAND on my iPhone. My problem is solved. Thanks again.

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