Dismissing Apple Watch notifications just got a whole lot easier — how to use the wrist flick gesture in watchOS 26
The concept behind wrist flick is simple. Rather than having to swipe away incoming notifications on your Apple Watch when they pop up on the screen, the new gesture lets you dismiss them hands-free with, as the name suggests, a quick flick of the wrist.
Want to try Apple's new wrist flick gesture yourself? I'll walk you through the relatively straightforward setup process (four steps) and give you a quick overview of the ins and outs of flicking your Apple Watch-worn wrist like a pro.
First, to use Apple's new wrist flick gesture, you'll need to ensure that you have a compatible Apple Watch model. The watchOS 26 public beta is for Apple Watch Series 6 devices and newer, including the newest Apple Watch SE (2022) and both Apple Watch Ultra models.
However, only the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Series 9 are wrist flick compatible. You'll also need an iPhone 11 or newer to download and install the newest iOS software (more on that in the next step).
Once you've verified that your devices are eligible for the latest software, it's time to download and install the iOS 26 public beta on your iPhone. You'll need to do this before you can install the latest Apple Watch software.
With iOS 26 beta up and running on your iPhone, it's now time to download and install watchOS 26 beta on your Apple Watch 9, 10 or Ultra 2. The whole process takes about 45 minutes and is pretty simple, but if you need some help, here's a step-by-step guide to the watchOS 26 beta installation process.
Once you've got watchOS 26 beta loaded up, it's nearly time to start wrist-flicking, but first, let's make sure the gesture is switched on. To do this, head to the app screen and open Settings. From there, scroll down until you see Gestures; tap on it.
Once in Gestures, scroll down past Double Tap until you see Wrist Flick. Ensure the slider to the right is in the on position (showing green). You're now ready to use the new wrist flick gesture!
With the feature turned on, exit the settings menu and wait for a notification to come in. When one does, glance down to read the incoming alert as you normally would, but don't touch the screen or watch buttons.
When you're done reading the notification, turn your watch-worn wrist away from your body and then back toward you in quick succession. This should dismiss the notification and return the screen to the main watch face view.
In addition to app notifications, the wrist flick gesture can also be used to manage incoming phone calls, alarms, timers and even the Smart Stack. Simple to master, I can assure that after a few days of flicking away notifications on your Apple Watch, you'll wonder how you ever got by without this nifty new feature.
Want to learn about more cool things you can do with your Apple Watch thanks to the latest software release? Here are my five favorite watchOS 26 upgrades so far. The list includes Apple's new personalized, AI-powered Workout Buddy, the refreshed Liquid Glass aesthetic, live message translations and more.
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