Apple quietly removed four watch faces in watchOS 11, and angry users want them back
Apple released the watchOS 11 software to the public this week, and the surprising absence of several old watch faces has caused an uproar among enthusiasts.
Users noticed the move earlier this week after watchOS 11 rolled out to all top Apple Watch models on Monday. One poster on Reddit noted that the Chronograph and Explorer watch faces had been removed, and commenters were quick to point out that watch faces had also been removed in addition to the Siri watch face.
“I’m super disappointed that they removed both the Explorer and the original Chronograph dials,” the user lamented. “Those were my two favorites and a lot more functional than most new dials introduced in the last few years.”
watchOS 11 brings a whole host of new health and fitness features, but there was also the expected sprinkling of new watch faces. Apple updated the Photo watch face, which now includes AI-powered recommendations to give you the best possible results. There’s also a new Flux watch face that takes advantage of the new 1Hz display on the Apple Watch Series 10, and a new Reflections watch face that complements the finish on the new titanium version.
However, these new watch faces don’t seem to be going over well with enthusiasts who are more interested in getting some of their old favorites back. In fact, users in the Apple Watch subreddit are leaving feedback on Apple.com, asking for the removed watch faces to be returned.
watchOS 11 deals us a heavy blow
There doesn’t seem to be any technical or functional reason why Apple would remove these watch faces, so it’s likely that Apple made this change to refresh and improve the overall aesthetic and design language of watchOS, which is certainly more artistic and abstract than it used to be.
The removal of the chronograph watch face in particular appears to have angered some users, as it was one of the original watch faces that first appeared when the Apple Watch was launched in 2014.
Another post in the same subreddit calling the removal of the watch faces unacceptable garnered a lot of attention this week, with one user harshly criticizing the move, calling it “absolutely anti-consumer in every way.”
The obvious solution, also suggested by users on Reddit, would be to implement downloadable watch faces on the Apple Watch. Until then, it looks like lovers of Chronograph, Explorer and the old watch face are out of luck on watchOS 11.
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