X

WatchOS 5: Access the Control Center and Notifications from an app

This is one Apple Watch trick I wish I'd known all along.

Jason Cipriani Contributing Writer, ZDNet
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani
Sarah Tew/CNET

One frustration I used to have when using apps on the Apple Watch  was that there wasn't a way to view notifications or access the  Control Center from within an app. The only way to access either feature was to go back to the watch face. 

That changed with the release of WatchOS 5, but I only found out about it recently thanks to a random post on Reddit. Check it out:

Jason Cipriani/CNET

The trick is to long press on the top or bottom of the touchscreen until a semi-transparent preview of either the Notification Center (at the top) or Control Center (at the bottom) shows up. To finish the task, swipe up or down.

You can then interact with notifications or toggle a device setting. When you exit, you'll be back in the app you were previously using.

The Apple Watch Series 4 -- down to the tiniest detail

See all photos
Watch this: We tested the Apple Watch EKG against a hospital EKG