Apple Releases watchOS 10.1 With Double Tap, NameDrop and More

Apple today released watchOS 10.1, the latest version of the watchOS 10 operating system that was released in September. watchOS 10.1 comes four weeks after watchOS 10.0.2, a minor update that brought bug fixes.

watchOS 10 Launch Feature
‌watchOS 10‌‌.1 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery and it needs to be placed on a charger.

There are several new Apple Watch features enabled in watchOS 10.1, including NameDrop. NameDrop lets you tap an Apple Watch to another Apple Watch or ‌iPhone‌ to exchange contact information with someone.

apple watch namedrop
The update also includes Double Tap, a gesture that is available on the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Double Tap can be activated by tapping the index finger and thumb together twice, and it can be used to answer phone calls, end phone calls, stop alarms, and more.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 double tap gesture 230912 Faeture Blue
Along with these two features, there are a handful of bug fixes, including an issue that could cause cities not to sync in the Weather app and a bug that could cause the elevation to be incorrect for some users. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.

watchOS 10.1 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:

  • Double tap gesture can be used to perform the primary action in notifications and most apps so you can answer a call, play and pause music, stop a timer, and more (Available on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2)
  • NameDrop allows you to exchange contact information with someone new by simply bringing your Apple Watch near their iPhone with iOS 17 or Apple Watch (Available on Apple Watch SE 2, Apple Watch Series 7 and later, and Apple Watch Ultra)
  • My Card is available as a complication for quick access to NameDrop
  • Fix for bug that causes the climate section in the Home app to be blank
  • Addresses an issue that causes a white selection border to be unexpectedly displayed after turning off AssistiveTouch
  • Fixes an issue where cities may not sync between iPhone and watch in Weather
  • Resolves an issue where the scroll bar may unexpectedly be visible on the display
  • Fix for bug that causes elevation to be incorrect for some users
    For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

More details on everything new in the watchOS 10 update can be found in our watchOS 10 roundup.

Related Roundup: watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

M5 Chip Achieves Impressive Feat in 14-Inch MacBook Pro Speed Test

Friday October 17, 2025 7:10 am PDT by
The first alleged benchmark result for the M5 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced, allowing for some performance comparisons. Based on a single unconfirmed result uploaded to the Geekbench 6 database today, the M5 chip has pulled off an impressive feat. Specifically, the chip achieved a score of 4,263 for single-core CPU performance, which is the highest single-core score that...

Top Rated Comments

tennisproha Avatar
26 months ago
They finally fixed the issue where cities don't sync between iPhone and watch in Weather app after 2 years!!!! First time I"ve seen a bug I've constantly reported actually get fixed. Now if only they can fix the 100s of other bugs riddled through all OSs.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
26 months ago
What should've been watchOS 10.0

But ok, better late than never.

I guess.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPhonNick Avatar
26 months ago

Build number?
21S67 (Same as RC)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Phuz01 Avatar
26 months ago
Holy crap… just used Double Tap to close a notification, and this feels like THE FUTURE!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
26 months ago
I like the new Double Tap feature. Works great.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
26 months ago

How to enable or disable namedrop on apple watch?
There doesn't appear to be a toggle for the watch. You turn it off / on in the phone app (Settings > General > Airdrop > Bring device together toggle off. That controls both.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)