'Apple Is Wasting A Button' By Shifting Control Center In WatchOS 10, Says Mark Gurman

Tech insider Mark Gurman criticized Apple Inc. AAPL for what he deems a wasteful button shift in WatchOS 10′s latest move, sparking a debate.

What Happened: Apple has made a notable change in the latest watchOS 10 update by relocating the Control Center gesture on its smartwatches. Previously, users accessed the Control Center by swiping up from the watch face, but now it can be accessed by pressing the side button. 

Gurman criticized this move, stating that Apple might be underusing the side button by assigning it the Control Center function. 

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According to Gurman, the side button’s dedicated function is now being used for a feature that might not see frequent use by most users. 

He said that Apple could have better used the button for more commonly used features, such as widgets, or introduced custom actions similar to the “action button” found on other devices like the “Ultra.”

I think Apple is wasting a button by moving Control Center to the right side button in watchOS 10. I don't think people open settings enough for it to get the only dedicated button on most watches. Perhaps it should be widgets — or custom like the action button on the Ultra.

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) July 22, 2023

While many Twitter users agreed with Gurman, others said that they use Control Center often and are happy with the changes. 

Disagree. The button is easier to invoke (and discover) than the swipe gesture, and it replaces a function ("the Dock") that I never found remotely useful.

All around, I'm a big fan of the changes in watchOS 10.

— EpaL (@EpaL) July 22, 2023

I agree. The two things that bother me with WatchOS 10:

1. Control Center access on the side button
2. Having to tap and hold the face to be able to switch between other faces.

— Jordan Taylor (@JordanTaylor3D) July 22, 2023

I'd be in favor of it being custom like the action button. I don't have much of a need to access Control Center in any app, but I'm sure some people do

— Michael Burkhardt (@tme_michael) July 22, 2023

Why It’s Important: Apple could release watchOS 10 this fall alongside its other flagship operating systems: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and tvOS 17. 

As of now, watchOS 10 is in the developer beta stage, with a public beta now live. 

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