Apple Watch, with the new update, screenshots get better

For years, users of Apple wearables Apple can capture a screenshot using a simple key combination. However, the lack of adequate visual feedback has made this operation less intuitive than expected.

Things are about to change thanks to watchOS 27.2 which introduces a preview directly on the watch face.

This feature, strongly inspired by the user experience already consolidated on iPhones, promises to solve the minor inconveniences related to accidental captures, offering immediate control over your content without having to pull the smartphone from your pocket.

watchOS 27.2 improves screenshot capture

To capture the screenshot on an Apple Watch you must press simultaneously the Digital Crown and the other side button.

Although the mechanism is simple, the software returns minimal feedback, limited to a quick flash of the display. There is no concrete confirmation that the operation was successful until the image appears in the Photos app on the paired iPhone.

Considering that wireless transfer can take several seconds, the user is often left in doubt, wondering whether it is necessary to repeat the key combination. This discrepancy between the action on the wrist and the verification on the smartphone has long represented a small gap in the UI optimization.

The solution to this annoying shortcoming seems fortunately to be imminent. A user of the social network X, known as pdfu, uncovered a hidden feature inside the code of watchOS 27.2 (currently protected by a development flag), sharing online a video that demonstrates how it works.

With the new update, once the screenshot is captured, a small thumbnail will appear on the edge of the watch’s display.

Exactly as has long happened on the company’s smartphones, the device owner will be able to interact with this preview in three distinct ways. It will be possible to share the image instantly, ignore the thumbnail to confirm its saving to the Photos roll, or delete it on the spot.

Greater control and a cleaner photo gallery

This small but meaningful change resolves a long-standing annoyance for smartwatch owners. The addition of the quick-delete option proves, in particular, to be extremely valuable in daily use. It often happens, in fact, to press both physical buttons by mistake, perhaps simply by bending the wrist, generating inadvertent captures that inevitably clutter the iOS photo library.

Having the ability to discard these files at source will prevent tedious post-use memory cleanup sessions. At the moment, since the feature is still in internal testing and not enabled by default, the California-based company has not provided firm timelines for a public release.

Enthusiasts hope that the final activation for all devices will occur as soon as possible.