How To Close Apps on Apple Watch Running watchOS 10 or Later

Getting your Apple Watch to run smoothly sometimes feels like a game of whack-a-mole. Sure, watchOS does a pretty good job at handling apps in the background without needing much input, but there are moments when stuff just freezes or starts draining your battery like crazy. And of course, because Apple loves to make things more complicated, there’s no simple swipe-up gesture to bring up the app switcher like on the iPhone.

When should you bother closing apps on your Apple Watch?

Honestly, most of the time, things are fine. But if you notice something weird—say, an app totally freezes, the watch is feeling sluggish or overheating, or your battery’s draining faster than a leaky bucket—those are clues it’s time to close or force-quit the app. It’s not that you need to do it daily, but if an app is acting up, it’s worth a shot. Just keep in mind, Apple’s design is pretty smart about shutting down background apps automatically, so manual closing isn’t always necessary.

How to close apps on your Apple Watch (because sometimes you still gotta)

Method 1: Using the Digital Crown or Side Button

This is the usual way, and it helps to clear up small hiccups or conserve battery if you want fewer apps hanging out in the background. The steps depend a bit on your watchOS version, but generally:

If you’re on watchOS 10 or later, press the Digital Crown twice to summon the App Switcher. From there, scroll through your recent apps by turning the crown or swiping. When you spot the troublesome app, swipe left on it and tap the ‘X’ button to close it.
If your watch is running an older watchOS (say, 9 or earlier), just press the Side Button once to see the app switcher, then swipe left and hit the ‘X’ to close.

Why it helps: It’s a quick way to kill the apps that are just sitting there, draining some resources. When it works, you get a little performance boost and maybe even better battery life. When I’ve done this, on some setups, it takes a second or two to register, but normally it’s straightforward.

Method 2: Force Quit a Frozen App

So, this is for when your app has totally locked up and you can’t swipe, tap, or do anything else. Kind of annoying, but just about everyone’s been there. Here’s what to do:

Open the frozen app (if possible) — or just be on the watch face.
Hold down the side button until the power-off screen pops up.
Then, release the Side Button, but press and hold the Digital Crown until the app crashes and you’re back on the watch face.
If that doesn’t work, a full restart might be needed: hold both the Side Button and Digital Crown together until you see the Apple logo. Not sure why it works, but sometimes that’s the only way to kill a stubborn app.

This method can be a little hit-or-miss depending on what’s frozen, but it’s the last resort before rebooting entirely. Just be aware that some apps need a full restart if they’re really stuck.

Can you totally quit apps like on an iPhone?

Yes, technically you can close apps completely, but honestly, that’s kind of overkill on the Apple Watch.watchOS is built to handle background apps without them hogging resources. Most apps automatically suspend after a while, so manually closing them isn’t usually necessary unless they’re misbehaving. Plus, force quitting every app can sometimes cause more issues, like delays when reopening or higher battery usage temporarily.

Keeping your Apple Watch happy and healthy

Since watchOS is pretty good at managing itself, the main thing is occasional maintenance. Restart your watch now and then, make sure it’s updated to the latest watchOS version, and cut down on unnecessary complications or notifications—because, of course, Apple has to make it harder than it needs to be.

Limit background app refresh: Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General → Background App Refresh, and turn off stuff you don’t need.
Remove apps you don’t use: Delete the clutter to free up space and resources.

Troubleshooting frozen or unresponsive apps

Try restarting the whole device first

Sometimes just a quick reboot helps clear out whatever glitch is causing problems. Hold the side button until the power menu appears, then tap Power Off. Once shut down, press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo shows up. If it’s completely unresponsive, press and hold both Side Button and Digital Crown until the logo appears — usually forces it to restart. It’s a classic, but hey, it works.

Update watchOS

Keeping things current helps fix known bugs. Just head over to Settings → General → Software Update on your watch. If an update’s available, tap Download and Install. Doing this periodically can save a lot of hassle later.

Reinstall problematic apps

This is kind of obvious, but it’s surprising how often a fresh install solves persistent issues. To do it:

From the watch face, press the Digital Crown to see the home screen.
Tap and hold an app icon until a small ‘x’ appears above it.
Tap the X and then confirm Delete App.

And then, to reinstall, just go to the App Store on your paired iPhone and search for the app. Easy enough.

Video: How to Close Apps on Apple Watch

Know It, Don’t Overdo It…

Closing apps isn’t something you should be doing all the time—most of the time, watchOS handles that for you. But it’s good to know how when things go sideways or an app just refuses to quit. Honestly, Apple’s design is pretty efficient, but forcing apps closed can be a quick fix to get back to normal faster than waiting for your watch to crash on its own. Just keep it in mind if things get weird.