Apple doesn’t have an App Store for watch faces – but there is a way to get new ones!
Wondering how to download new watch faces for Apple Watch?
The Apple Watch has come a long way since its introduction in 2015. Since then there have been a number of hardware iterations that added massively improved features and sensors, albeit no major new redesigns yet (that would change with Apple Watch 7 and watchOS 8 later this year).
But a big draw of the Apple Watch for many is not just its hardware and sensors, but its customizability. The Apple Watch is a highly customizable device, which lets you design watch faces that suit your style and needs.
The Apple Watch achieves this high degree of customization by having dozens of watch faces valuable to choose from and switch between, while also have literally thousands of customization options for each watch face. And that’s not to mention the further customization you can achieve by adding complications to the watch face you select.
No Watch Face Store Yet, But There Is Hope
But one big bummer of the Apple Watch is that Apple has so far refused to launch a watch face store. This is essentially an App Store for watch faces – those both made by Apple and those made by third-party developers. This is a big bummer for many Apple Watch fans. Apple’s Apple Watch faces are incredibly designed and stylized, but they are finite. Imagine what the wealth of cool watch faces we would see if Apple launched a Watch Face Store.
And while there is no Watch Face Store yet, Apple has improved its watch face features in recent years. Specifically, in watchOS 7 Apple introduced the ability to share your watch face designs with other Apple Watch users.
watchOS 7 also introduced the ability for third parties, like third-party apps and websites to design their own watch faces and share those with Apple Watch owners.
Of course, by “design” I don’t mean make their own unique creations. Rather, I mean they can use the existing Apple Watch faces, complications, and style customizations and then share their unique customization with other users.
Third-parties can share these watch faces with Apple Watch users via links in their own apps or websites. However, that means you need to scour the web or the App Store for shared watch faces.
But now thankfully there is another way. There is a fantastic app called Watch Faces By Facer that is essentially a platform for Apple Watch fans to share their personalized watch faces with the world.
What Is Watch Faces By Facer?
Watch Faces By Facer is a brilliant app that acts as a one-stop platform that allows users to download Apple Watch faces that are customized by other users. It’s not a true Watch Face Store since users can’t upload and offer their own creations, but it’s a close as we’re getting for now.
While this article concentrates on the Apple Watch faces on offer in Watch Faces By Facer, the platform also supports watch faces for WearOS and Tizen watches.
How To Use Watch Faces By Facer To Download New Apple Watch Faces
Using the Watch Faces By Facer app is easy. First, you need to download the Watch Faces By Facer app here (it’s a free download). After you’ve downloaded the app, follow these steps:
- Open the app.
- On the splash screen that asks what watch you use, select Apple Watch.
- You’ll then be taken to the main Watch Faces By Facer interface. The Home tab looks like an app store. Here you can find curated collections of customized Apple Watch faces. You can also search for specific watch faces by tapping the Explore tab or see top lists of watch faces by tapping the Top Charts tab.
- Tap on any watch face to read more about it.
- When you find a watch face you want to download, tap the blue download button next to the image of the watch face.
- You’ll now be taken to the official Watch app on the iPhone. One the Add Watch Face screen, tap the Continue button.
- If the watch face has a custom complication, you’ll be asked if you want to download the third-party app it comes from on the Include Complication screen. Tap the App Store link on the page to install the app.
- If you don’t want to install the app you can still download the watch face without the custom complication. In that case, tap “Continue Without This App.” You’ll be taken to a screen that say Watch Face Added, which means it’s now saved in your Watch app and you can select it on your Apple Watch now.
And that’s it! Hopefully, Apple will debut a true Watch Face Store in the future. In the meantime, there’s the Watch Faces By Facer app.
Also, check out how to use the Apple Watch’s handwashing feature! Check out How To Make A FaceTime Call On Your Apple Watch, too!