The Apple Watch screen is small. So small that it can be difficult for some people to read messages and other text on the device. Also, even though the Home screen icons get bigger when they are centered on the screen, you might find yourself accidentally tapping the wrong one more often than you'd like.

Apple has included a couple of accessibility features that make dynamic text larger on the screen, and there are options to make all of the icons stay big on the Home screen instead of shrinking and growing when they are not centered. We have a tutorial to show you how to enable these features.

Apple Watch Home Screen

Reduce Motion

The same feature that helps keep people from getting motion sickness in iOS 8 makes app icons larger on the Home screen on Apple Watch. It makes it a little bit easier to tap those tiny icons.

  1. On Apple Watch, navigate to the Home screen and then open the Settings app.
  2. Select General. Then scroll down to Accessibility.
  3. Tap Reduce Motion and toggle the switch to the on position.

Or

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and go to My Watch.
  2. Select General, and then Accessibility.
  3. Tap Reduce Motion and toggle the switch to the on position.

Now, the icons on your Home screen will remain at their fullest size instead of shrinking down as they move away from the center of the screen, as seen in the image at the top of this post.

Tip: If an app is centered on the screen, you don't even have to tap it to open it. Instead, rotate the Digital Crown to open the app. The hard part is being able to tell which app is centered.

Larger Font

You can increase the size of the font for apps that are compatible with dynamic text. Apple's stock Mail, Messages, and Settings apps all have dynamic text.

Apple Watch Larger Font

  1. On Apple Watch, navigate to the Home screen and open the Settings app.
  2. Select Brightness & Text Size. Then select Text Size.
  3. Rotate the Digital Crown up or down to increase or decrease the font size.

Or

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and go to My Watch.
  2. Select Brightness & Text.
  3. Drag the slider bar to the left or right to increase or decrease the font size.

You can also turn on Bold Text in the Brightness and Text sections in the Apple Watch Settings app or the Apple Watch app on iPhone to make text just a little bit easier to see.

Reduce Transparency

The iOS 8-style background transparency used in apps like Siri and Glances might also affect your ability to see things clearly on the Apple Watch. You can reduce the transparency to up the contrast and make text and graphics crisper against a solid black background, which may make it easier on your eyes.

Apple Watch Glances

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and go to My Watch
  2. Select General. Then select Accessibility.
  3. Tap Reduce Transparency and toggle the switch to the on position.

With all of the above-mentioned options, it should make it a bit easier for you to read emails and messages, as well as navigate the Home screen icons.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

WildCowboy Avatar
131 months ago
If you would like to discuss the general topic of how-to articles at MacRumors, there's a forum feedback thread ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/getting-sick-of-macrumors-click-and-bait-articles.1892084/') where you're welcome to do so.

If you would like to discuss adjusting font and icon sizes on your Apple Watch, this is the place.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
maxresdefault

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...