Matthew BonifaceJan 13
Dr. Drang
☃️ Another lament about UI, this time on the Apple Watch.
https://leancrew.com/all-this/2026/01/a-complication-thats-one-step-too-complicated/
A complication that’s one step too complicated

Jan 12 at 11:48pmWeb
Show threadJD MathewsonJan 13
@drdrang I’ve been using an Apple Watch for the first time lately (inherited from late father) and I find very little to like about the UI. No doubt it’s a challenging form factor but it feels like nothing obvious is obvious.
Show threadDan MorenJan 13
@drdrang Wow, I didn't even think about putting a specific timer in the complication. This is dumb.
Show threadDan MorenJan 13
@drdrang Same thing if you put it in the Stack's widget complication. Booooo.
Show threadDr. DrangJan 13
@dmoren It’s like they think they’re saving us from a horrible mistake. Are you *absolutely* sure you want to start this timer?
Show threadDan MorenJan 13
@drdrang Oh no I accidentally set a 5 minute timer, whatever will I doooooo. (I accidentally set timers not infrequently now, so they ain't saving me from much.)
Show threadHugo Jan 14

RE: https://social.lol/@boss/115889985992229453

@dmoren @drdrang I should have dug through these responses a little better. I *do* get the expected behavior when I trigger a timer in the Smart Stack. I agree, it’s not ideal since the Smart Stack is annoying to trigger successfully

Show threadDan MorenJan 14
@boss @drdrang Hmm. Did not work in the smart stack for me.
Show threadChancerubbageJan 13

@dmoren @drdrang

It does prevent you from some mega-scroll of every variant timer you have ever set however.

Show threadRogerJan 13

@drdrang

It’s interesting that if you ask Siri on the watch to start a 30-second timer, it just does it.

Show threadNicholas RileyJan 13
@drdrang not an excuse for this behavior, but I recently discovered that simply raising your watch and saying how long you want a timer for, such as “30 seconds”, is sufficient to start a timer.
Show threadChris Mackay 🇨🇦Jan 13
@nriley @drdrang Seconded
Show threadCraig HockenberryJan 13
@drdrang I’m doing PT that needs a 60 second timer. I created a shortcut and added it as a Shortcuts complication. It prompts to Run the one line shortcut … seems like an unsolvable problem to get it with one tap🙈
Show threadJohn ClearyJan 14
@chockenberry @drdrang Running Shortcuts on Watch is painful — even with an action button on an ultra which I tried for a few months. Watch has two “modes” to run a shortcut (Tap vs Siri voice) and so you have to either look at watch and wait and keep tapping if you use action button/complication, or wait for Siri to respond slowly to start via voice (and it regularly fails to run the right shortcut). The number of tiny missed wins/opportunities on Apple platforms these days infuriates me!
Show threadSumocat 🐈‍⬛Jan 13
@drdrang I’d tried Timer complications previously, and they do not compare to the simplicity of saying “Hey Siri, timer 30 seconds.” No reaching over to set it, and when it goes off, I end it with the double tap gesture (as accessibility feature on S8). In general, I’ve found complications are best used to display info, not as buttons.