TL;DR:
- watchOS 10.4 update is as big for Apple Watch as iOS 17.4 for iPhone.
- Resolved Apple Watch ghost touch and Double Tap conflicts with Vision Pro.
- Apple Pay passcode replaces double side button click on the Watch.
Apple is on a software update spree with watchOS 10.4, macOS Sonoma 14.4, tvOS 17.4, visionOS 1.1, and even HomePod software 17.4 bringing new features and bug fixes across the ecosystem.
New watchOS 10.4 update features
- 28 new emojis
- Tap to Show Full Notification
- Apple Pay passcode
First, the important things. With watchOS 10.4, your Apple Watch now gets to display 28 cool new emojis in iMessage or other chat apps on the wearable.
Another Watch interaction addition deals with security while using Apple Pay on your Watch. The Confirm with AssistiveTouch option will now ask for a passcode instead of relying on double-clicking of the side button to authorize Apple Watch payment that can be abused.
False Apple Watch touch and contacts sync fix
Speaking of security and bug fixes, the big one in the watchOS 10.4 update is the Apple Watch “ghost touch” problem resolution. The software team from Cupertino somehow managed to adjust the Apple Watch touchscreen sensitivity to prevent the infamous false touches that a lot of Apple Watch users are intimately familiar with.
A fairly recent phenomenon, the Apple Watch false touch bug made the screen content moving on its own with no finger input from the user. At times, the issue was so bad that some Apple Watch owners were getting locked out of their accounts while trying to unsuccessfully key in their passcodes.
The other big bug fix that comes with the watchOS 10.4 update is the Apple Watch not syncing contacts for “some users,” as Apple made some unidentified communication issue resolutions to remedy this.
Apple Watch and Vision Pro double tap finger gesture
With the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, Apple brought the Double Tap gesture to control and navigate your smart timepiece. Coincidentally, it also made pinching your fingers a mainstay of Vision Pro navigation as well.