The Apple Watch Ultra features an international orange physical Action Button positioned on the left side of the aerospace-grade titanium chassis. Unlike the Digital Crown and Side Button, which serve fixed system navigation purposes, the Action Button is fully user-programmable. Designed for athletes, divers, hikers, and productivity power users, it provides tactile, glove-friendly hardware access to vital features, eliminating the need to swipe across sweaty or wet touchscreens during intense physical activities or cold weather.
Understanding Action Button Supported Actions
The Action Button natively integrates with several watchOS subsystem tools:
- Workout: Instantly launches the Workout app or initiates a predefined outdoor run, cycling session, or custom interval workout with zero countdown delay.
- Stopwatch: Starts, pauses, or records split lap times with physical tactile feedback.
- Waypoint: Drops an immediate Compass Waypoint, marking trailheads, parked vehicles, or campsite coordinates.
- Backtrack: Activates GPS breadcrumb routing to retrace your path in remote wilderness areas.
- Dive: Launches the Oceanic+ or native Depth gauge app when submerging in water.
- Flashlight: Activates white, red night-vision, or strobe illumination modes on the OLED display.
- Shortcut: Runs any custom automation script created in the Apple Shortcuts application.
Configuring the Action Button on Apple Watch Ultra
To program the button directly from your wrist:
- Press the Digital Crown and open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and select Action Button.
- Tap the top option labeled Action.
- Scroll through the list and select your desired feature (e.g., Workout, Waypoint, or Shortcut).
- Tap the back button to return to the configuration screen.
- Under the App or First Press section, refine the specific operational trigger (e.g., if Workout is chosen, select whether to launch the main workout menu or immediately start an Outdoor Run).
Configuring the Action Button via iPhone Watch App
For extensive shortcut assignments or complex workout setup, configuring via iPhone is often more convenient:
- Open the Watch app on your paired iPhone.
- Under the My Watch tab, tap Action Button.
- Choose your primary Action from the list.
- Customise the secondary parameters (such as selecting which exact Apple Shortcut executes upon press).
Binding the Action Button to Custom Apple Shortcuts
The true versatility of the Action Button comes from pairing it with custom macros in the Shortcuts app:
- Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone and create a watch-compatible automation (e.g., toggling smart home garage doors, sending an ETA text message, or logging water consumption).
- In Settings > Action Button on your watch, set Action to Shortcut.
- Tap Shortcut and choose your custom workflow from the library.
- Pressing the orange button now executes your automated macro instantly.
Two-Button Gestures: Pausing Workouts and Siren Activation
In addition to single presses, the Action Button supports dual-button hardware interactions:
- Pause Workout: Pressing the Action Button + Side Button simultaneously instantly pauses or resumes an active workout, eliminating accidental screen swipes during rain or swimming.
- 86-Decibel Emergency Siren: Pressing and holding the Action Button for three seconds brings up the emergency slider. Continuing to hold the button initiates the high-pitch, alternating distress siren audible up to 180 metres away.
Action Button Feature Matrix
| Action Selection | Primary Press Behavior | Secondary Press Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Workout | Starts selected workout immediately | Marks custom workout intervals/laps |
| Compass Waypoint | Drops immediate GPS coordinate marker | Opens coordinate metadata editor |
| Stopwatch | Starts precision timer | Records split lap time |
| Shortcut | Executes programmed macro script | N/A |
| Flashlight | Powers on high-lumen display light | Toggles display brightness/colour |