Add custom replies to Apple Watch, seem less robotic

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Don't be such a square when you reply. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Don't be such a square when you reply. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Messaging is one of the best use cases for Apple Watch – you get a message, you dictate a reply, you get on with your day.

Apple has included several pre-written responses for you to use when you’re just too busy to dictate a response (or don’t want to talk into your watch). They’re pretty awful, though, ranging from the terse (“OK”) to the fairly robotic (“Sorry, I can’t talk right now”). None of them really quite fit the way we talk, do they?

Happily, Apple lets you change these canned responses to better reflect your personality and style. Here’s how to do so.

Use your iPhone to edit these awful canned responses. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Use your iPhone to edit these awful canned responses. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
You’ll need to launch the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, first, and then swipe down to find the Messages preferences in the app.

Once there, tap on the Default Replies section and you’ll see the screen with all the built-in replies, like “Can I call you later?” and “I’m on my way.”

Tap into the default reply you want to customize and type in a message that makes better sense for you. I changed the straightforward What’s up? response to “Heya! What’s up?” which just seems nicer. Instead of the short and somewhat rude “OK,” I typed in “sounds great!”

Ultimately, you’re going to want to come up with your own custom replies, because you’re a beautiful unique butterfly like the rest of us. Think about what you text back most often (Love you!) and put those in your custom replies. It will make messaging with your wrist a ton better.

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