Use Swiftflip on Apple Watch
Install Swiftflip on Apple Watch, review due cards and set wrist-specific image, audio and haptic options alongside shared iPhone settings.
Swiftflip on Apple Watch is built for short, frequent reviews. This guide covers setup, the gestures and the few settings worth knowing about.
Available now: These watchOS 26 screenshots come from Swiftflip 1.13.0 and show the public practice flow still used by version 1.15.0. Later Watch work is described under Current development build.
Apple Watch walkthrough
Apple Watch
See what is due
Open Swiftflip to check the queue before starting a short review.
Apple Watch
Practice on your wrist
Tap to reveal a card, then swipe to record whether you knew it.
Apple Watch
Finish the session
The completion screen confirms that the queue is clear.
Install the watch app
If you already use Swiftflip on iPhone, the watch app installs automatically the next time your Apple Watch syncs apps. Otherwise open the Watch app on iPhone, find Swiftflip and tap Install.
You do not need to sign in or configure anything separately. Your decks, settings and progress travel through the same private iCloud sync.
Practice gestures
Open Swiftflip on the watch and you land on the cards that are due:
- Tap the card to flip it
- Swipe right if you knew it
- Swipe left if you did not
- Spin the Digital Crown to zoom into long text or images
- Drag with a finger to pan the zoomed view
Each grade plays a subtle haptic. The next card slides in once you finish.
If you stay zoomed in without interacting, the view resets after about five seconds so you do not need to undo it manually.
Watch and iPhone settings
Open Settings in Swiftflip on Apple Watch to control:
- Images: include or skip image cards on the wrist
- Audio: include audio cards and allow playback during practice
- Haptics: turn grade feedback on or off
Configure the scheduling preferences on iPhone:
- Card order: newest first, oldest first or random
- Session size: how many cards a sitting includes
- Card mix: all cards, only due or only due-or-new
- Review frequency: how soon cards come back for review
The scheduling preferences sync to Apple Watch through iCloud.
Audio and images on the watch
Audio is off by default on the watch, and cards that are audio only are skipped while it is off. To play recorded audio during a watch session, open Swiftflip on your Apple Watch, go into Settings and turn on Include Audio Cards.
Image display has its own toggle in the same place if you would rather skip images on the wrist.
Current development build
Swiftflip development after build 226 changes the Watch start screen from one due-card queue to a list of regular decks and Smart Decks. You can choose what to practice without starting on another device.
After a card flips, visible Incorrect and Correct buttons join the swipe gestures. The Digital Crown scrolls longer card content instead of zooming it, while Images, Audio and Haptics stay in the Watch settings screen.
These changes are not in version 1.15.0. Incorrect cards also advance normally on Watch; same-session repeats remain an iPhone, iPad and Mac behavior.
When to use the watch
Apple Watch works best for:
- short review sessions between tasks
- a quick pass through cards you almost have memorized
- checking what is due without opening anything bigger
Editing decks, recording audio, importing files and managing folders all live on iPhone, iPad or Mac. The watch keeps practice fast and leaves the heavier work to the bigger devices.
Keep practicing
Most reviews are shorter than the time it takes to scroll a feed, and the cumulative effect across a week is what makes spaced repetition work. See more in Apple Watch flashcards, and use Handoff to move a session between your iPhone, iPad and Mac.