Apple quietly got rid of four Watch faces in watchOS 11, and furious users want them back

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple this week released its watchOS 11 software to the public, and the surprise absence of several old Watch faces has got enthusiasts up in arms over their removal.

Users noticed the move earlier this week after watchOS 11 rolled on Monday for all of the best Apple Watch models. One poster on Reddit noted that the Chronograph and Explorer Watch faces had been removed, with commenters quickly pointing out that Numerals had also been removed, along with the Siri face.

"I'm super disappointed that they've taken away both the Explorer and the original Chronograph faces," the user lamented. "These were my two favorite, and quite a bit more functional than most of the new faces that have been introduced over the last couple of years."

watchOS 11 arrives with a slew of new health and fitness features, but there was the expected sprinkling of new Watch faces too. Apple has updated the Photos face, which now features AI-powered recommendations to give you the best results possible. There's also a new Flux face that takes advantage of the new 1Hz display of the Apple Watch Series 10, and a new Reflections face to complement the finish of the new titanium version.

These news faces don't seem to be landing with enthusiasts though, who are more concerned about getting some of their old favorites back. In fact, users in the Apple Watch subreddit are filling in feedback at Apple.com, asking for the return of the removed faces.

watchOS 11 strikes a cruel blow

Apple Watch Series 10 — (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

There doesn't seem to be any technical or functional reason as to why Apple would remove these Watch faces. So it's likely that Apple has made this shift to refresh and enhance the overall aesthetic and design language of watchOS, which is certainly more artsy and abstract than it used to be.

The removal of the Chronograph face seems to have especially irked some users, given that it was one of the original faces that debuted when the Apple Watch was launched in 2014.

Another post in the same subreddit calling the removal of Watch faces unacceptable has garnered a lot of traction this week, one user slamming the move as "totally anti-consumer in every way."

The obvious solution, also proposed by users on Reddit, would be to implement downloadable Watch faces on Apple Watch. Until then, it looks like lovers of Chronograph, Explorer, and the old Numerals face are out of luck on watchOS 11.

Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer with nearly a decade of experience covering technology, including five years as the News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fitness enthusiast and is never far from the local gym, Apple Watch at the ready, to record his latest workout. Stephen has experience writing about every facet of technology including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and developing stories regarding supply chains, patents and litigation, competition, politics and lobbying, the environment, and more. He's conducted interviews with industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a massive tech and history buff with a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music.