How to make the Apple Watch screen easier to read

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 4 October 2026

Device

Apple Watch

Shown on

watchOS 26 (Apple Watch)

App

Settings

Path

Settings › Accessibility: On/Off Labels › Show Borders › Increase Contrast › Grayscale

Real screenshots

6 of 6 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

The Accessibility page of the watch collects the settings that change how things look. None of them needs the iPhone, and each is a single switch. Apple notes that the watch has to restart before grayscale and bold text take effect.

The screenshots show watchOS 26.5 on an Apple Watch Series 11.

Step by step

1. 

   Open Settings on the watch

   Press the Digital Crown to see your apps and tap the Settings gear.

   Done

2. 

   Scroll down and tap Accessibility

   It is below Gestures and above Siri.

   Done

3. 

   Switch on On/Off Labels

   It adds visual indicators to switches: a vertical line shows when a switch is on, and a circle shows when it is off. In the picture the circle is already visible in this switch.

   Done

4. 

   Switch on Show Borders

   It shows the outline of onscreen elements.

   Done

5. 

   Switch on Increase Contrast

   Scroll down a little. The note below reads: increase color contrast between app foreground and background colors.

   Done

6. 

   Try Grayscale

   Grayscale shows the entire screen without colour. Restart the watch for it to take effect.

   Done

Good to know

Reduce Transparency, on the same page, improves the readability of text against backgrounds.

Text size: how to make text bigger on an Apple Watch. Bold text: how to turn on bold text on an Apple Watch.

All of these are also in the Apple Watch app on the iPhone: tap My Watch, then Accessibility.

In short: Settings, Accessibility: On/Off Labels, Show Borders, Increase Contrast, Grayscale.