Apple Watch Memoji Watch Face: Setup & Use

Yes, the Apple Watch has a Memoji watch face, but with a catch: it only appears if you have a Memoji saved in the Memoji app on your paired iPhone. You can’t create a Memoji directly on the watch, and the face is not available on older watch models. This guide explains exactly how to set it up, customize it, and fix common problems.

What Is the Memoji Watch Face?

The Memoji watch face is a playful, animated face that displays your personalized Memoji character as the centerpiece. It’s one of the few watch faces that reacts to your movements—the character can wink, stick out its tongue, or even mirror your own facial expressions if you’re wearing the watch while you smile or raise your eyebrows. The face also shows the time in a small digital readout at the top, and you can add up to four complications (like weather, activity rings, or calendar) around the edges.

Apple introduced this face in watchOS 7 (2020) as part of the “Portrait� and “Memoji� faces that use the iPhone’s face-mapping data. It’s available on Apple Watch Series 3 and later, but only if the watch runs watchOS 7 or newer. The face is not available on the Apple Watch SE (1st generation) or any model older than Series 3, and it’s also missing from the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) because those models lack the necessary hardware for the animated expressions.

How to Set Up the Memoji Watch Face

Before you can add the Memoji watch face, you need to have at least one Memoji saved on your iPhone. If you haven’t created one yet, open the Messages app on your iPhone, tap the Animoji/Memoji icon in the app drawer, then tap the “+� button to create a new Memoji. You can customize skin tone, hair, eyes, head shape, and even add accessories like glasses or a hat. Once you’ve saved it, it will sync to your watch automatically.

To add the face to your watch:

1. On your Apple Watch, press the Digital Crown to go to the watch face gallery.
2. Swipe left or right to browse faces, or press the “Edit� button (the pencil icon) if you’re already on a face.
3. Tap the “+� button (add new face) and look for the “Memoji� option in the list.
4. Tap “Add� and then choose which Memoji you want to display. You can pick any of the Memoji you’ve created on your iPhone.
5. Customize the complications and the time style (analog or digital) by tapping “Edit� on the face.
6. Press the Digital Crown to set the face as your active watch face.

Alternatively, you can add it from the Watch app on your iPhone: go to the Face Gallery tab, scroll down to “Memoji,� and click “Add.� You can then set it as the current face from the “My Watch� tab.

Customizing Your Memoji Watch Face

Once the face is active, you can customize it further by pressing and holding the watch face, then tapping “Edit.� You can change:

• Memoji: Switch between different Memoji characters you’ve created.
• Time style: Choose between a digital time (top) or an analog dial with the Memoji in the center.
• Complications: Add up to four complications in the corners or around the dial. Tap each slot to choose from available complications like Activity, Heart Rate, Weather, or Calendar.
• Color: Some styles let you change the background color or the color of the analog hands.

The Memoji itself is animated—it reacts to your wrist raise and can show different moods if you’ve set a “mood� in the Memoji app (like happy, sad, or surprised). However, you can’t change the Memoji’s expression directly on the watch; it’s tied to the expression you saved on the iPhone.

Common Problems and Fixes

If the Memoji watch face isn’t showing up or isn’t working, try these steps:

• Memoji not appearing in the face gallery: Make sure you have at least one Memoji saved on your iPhone. If you just created one, give it a minute to sync. Restart both devices if needed.
• Face is grayed out: This usually means your watch model doesn’t support the face. Check that you have Apple Watch Series 3 or later (except SE models) and watchOS 7 or newer.
• Memoji is static or not animating: The animation requires the watch’s face-tracking hardware. On models that support it, make sure you’re raising your wrist and looking at the watch. If it still doesn’t animate, restart the watch.
• Complications not updating: Remove and re-add the complications, or switch to a different face and back.
• Face disappears after restart: This can happen if the Memoji data on the iPhone is corrupted. Delete the Memoji and recreate it, then re-add the face.

If none of these work, unpair and re-pair your watch with your iPhone (this resets the sync but will back up your data).

Memoji Watch Face vs. Other Animated Faces

The Memoji face is unique because it uses your own avatar, but Apple offers other animated faces that might suit you better:

• Animoji: Similar to Memoji but uses the pre-made animal characters (like the fox, alien, or unicorn). The Animoji face was introduced in watchOS 5 and is available on more models.
• Portrait: This face uses a photo of a person (from your iPhone’s portrait mode) and creates a depth effect where the time appears behind the subject. It’s not animated, but it’s more personal.
• Astronomy: Shows a real-time view of the Earth, moon, or solar system. It’s animated but not interactive.

The Memoji face is the only one that mirrors your facial expressions in real time, which makes it a fun conversation starter. However, it drains battery slightly faster than static faces because of the animation.

Battery Life and Performance

Animated watch faces like Memoji use more battery than static ones because they constantly redraw the animation. On a full charge, you might notice a 5-10% reduction in battery life if you use the Memoji face exclusively. To mitigate this, you can switch to a static face when you don’t need the animation, or turn off the “Wake Screen on Wrist Raise� if you don’t need the animation every time you look at the watch.

The face also requires a decent amount of memory. If your watch is older (like a Series 3), you might see slower app loading times when switching faces. But for most users, the performance impact is minimal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a Memoji directly on my Apple Watch?

No, you cannot create a Memoji on the watch. You must create it on your iPhone in the Messages app (or in the Memoji app if you have iOS 15 or later). The watch only displays the Memoji that are synced from your iPhone.

Why is the Memoji watch face not on my Apple Watch SE?

The Apple Watch SE (both generations) does not include the hardware needed for the animated Memoji face, which uses the same face-tracking sensors as the Face ID on iPhones. Apple decided to omit this feature to keep the SE’s cost lower. You can still use the Animoji face, which uses the same pre-made animals but doesn’t require face tracking.

How do I change the Memoji on the watch face?

Press and hold the watch face, tap “Edit,� then tap the Memoji preview. You’ll see a list of all your Memoji. Swipe through and tap one to select it. Press the Digital Crown to save.

Does the Memoji watch face work with always-on display?

Yes, but the animation only plays when the watch is awake. When the display is in always-on mode, the Memoji appears as a static image, and the time is dimmed. The animation resumes when you raise your wrist.

Can I use a Memoji watch face on watchOS 6 or earlier?

No, the Memoji face requires watchOS 7 or later. If you’re running an older version, update your watch via the Watch app on your iPhone (Settings > General > Software Update).

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