That little orange button can do a lot more than start your next workout.

If you're serious about running, hiking, weightlifting or other high-energy activities, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is easy to recommend. At $800, it is a commitment — but that's surprisingly reasonable compared to other fitness and adventure watches, and the benefits over a regular Apple Watch aren't trivial. It's bigger, tougher and lasts up to 50 hours on a charge, whereas a Series 12 has to be topped up every day. Combined with its satellite features and GPS accuracy, it might legitimately save your life on a wilderness trek.

An Ultra difference that Apple tends to downplay these days is the action button. It's an orange button next to the speaker grille, used as a quick shortcut for commands that other Watch owners have to tap through menus or complications to reach. It can also activate the watch's emergency siren, which helps attract attention if you're lost or injured. It's such an obvious, low-cost feature that it's almost insulting that it's not on Series devices, too.

There's a broad range of commands you can assign to the button. You can only assign one at a time, but if you know what you're doing, it can be immensely useful for anything that's a daily habit. All the more so if you take advantage of the automation upgrades in watchOS 27 and iOS 27.

If you hold down the action button briefly, you'll see the Quick Switch menu appear.

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