Support & Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: January 19, 2026


Lucent was built as a simple one-time paid app. This service is provided by Andre Black, an individual developer, at no additional service or subscription cost beyond the flat app fee, and it is intended for personal use as is.


  • How do I get started?

    After you install from the app store on your phone, the watch app should also auto-install. All of the action is in the watch app, so you don't need to launch the iPhone app at all if you don't need to add faces. The iPhone app is just the face installer.

    Just remember to give the watch app permission to access your activity data so that it can show the rings, and your location so that it can show your local temperature. That is totally optional, though, and the faces still work find without that access.

    IMPORTANT: If you don't see the Lucent app icon appear on the Apple Watch:
    1. Open Apple's Watch app your phone.
    2. Scroll down to the section at the bottom called "Installed on Apple Watch". If Lucent is there, it has been installed on your watch already.
    3. If you don't see Lucent there, keep scrolling to the section below, Available Apps and you'll find the Lucent icon under there. Tap the Install button beside it to install the app on your watch.

  • What Apple Watch models and watchOS versions are supported?

    Any modern Apple Watch sold in the last 3 years, with any size class, should run Lucent beautifully. The only requirement is that the Apple Watch be running watchOS 10.6 or higher, and the iPhone be running iOS 18.6 or higher.

  • How do I use the app on the watch?

    The app launches to the last face you were using, or to one of the eight pre-installed faces if it's your first time. There are some nice things you can try:

    1. Long-press in the center of the face, and you'll see a carousel of faces that are installed on your watch. Swipe left or right for a closer look, then tap on the one you'd like to use.
    2. When you raise your wrist and wake your watch, your activity rings, current date, and local temperature will show for 3 seconds before they fade out. If you want them back, just tap once more to make the complications fade in again.
    3. The face backgrounds automatically dim after sunset and brighten after sunrise. If you ever want to swap daylight modes, just swipe up or swipe down on your face.
    4. If you want a face that isn't already installed, check out the Reddit Lucent community forum. You may find a link there to extra faces, which you can paste right into the iPhone app to install them.

  • How do I keep Lucent running as long as possible throughout the day?

    The Lucent iPhone app can guide you through these steps, for the longest-lasting experience that is supported by Apple watchOS for foreground-running apps like Lucent:

    1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
    2. Go to General > Return to Clock
    3. Under the RETURN TO CLOCK section, tap After 1 hour

  • What is the quickest way to get back to Lucent when it's moved to the background?

    When a notification of a certain type, or a media player control screen, moves Lucent to the background, you can get back quickly. Double-press the digital crown on the side of your physical Apple Watch. That will reveal the recently used apps, and you can tap on the Lucent app to bring it back to the foreground.

  • Does Lucent get moved to the background more quickly during certain times of day?

    While watchOS does not have time-based rules about pushing apps to the background, operating-system level activity and sensor loads spike during certain typical times of day, and this can force foreground apps to the background. In afternoons, the watch is typically doing activity tracking, sampling heart rate often, detecting workouts, locating checking, receiving notifications, and more. This is perfectly normal, but you'll want to master this action to being Lucent back quickly: double-press the digital crown then tap the Lucent face.

  • Will Lucent work on Android Smart Watches?

    No. Lucent is an Apple-only app for the time being. If any Android developers would like to join the team to help create an Android port of the Lucent codebase, please post on the Reddit Lucent community forum.