iOS 26.1 makes a clever and subtle Clock icon animation change

Starting with iOS 26.1, Apple has updated the Clock app icon to work a lot more like an Apple Watch.

Since iOS 7, Apple has animated the Clock app icon with the current time when viewed on the home screen. The icon even includes a sweeping seconds hand that moves in a smooth, continuous motion like a mechanical clock.

In iOS 26.1, Apple changed how the Clock app icon’s seconds hand moves in low power mode. Instead of continuously moving, the seconds hand ticks with each second…