but the "now bar" is not solving the issue in my case. Can i have the selected timer NOT disappear /switch back to home screen by itself?
It is a cardinality issue - "now bar" shows 1 <- exactly 1 (or 0), but fails with any other number. I have usually 3 things in my now bar while working out - music, "excersize", "timer"
I want to see the timer, without clicking every time. ideally large enough to see at a glance (like in the timer app).
The now bar on the watch has two visibility options. 1) show the icon only, which will not show you the running countdown. 2) icon and text, which *will* show you the running countdown on a bar across the 6:00 position, and will show when you activate your watch screen to check.
To set the option, slide your screen up to the app drawer, select the settings gear. Scroll to advanced features and scroll to "now bar style". Tap that and select which features for which you want to change the now bar style. For the timer, choose "icon with text". If you don't want to change the now bar style, another option is to choose a customizable watch face and add the timer as a complication. Tapping the complication will bring you to the timer settings and, once set, the countdown will appear in the complication. This method has the added benefit of making the timer easily accessible without additional swipes.
does the Now bar let me configure which of the 3 notification to prioritize?
"icon" vs "icon with text" does not address my issue - it shows the wrong timer, the one from "excersize" (count-up, green) not the real timer i want to see (countdown, blue)
Did the old timer tile? I don't generally run more than one timer at once. My exercises are kept track of on the workout tile, not on a timer, and not on the now bar. If you are keeping track of your exercise times - start a workout and set the screen to stay on during workouts. You will have your exercise timer front and center.
