Apple Watch User Guide
- Welcome
- What’s new
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- Alarms
- App Store
- Blood Oxygen
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Camera Remote
- ECG
- Medications
- Memoji
- Music Recognition
- News
- Now Playing
- Reminders
- Remote
- Shortcuts
- Siren
- Stocks
- Stopwatch
- Tides
- Timers
- Tips
- Translate
- Vitals
- Voice Memos
- Walkie-Talkie
- World Clock
-
- VoiceOver
- Set up Apple Watch using VoiceOver
- Apple Watch basics with VoiceOver
- Apple Watch Mirroring
- Control nearby devices
- AssistiveTouch
- Use a braille display
- Use a Bluetooth keyboard
- Zoom
- Tell time with haptic feedback
- Adjust text size and other visual settings
- Adjust motor skills settings
- Set up and use RTT
- Accessibility audio settings
- Type to speak
- Auto-select focused app
- Use accessibility features with Siri
- The Accessibility Shortcut
- Copyright
Silence alerts and notifications on Apple Watch
When you don’t want to hear alerts and notifications on Apple Watch, you can turn on Silent mode, theater mode, Do Not Disturb, or a Focus. You can also cover the display to temporarily mute an alert.
Turn on Silent mode
Use Silent mode to mute all alerts, notifications, and sound effects. You still receive haptic notifications.
Note: While Apple Watch is charging, alarms and timers still sound even in Silent mode.
-
Press the side button to open Control Center on Apple Watch.
Tap
.
You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Sounds & Haptics, then turn on Silent mode.
Turn on theater mode
Theater mode prevents the Apple Watch display from turning on when you raise your wrist, so it stays dark. Theater mode also turns on Silent mode and makes your Walkie-Talkie status unavailable, but you still receive haptic notifications.
Press the side button to open Control Center on Apple Watch.
Tap
.
When theater mode is on, 
appears at the top of the screen.
To wake Apple Watch when theater mode is on, tap the display, press the side button, or turn or press the Digital Crown.
Turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus
To prevent sound and haptic notifications, follow these steps:
Press the side button to open Control Center on Apple Watch.
Tap
, then choose Do Not Disturb or a Focus.Tap On or choose an ending point—such as On for 1 hour or On until I leave.
To customize your Focus settings, see Use Focus on Apple Watch.
Cover the display to temporarily mute an alert
When you get an alert—such as an incoming phone call or if a timer expires—you can quickly mute Apple Watch by resting the palm of your hand on the display for at least 3 seconds. You’ll feel a tap to confirm that mute is on.
To turn on Cover to Mute, go to the Settings app 
on Apple Watch, then tap Gestures.