How to mute the ringer and alerts on your Apple Watch

Apple Watch mute
Apple Watch mute

Whether you're in the middle of a romantic dinner or need some quiet time, it's occasionally wise to mute your Apple Watch using Silent Mode. Doing so is a simple enough process as you can see here.

Here are a few essential points to keep in mind:

  • On Apple Watch, Silent Mode and Do Not Disturb aren't the same thing. With the former, only the sound is silenced, which means haptics will still tap you as needed.
  • Also, Silent Mode does not silent alarms or timers on Apple Watch.
  • You can also take your hand and cover the front of your watch to stop a sound. Be sure Cover to Mute is enabled in the Watch app for iPhone on the My Watch tab under Sound & Haptics.

How to use Silent Mode on your Apple Watch

To silent your wearable device:

  1. Push the Digital Crown to make sure you're on an Apple Watch face.
  2. Swipe up with your finger to reveal the Control Center.
  3. Scroll down and tap the Silent button, which features a bell icon.

scroll up on watch face, tap the mute button that's symbolized by a bell icon

You can also mute your Apple Watch from the Watch app on iPhone:

  1. In the Watch app on the My Watch tab, tap Sound & Haptics.
  2. At the top of the screen, enable Silent Mode.

Reverse the steps above to turn off Apple Watch muting.

Other muting solutions for Apple Watch

Silent Mode isn't the only option on Apple Watch that turns sounds off. There's also Theater Mode, which is nearly identical to Silent Mode except that the Apple Watch display won't turn on with a glance, and Do Not Disturb, which turns off sounds and taps on the wearable device.

Try some new bands

Are you looking for a new Apple Watch band? Check out these two great options:

admaster Apple Watch band

Admaster sport band ($10 at Amazon)

This inexpensive band looks nearly identical to Apple's official Nike band, except it's available in many more colors.

fullmosa watch band

Fullmosa metal band ($16 at Amazon)

Get the metal band look for a lot less than Apple's first-party option with this band that's available in multiple colors. It includes extra connectors.

Any Questions?

Let us know if you have any questions about the Apple Watch's Silent mode.

Bryan M Wolfe
Staff Writer

Bryan M. Wolfe has written about technology for over a decade on various websites, including TechRadar, AppAdvice, and many more. Before this, he worked in the technology field across different industries, including healthcare and education. He’s currently iMore’s lead on all things Mac and macOS, although he also loves covering iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Bryan enjoys watching his favorite sports teams, traveling, and driving around his teenage daughter to her latest stage show, audition, or school event in his spare time. He also keeps busy walking his black and white cocker spaniel, Izzy, and trying new coffees and liquid grapes.