How to Silence an Apple Watch

How to Put Apple Watch on Silent

To put Apple Watch on silent, use the Silent Mode button in Control Center:

1. Press the side button to open Control Center.
2. Tap the Silent Mode button.

Control Center buttons like this one toggle a setting, so tap the Silent Mode button again when you want sound back.

Turn On Silent Mode From Your iPhone

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Sounds & Haptics, then turn on Silent Mode. On the watch, the same switch sits in the Settings app under Sounds & Haptics.

Silent Mode, Theater Mode, Do Not Disturb or a Focus?

Silent Mode is one of four ways Apple offers to quiet the watch for longer. Here is Apple's comparison, without its visual notifications and options rows:

Mode	Sounds	Haptics	Display	Good for
Silent Mode	Off	On (if you allow)	On	Quiet environments where you want to see and feel notifications
Theater Mode	Off	On (if you allow)	Off	Dark venues like theaters and movies
Do Not Disturb	Off	Off	On	Meetings, appointments, and instances when you want to prevent all notifications
Focus	Off (with exceptions you set)	Off (with exceptions you set)	On (except for customizable modes like Sleep)	Sleep, work, and other activities with specific notification needs

To turn on the other three:

• Theater Mode: open Control Center and tap the Theater Mode button. The display stays dark when you raise your wrist, and Silent Mode turns on too. To wake the watch, tap the display, press the side button, or turn or press the Digital Crown.
• Do Not Disturb: open Control Center, tap the Do Not Disturb button, choose Do Not Disturb, then tap On or an ending point such as On for 1 hour or On until I leave.
• A Focus: tap the same Do Not Disturb button and choose a Focus instead. A Focus can run on a schedule and allow the notifications you pick.

Silence One Alert Right Now

To silence one call or timer right now without changing modes, use a gesture:

• Cover to Mute: rest the palm of your hand on the display for at least 3 seconds. A haptic tap confirms the notification is muted, and you can still answer the call or reset the timer.
• Wrist Flick: turn your wrist over and back to mute an incoming call or dismiss a notification and return to the watch face.

Both gestures are on by default. To turn either off, open the Settings app on your Apple Watch, then tap Gestures.

Turn the Sound Off or Change the Volume

To turn the sound off or turn the volume up on Apple Watch, work in Sounds & Haptics:

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap Sounds & Haptics. The Silent mode switch here silences all alerts.
3. To set the volume by hand, turn off Automatically Adjust Volume, then drag the volume slider (up to a maximum of 100%).

Automatic volume is available on Apple Watch SE 3, Series 9, Ultra 2 and later. It changes the volume for ringtones, notifications, alarms and timers based on the noise around you, and with it on, the volume doesn't exceed a certain level.

• Media volume: turn the Digital Crown while music or a podcast plays, or open Control Center, tap the Volume button, then drag the slider.
• Haptics: in Sounds & Haptics, set the strength of wrist taps to Default, Prominent or Off.

How to Check It Worked

Silent Mode is on when its button shows as selected in Control Center. With Theater Mode on, the Theater Mode status icon appears at the top of the screen.