Change the audio and notification settings on your Apple Watch

: June 7, 2024
: Apple

Table of Contents

Change the audio and notification settings on your Apple Watch

Change the audio and notification settings on your Apple Watch

Set the volume, mute your watch, or turn on Do Not Disturb. And adjust the strength of the taps and vibrations that your Apple Watch uses for alerts and notifications.

Turn the volume up or down

On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
Scroll down, then tap Sounds & Haptics.
Tap the volume down button to decrease the volume or tap the volume up button to increase it. You can also tap the slider, then turn the Digital Crown.

Adjust notifications and alerts

Learn how to manage notifications and alerts. You can change when and how you get alerts and how loud the alert is, but you can’t change how it sounds.

Manage Haptic Alerts

Open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap Sounds & Haptics.
Turn Haptic Alerts on or off.
To add extra emphasis to haptic alerts, tap Prominent. This feature adds an additional haptic tap that pre-announces some of your other haptic alerts.

You can also change the settings for specific apps from your iPhone. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, go to the My Watch tab, and tap Sounds & Haptics.

If you’re wearing your Apple Watch and you don’t feel a tap as you adjust the slider, contact Apple Support. For the best haptic results, the back of your Apple Watch needs skin contact. Use a snug, but comfortable fit.

Turn haptic settings for the Digital Crown on or off

On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
Tap Sound & Haptics, then turn Haptic Crown on or off.

The Haptic Crown is available only on Apple Watch Series 4 or later.

Turn on Taptic Chimes

Your Apple Watch can chime at different intervals, making it easy to track time without looking.

Open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
Scroll down and tap Chimes.
Turn Chimes on.
Tap Schedule and set the chimes to play on the hour or every 30 or 15 minutes.
Tap Sounds and change the chime to Birds or Bells.

You can also adjust these settings from your iPhone. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, tap Accessibility, and tap Chimes.

Mute your Apple Watch

Touch and hold the bottom of the watch face. Wait for Control Center to show, then swipe up.
Tap the Silent Mode button . This turns on Silent Mode. You can still receive haptic notifications.

To silence an alert or notification as it sounds, rest your palm on the display for at least three seconds or until you feel a tap. If it doesn’t work, see if the Cover to Mute setting is on: On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, go to the My Watch tab, then tap Sounds & Haptics.

Turn on Do Not Disturb

Touch and hold the bottom of the watch face. Wait for Control Center to show, then swipe up.
Tap the Do Not Disturb button , then choose an option. You can manually turn off Do Not Disturb or set it for a period of time, so it automatically turns off.

Do Not Disturb keeps calls and alerts (except for alarms) from sounding or lighting up the screen. When enabled, the Do Not Disturb icon appears at the top of the screen.