To disable the Apple Watch display from turning on automatically, follow these instructions!

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Just received my Apple Watch Sport today and began wearing it an hour ago. It only took minutes of wearing it to realize that I needed to turn off the wrist flick functionality that turns on the Apple Watch's display automatically.

I'm an excited guy. I talk with my hands a LOT (a habit I picked up from my Italian girlfriend apparently...lol). Anyways, I found the Apple Watch to become immediately distracting to conversations. As I'm talking -- with no intent of the looking at the watch because I'm talking -- the display is constantly turning on and off.

I would MUCH prefer to Apple have a low power mode on the display so it's always on and just faded.. and then when you tap it it brightens up.

This set me on a quest to to disable this feature, but when I opened the Apple Watch app on my iPhone I couldn't find a setting. There's a setting for Wrist Detection, which sounds like the thing you would want to disable.. but that's not it. Below that, there's a feature for Activate on Wrist Raise, which also sounds like the proper setting, but when you tap that you only get two options: 1) Show Watch Face or 2) Resume Previous Activity.

you can't disable it from the iPhone app​

This had me thinking you couldn't even disable the auto turn-on display functionality...which would be HORRIBLE.

BUT... it turns out you can do it. you just have to do it on the Apple Watch itself.

Just go to Settings > General > Activate on Wrist ... and from there you can disable it. So. Much. Better.

you can however, disable it in settings on the watch itself​

I'm a little disturbed that the first thing I wanted to disable on the Apple Watch turned out to be kind of confusing. Hopefully Apple can get that setting into the app asap. I can't be the only hand talker out there who will want to kill that functionality asap.

 

[Bigeric23]

I thought I might need to disable this function to save battery; however, I'm finishing my day with around 30% left, so . . . I'll leave it on because it's so handy.

 

[robbrick]

I don't mean to change this thread's subject, but why did you buy the sport, versus the SS? Just curious. I am definitely getting the sport because of weight and that fact that I'll probably upgrade to the next version in a year and don't want too much invested.

 

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Good question. I bought BOTH!! Ordered the Sport in Black/Space Grey, and the Stainless Steel in Space Grey. The Sport just shipped first. Get the SS version in June.

I don't mean to change this thread's subject, but why did you buy the sport, versus the SS? Just curious. I am definitely getting the sport because of weight and that fact that I'll probably upgrade to the next version in a year and don't want too much invested.

 

[robbrick]

Gotcha! Lucky SOB. LOL


Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus using Tapatalk

 

[JakePleasants]

I'm a huge hand talker as well, Kevin, but I actually haven't had this problem, luckily. I'm sure it depends upon the pattern in which you move your hands, so it's highly personal.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

Yeah, I can understand wanting to turn this off. I'm a person who constantly uses hand gestures when talking to someone and it wouldn't be good on battery life. My girlfriend says I have a certain "tick" even with my hands when I'm still. I can't be the only person.

I listened to MBW this week and Adam Christianson said the simple tap to wake isn't that much of an inconvenience.