How do I turn off live activities?

Silencing the Buzz: How to Tame Live Activities on Your Apple Watch

Live Activities on your Apple Watch can be incredibly convenient. Quickly glancing at your wrist to see your Uber’s arrival status, the score of a crucial game, or the progress of your workout can be a game-changer. But sometimes, the constant stream of updates and notifications can become a little overwhelming. Perhaps you prefer a less intrusive experience, or you’re concerned about battery life. Whatever your reason, you can easily take control and disable Live Activities on your Apple Watch.

If you find yourself wanting a break from the dynamic updates on your wrist, here’s a simple guide to help you turn them off:

Turning Off Auto-Launching Live Activities:

This method specifically prevents new Live Activities from automatically appearing in your Smart Stack (the stack of widgets you see when you swipe up from the bottom of your watch face). You’ll still be able to access existing ones, but you won’t be automatically bombarded with new ones.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Launch the Settings App: On your Apple Watch, locate and tap the Settings app icon (it looks like a gear).

2. Navigate to Smart Stack: Scroll down within the Settings app until you find the “Smart Stack” option. Tap on it.

3. Select Live Activities: Within the Smart Stack settings, you’ll see an option labeled “Live Activities.” Tap on this.

4. Deactivate the Auto-Launch Live Activities Option: You’ll find a toggle switch next to “Auto-Launch Live Activities.” Simply tap this switch to turn it off. The switch will typically change color (often from green to grey) to indicate that it is disabled.

What Happens After You Disable Auto-Launch?

Once you’ve deactivated the auto-launch feature, new Live Activities won’t automatically pop up in your Smart Stack. This means you’ll have a cleaner, less cluttered screen. You can still manually access Live Activities that are already running, either through their respective apps or potentially through other widgets that support them.

Beyond Auto-Launch: Further Customization

While disabling the auto-launch feature is a great starting point, remember that individual apps might still push notifications related to Live Activities. If you want complete silence, you might need to delve into the notification settings for specific apps.

To do this:

• Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
• Tap on “Notifications.”
• Scroll down to the “Mirror iPhone Alerts From” section.
• Find the app that’s pushing the unwanted Live Activity notifications and disable notifications for that specific app.

Reaping the Benefits of a Quieter Wrist

Turning off Live Activities, whether entirely or just the auto-launch feature, can offer a more focused and less disruptive experience. You’ll potentially conserve battery life, and you’ll regain control over the information that graces your wrist. So, if you’re looking for a little peace and quiet, consider trying these simple steps and reclaim your Apple Watch experience!