The Apple Watch might be the best smartwatch you can buy, but it also has some annoying quirks. I might go so far as to call the Apple Watch a nag.
You know exactly what I'm talking about. Depending on your notification settings, you could get half a dozen alerts from your Apple Watch separate from the standard notifications mirrored from your iPhone. These notifications nudge you to go for a walk, stand up or breathe.
Or, if your Apple Watch is running watchOS 8, the long-standing breathe notifications are now Mindfulness app alerts. The new Mindfulness app merges timed breathing sessions with a reflection tool, together creating an Apple Watch destination for de-stressing.
Sure, the Mindfulness alerts could serve as a reminder to take time out of the day to unwind. But as someone who doesn't use the Mindfulness app features, I find them annoying. I prefer one of the best Apple Watch apps from a third-party developer for meditation or other mental health exercises. That's not to say Mindfulness can't be useful — I just don't need so many notifications.
By default your Apple Watch likely sends two Mindfulness alerts per day — one in the morning and one in the evening. While you might be used to the notifications, you can disable them to cut back on the dings and buzzes coming from your wrist. In the TikTok video below, I show how to change the Mindfulness notifications settings in the iPhone's Watch app:
Of course, you should follow Tom's Guide on TikTok for more tips on how to use the Apple Watch and the important Apple Watch settings to enable or disable. But if you're just wondering how to turn off Mindfulness alerts to make your Apple Watch less of a pest, follow the simple steps below.
Turn off Mindfulness notifications on Apple Watch
1. Open the Watch app on the iPhone your Apple Watch is paired with.
2. In the My Watch tab scroll through the native app list to Mindfulness. Tap on Mindfulness to open the app settings.
3. Review your Mindfulness notification settings. There are options to schedule Mindfulness reminders, receive a weekly Mindfulness summary and a function to mute Mindfulness alerts for the remainder for the day.
4. Select "Notifications Off" to turn off Mindfulness notifications for Apple Watch.
Going forward you should not receive notifications from the Mindfulness app. You can turn notifications back on at any time using the same settings menu located above.
Now you know how to turn off Mindfulness alerts, check out some other simple iOS tricks, including one that boosts your headphone volume instantly. You might also want to take a look at how to instantly kill every Safari tab on your iPhone and how to enable the hidden trackpad on iPhone or iPad.
