One of the Apple Watch's most greatest features is the ability to keep you connected to your notifications without needing to have your iPhone in your hand or even in your pocket all of the time.

watch
If your ‌iPhone‌ is unlocked, you'll get notifications on your ‌iPhone‌ instead of your Apple Watch. But if your ‌iPhone‌ is locked or asleep, you'll get notifications on your Apple Watch, unless your Apple Watch is locked with your passcode.

With Apple Watch, all of your notifications are at your fingertips, but what if you don’t want notifications from certain apps pinging your wrist all the time? Fortunately, it’s easy to change how you get notifications right on your Apple Watch.

You can choose to add notifications to the Notification Summary on your ‌iPhone‌, you can opt to mute them for an hour or the rest of the day, or you can turn them off for a particular app completely. Here’s how.

  1. Raise your wrist to wake your Apple Watch and swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Notification Center.
  2. Swipe left on a notification, then tap the More (three dots) button.
  3. Depending on the app, you will see some or all of the following options: Mute for 1 Hour, Mute for Today, Add to Summary, Turn off Time Sensitive, and Turn off.

watch
Note that time-sensitive notifications are always delivered immediately, even if you’re using a Focus mode that delays most notifications. However, if you want to prevent this app from delivering even time-sensitive notifications immediately, tap this option.

To revert or change the Apple Watch notification settings for particular apps, open the Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌, then tap the My Watch tab. Tap Notifications, and you’ll see a list of apps where you can adjust their individual notification settings.

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Unveils First New Products of 2026

Monday January 26, 2026 1:55 pm PST by
Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch. Read our coverage of each announcement to learn more:Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More Apple Introduces New Black Unity Apple Watch BandBoth the new AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided...
iPhone 5s

iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

Monday January 26, 2026 3:56 pm PST by
Alongside iOS 26.2.1, Apple today released an updated version of iOS 12 for devices that are still running that operating system update, eight years after the software was first released. iOS 12.5.8 is available for the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6, meaning Apple is continuing to support these devices for 13 and 12 years after launch, respectively. The iPhone 5s came out in September 2013,...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
Apple Creator Studio

Apple's Next Launch is Today

Tuesday January 27, 2026 2:39 pm PST by
Update: Apple Creator Studio is now available. Apple Creator Studio launches this Wednesday, January 28. The all-in-one subscription provides access to the Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage apps, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. A subscription to Apple Creator Studio also unlocks "intelligent features" and "premium...
Second Generation AirTag Feature

Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More

Monday January 26, 2026 6:07 am PST by
Apple today introduced the second-generation AirTag, with key features including longer range for tracking items and a louder speaker. For those who are not familiar, the AirTag is a small accessory that you can attach to your backpack, keys, or other items. Then, you can track the location of those items in the Find My app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and iCloud.com. The new...