Turn off audio notifications and alerts on your Apple Watch
Audio stops playing on your Apple Watch when you mute the device, disable sound for specific apps, or switch to silent mode. The fastest method is pressing the mute button on the side of the watch — a single press silences all notifications and alarms until you unmute it. If you want to keep some sounds but block others, you can control audio app by app through the Watch app on your iPhone.
Your Apple Watch has three separate controls for sound: the physical mute switch, the volume setting, and per-app notification preferences. Understanding which one you need depends on whether you want to silence everything, lower the volume, or stop only certain apps from making noise.
Key Takeaways
- Press the mute button (the physical switch on the side of your watch) to silence all sounds when ready; press it again to unmute.
- Lower watch volume by opening Control Center on the watch face, swiping up, and adjusting the volume slider.
- Block audio from specific apps by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, selecting the app, and toggling off sound notifications.
- Enable Do Not Disturb on your watch to silence all alerts and calls without muting alarms you set directly on the watch.
- If audio keeps playing during calls or video, check that your watch is not set to route audio to the speaker instead of the receiver.
Use the physical mute button for when ready silence
The mute button is a small switch on the left side of your Apple Watch, below the Digital Crown (the rotating dial). Press it once and you will see a bell with a line through it appear on your watch face — this means the watch is now silent. All notifications, alerts, and incoming calls will vibrate instead of making sound.
Press the mute button again to turn sound back on. This is the quickest way to stop audio if you are in a meeting, movie, or any situation where you need silence right now. The mute state stays active until you manually unmute, even if you receive new notifications or restart the watch.
Lower the volume without muting completely
If you want to hear some sounds but at a lower level, adjust the volume directly on your watch. Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to open Control Center, then look for the volume icon (a speaker symbol). Tap and drag the slider left to decrease volume or right to increase it.
This volume setting affects notifications, alerts, and any audio playing through the watch speaker — but not audio routed through your iPhone or through Bluetooth headphones connected to the watch. If you lower the volume and still hear sound, the audio may be coming from your phone instead of the watch itself.
Turn off notifications for individual apps
To stop audio from one app without silencing the entire watch, open the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap Notifications, scroll down to find the app you want to adjust, and tap it. Toggle off the "Sound" option, and that app will no longer make noise on your watch — it will only vibrate when it sends a notification.
You can also choose to turn off notifications entirely for an app by toggling off "Allow Notifications" at the top of that app's settings page. This prevents the app from sending any alerts to your watch, whether sound or vibration. Some apps, like Messages or Phone, have additional options to customize which types of alerts make sound and which do not.
Enable Do Not Disturb to silence alerts without affecting alarms
Do Not Disturb mode silences all incoming calls, messages, and notifications on your watch, but alarms you set directly on the watch will still sound. To turn it on, swipe up from the bottom of your watch face to open Control Center, then tap the crescent moon icon. A small crescent will appear on your watch face to show Do Not Disturb is active.
Do Not Disturb stays on until you manually turn it off or until a specific time you set. This is useful if you want to avoid interruptions from calls and messages but still need your alarm to wake you up. If you want Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at certain times, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Do Not Disturb, and enable "Scheduled."
Check if audio is routing to your iPhone instead of your watch
Sometimes audio plays from your iPhone speaker even though you thought you were controlling the watch. This happens when your watch and iPhone are both nearby and the audio source defaults to your phone. If you are on a call or playing audio and hear sound from your iPhone instead of your watch, check which device is active.
During a phone call, look at your watch screen — if the call is showing on the watch, tap the speaker icon to route audio to the watch receiver instead of the speaker. For music or other audio, swipe up on your iPhone to open Control Center, tap the audio output icon (looks like a speaker with sound waves), and select your watch if it appears in the list. If your watch does not appear, make sure Bluetooth is on and the devices are paired.
Restart your watch if audio keeps playing unexpectedly
If you have tried muting, lowering volume, and disabling app notifications but audio still plays, restart your watch. Press and hold the side button (the same one you use to access Siri) until you see the power off slider. Drag the slider to turn off the watch, wait a few seconds, then press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears.
A restart clears temporary glitches that might cause audio to play when it should not. After the watch restarts, check whether the problem is gone. If audio still plays unexpectedly after a restart, the issue may be with a specific app — try uninstalling and reinstalling that app through the Watch app on your iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my watch still make noise even though I pressed the mute button?
Check that the mute button actually toggled — you should see a bell with a line through it on your watch face. If the bell icon is not there, press the mute button again. If the icon appears but you still hear sound, the audio may be coming from your iPhone, not your watch. Also check that alarms set directly on the watch will still sound even when muted.
Can I mute just one app without muting the whole watch?
Yes. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Notifications, find the app, and toggle off Sound. That app will vibrate but not make noise. You can do this for as many apps as you want while leaving other apps with sound enabled.
Does Do Not Disturb stop alarms from going off?
No. Do Not Disturb silences calls, messages, and notifications, but alarms you set on the watch will still ring. If you want to silence everything including alarms, use the mute button instead.
What if I want audio to play through my iPhone instead of my watch?
During a call, tap the speaker icon on your watch screen and select your iPhone. For music or other audio, open Control Center on your iPhone, tap the audio output icon, and select your iPhone as the playback device. Your watch will stay silent while audio plays from your phone.
Will muting my watch also mute my iPhone?
No. Muting your Apple Watch only affects sound on the watch itself. Your iPhone will continue to make noise independently. You need to mute your iPhone separately using its side switch or through Control Center.