How Do I Turn Off Wrist Detection On Apple Watch? The Fix!

You want to turn off Wrist Detection on your Apple Watch, but you don’t know how. Wrist Detection protects your information by locking your Apple Watch when you’re not using it.

I felt compelled to write this article because Apple changed the way to turn off Wrist Detection on the Apple Watch when they released watchOS 4. Turning off Wrist Detection is one common solution when Apple Watch notifications aren’t working, so I wanted to make sure you have the most up to date information.

How To Turn Off Wrist Detection

You can turn off Wrist Detection directly on your Apple Watch or in the Watch app on your iPhone. I’ll show you how to do it both ways below:

On Your Apple Watch

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap Passcode.
  3. Tap on the switch next to Wrist Detection.
  4. When the confirmation alert appears, tap Turn Off.
  5. After tapping Turn Off, the switch will be positioned to the left, indicating that Wrist Detection is off.

turn off wrist detection in apple watch settings app

On Your iPhone In The Watch App

  1. Open the Watch app.
  2. Tap Passcode.
  3. Scroll down and tap on the switch next to Wrist Detection.
  4. Tap Turn Off to confirm your decision.
  5. After tapping Turn Off, you’ll see that the switch next to Wrist Detection is positioned to left, which indicates that it’s off.

turn off wrist detection in iphone watch app

What Happens When I Turn Off Wrist Detection On Apple Watch?

When you turn off Wrist Dectection on your Apple Watch, some of your Activity app measurements will become unavailable and your Apple Watch will stop locking automatically. Because of this, I recommend leaving Wrist Detection on unless you’re having trouble receiving notifications on your Apple Watch.

No More Wrist Detection

You’ve successfully turned off Wrist Detection on your Apple Watch! I hope you’ll share this article on social media to let your family and friends know about this change in watchOS 4. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave any other questions you have about your Apple Watch or iPhone in the comments section below.

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Jeff
1 year ago

Can wrist detection on Apple Watch cause your iPhone 13 not to show notifications in the locked screen?

Reza
4 years ago

Is there anyway to have notifications show on the iPhone and watch simultaneously WITHOUT putting off wrist detection.