Have you been eyeing that little red dot that sometimes appears on your Apple Watch screen? If so, you’re not alone. The dot can be pretty distracting and annoying, especially if you don’t know what it signifies.
The red dot on the Apple Watch indicates unread notifications such as messages, phone calls, and other app alerts. Once you’ve viewed the notifications, the dot will disappear. You can also disable the dot by turning off the Notifications Indicator in your Watch Settings or the Watch app.
Don’t let the red dot drive you crazy! Let’s take a closer look at what the red dot is for and how to disable it if you prefer not to see it again.
What Is the Red Dot on Apple Watch?
You’re probably familiar with the red dot on your Apple Watch (on Amazon), but do you actually know what it means?
The red dot on the Apple Watch is similar to badge notifications on iPhone apps. It indicates that you have new or unread notifications. These notifications might be messages, phone calls, emails, or app alerts.
You can easily view these notifications by swiping down the red dot. Furthermore, you can tap the ‘Clear All’ button at the top of the list to remove all notifications and the red dot.
The red dot can be useful if you don’t receive many notifications or when you don’t have your iPhone readily available. However, some Apple Watch users find this feature distracting or annoying. Luckily, you can easily disable it.
How Do You Turn Off the Red Dot on Your Apple Watch?
So, how exactly do you disable the red dot on the Apple Watch? There are several methods you can use, and the process is straightforward. Follow one of the methods below to begin.
Disable the Red Dot on the Apple Watch
You can easily disable the red dot notification on the Apple Watch by following the steps below.
- Wake up the Apple Watch screen by raising your wrist.
- Next, click the Digital Crown on the side of the device.
- Select the Settings app from the list or app grid.
- Click ‘Notifications.’
- Disable the toggle switch next to the Notifications Indicator.
- Finally, click the Digital Crown once more to exit Settings and confirm your choices.
Note: Keep in mind that disabling the red dot will not block incoming alerts on your Apple Watch. Instead, you’ll still receive them in real-time, and you can view unread alerts whenever you like in the Notification Center.
How to Disable the Red Dot Using iPhone
Alternatively, you can disable the red dot notification alert on the iPhone Watch app by following the steps below.
- Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
- From the Watch app, select ‘Notifications.’
- Disable the toggle switch next to the Notifications Indicator.
- Exit the Watch app to confirm your choices.
Mute or Turn Off Apple Watch Notifications
You can easily adjust which notifications you receive on your Apple Watch. For example, you might mute alerts for the whole day or disable alerts from a particular app. Follow the steps below to begin.
- Wake up the Apple Watch screen by raising your wrist.
- Swipe downward from the top of the Apple Watch screen to launch the Notification Center.
- Find a notification and swipe left. Afterward, click ‘More‘ or the three dots option.
- Choose one of the available settings: Mute for 60 Minutes, Mute for 24 Hours, Add to Summary, Disable Time Sensitive, or Turn Off.
Keep in mind that time-specific alerts are delivered immediately, even if you have Focus mode enabled.
If you want to go back or change your Apple Watch alert settings, launch the Watch application on your iOS device and select the ‘My Watch‘ section. Afterward, click ‘Notifications‘ to view an entry of applications where you can change individual settings.
View Your Notifications
One of the simplest ways to get rid of the red dot on your device is to view unread notifications.
You can swipe down on the top of your Apple Watch face to launch the Notification Center and view unread messages. Afterward, swipe up to close it. You don’t have to do anything else to the notifications to remove them; opening and closing the Notification Center does the trick.