watchOS 26

Quickly mute notifications with gestures on Apple Watch

You can instantly mute incoming calls, stop timers, dismiss notifications, and more by covering the display or performing a wrist flick.

Cover the display to temporarily mute an alert

To quickly mute Apple Watch when you get an alert—such as an incoming phone call or when a timer expires—rest the palm of your hand on the display for at least 3 seconds. You’ll feel a tap that confirms the notification is muted. You can still take follow-up action such as answering the phone call or resetting the timer.

By default, Cover to Mute is turned on. To turn it off, go to the Settings app on Apple Watch, then tap Gestures.

Perform a wrist flick to mute and dismiss notifications

Quickly turn your wrist over and back to dismiss anything and return to the watch face. You can mute incoming calls, stop timers, dismiss notifications, and more—even when your hands are full.

The wrist flick gesture is supported on Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and later.

By default, Wrist Flick is turned on. To turn it off, go to the Settings app on Apple Watch, then tap Gestures.

Need to silence notifications for an extended period? Turn on Silent Mode, Do Not Disturb, or another mode in Control Center. See Silence notifications for extended periods on Apple Watch.

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Apple Watch User Guide

Quickly mute notifications with gestures on Apple Watch

Cover the display to temporarily mute an alert

Perform a wrist flick to mute and dismiss notifications