18 hidden smartwatch settings to make your wearable less needy during workouts

Wearables are undoubtedly brilliant training partners, but the default setup can make them feel more like a needy sidekick than a helpful coach.

If your smartwatch keeps lighting up mid-run, buzzing about non-urgent messages, or talking at you through your workout headphones, you’re not alone, and there are some fairly simple settings tweaks that can help.

Apple Watch, Wear OS, and Samsung Galaxy Watch include ways to cut distractions, make your key stats easier to glance at, and keep battery life more predictable on longer sessions.

The best part? You can do most of these in a couple of minutes, then forget about them until you upgrade your watch.

Apple watchOS

We'll start with Apple Watch and watchOS, since that is likely what most people are working with. To keep things readable, we'll break down the settings in broader groups, like notifications or auto-pause.

Stop the Workout app from nagging

Turn off "Start Workout Reminder": If your Apple Watch keeps tapping you to start a workout when you’re just walking to the station (or cooling down), switch this off. Go to Settings → Workout → Start Workout Reminder, and you’ll still be able to start sessions manually in a second.

Turn off "End Workout Reminder": This one’s great in theory, but it can be distracting if you pause briefly, slow down, or stop to stretch and your watch assumes you’re done. Disable it in Settings → Workout → End Workout Reminder, and you’ll avoid those “are you finished?” prompts.

Turn off "Resume Workout Reminder": If you regularly pause workouts (intervals, gym sessions, or just waiting at a crossing), the resume prompt can quickly become background noise. Toggle off Resume Workout Reminder in the same Settings → Workout menu.

Make pauses and controls feel fiddly

Enable Auto-Pause for outdoor runs and cycles: Stopping for traffic lights shouldn’t trash your pace, or inflate your “time moving” stats. Turn on Auto-Pause in Settings → Workout → Auto-Pause.

Use button controls instead of swipes: If you’ve ever brushed the screen with a sleeve and accidentally paused (or ended) a session, switching to more deliberate controls can be a lifesaver. In Settings → Workout, look for workout controls options on your model, then choose the best approach for you.

Cut the noise without going offline

Use Silent Mode (keep haptics, ditch the chimes): If your watch is pinging loudly during a workout, flip on Silent Mode so you still get vibrations without the audio.

Set up a Fitness Focus: Rather than blocking everything, Focus lets you choose which interruptions to allow. Once it’s set, you can switch it on before training (or automate it), so you won't get pulled out of the zone by every random notification.

Make your stats easier to read

Customise Workout Views: The Workout app can show a lot of screens you’ll never use, which means extra swipes when you’re trying to stay in rhythm. Open the app, head into your workout type, then edit the views.

Tailor the metrics for each workout type: Even a great screen is pointless if it’s showing the wrong numbers. Customise the metrics for each workout so your “main” view surfaces what you actually care about, and you won’t be stuck fiddling mid-session.

Change battery and screen settings

Turn on Workout Low Power Mode for longer sessions: If you want your watch to last without constantly worrying about the battery percentage, enable Low Power Mode for workouts. It reduces background activity and, on supported models, disables the Always On display during training.

Reduce GPS and heart-rate sampling: For long walks, hikes, or recovery runs where precision matters less, Apple lets you choose a setting that takes fewer GPS and heart-rate readings in Low Power Mode.

Ditch the annoying commentary

Turn off Activity “Daily Coaching” prompts: Closing your rings is motivating… until your watch starts acting like a backseat fitness coach. Switch off Daily Coaching, and you’ll still track Activity as normal, just without the extra nudges.

Disable Workout voice feedback: Some people love audio call-outs for splits and milestones, but they can also break your flow. Turn off Voice Feedback for workouts, and you’ll keep the data, without your watch narrating the session.

Google Wear OS

Stop the screen grabbing your attention

Turn off Always-on Display: While handy during training, it can feel like your watch is constantly “on show”. Switch it off in Settings → Display → Always-on Display, and you’ll usually get a calmer experience and more predictable battery life on longer workouts.

Turn off Tilt-to-wake: If you’re doing anything with lots of arm movement – running, rowing, circuits – tilt-to-wake can turn your watch into a tiny strobe. Disable it in Settings → Display → Tilt-to-wake to cut accidental wake-ups, reduce distractions, and save battery.

Use Quiet Mode

Enable Bedtime mode: Bedtime mode isn’t only for sleep; it’s also a handy way to make your watch behave itself during a session when you want fewer interruptions. On the Pixel Watch, it helps by blocking most notifications and preventing the display from waking so readily.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Stop Samsung Health from talking over your workout

Disable the workout audio guide: If Samsung Health keeps announcing pace updates, it can get old fast – especially when you’re already listening to music. In Samsung Health, turn off the audio guide/voice coaching for your workout type to keep tracking without the narration.

Turn off or adjust automatic workout detection: Auto-detection is useful when it works, but it can also pop up at the wrong time. In Samsung Health, switch off automatic detection entirely, or limit it to the one activity you actually want it to catch.