Turning off Fitness on your Apple Watch is a simple process that involves navigating to the settings menu on your watch, scrolling down to the Fitness Tracking option, and toggling it off. Once this action is completed, your Apple Watch will no longer track your daily activity, workouts, or stand progress.
After turning off Fitness on your Apple Watch, the device will stop collecting and displaying any fitness-related data. Your rings will not update, and you won’t receive reminders to stand or move. This might be useful if you’re taking a break from fitness tracking or want to save battery life.
Introduction
Fitness tracking is one of the key features of the Apple Watch, but not everyone needs or wants their watch to monitor their physical activity constantly. Maybe you’re taking a break from your fitness routine, or perhaps you’re participating in an activity where the tracking would be inaccurate. Whatever the reason, it’s essential to know that you have control over the fitness tracking features of your Apple Watch, and you can turn them off whenever you wish.
Knowing how to manage these settings can also help save battery life. Continuous tracking of your movements, workouts, and heart rate consumes a significant amount of power. By turning off these features when they’re not needed, you can extend the battery life of your Apple Watch, which is crucial if you’re away from a charger for an extended period. This article is for any Apple Watch user who wants to take a break from fitness tracking or wants to preserve battery life.
Step by Step Tutorial on How to Turn Off Fitness on Apple Watch
The following steps will guide you through the process of turning off the Fitness tracking on your Apple Watch.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
This is done by pressing the digital crown on the side of your Apple Watch and tapping on the gear icon.
The Settings app is where you can modify various features and preferences on your Apple Watch, including brightness, sounds, and, of course, fitness tracking.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap on ‘Privacy.’
Privacy settings allow you to manage the data your Apple Watch collects.
In the Privacy section, you’ll find options for location services, Health, and Fitness Tracking, which is what we’re focusing on.
Step 3: Tap on ‘Motion & Fitness.’
This will take you to the settings that control the fitness tracking features of your watch.
Within the ‘Motion & Fitness’ section, you can manage settings for heart rate and fitness tracking.
Step 4: Toggle off ‘Fitness Tracking.’
This will disable the tracking of all types of workouts and activities on your Apple Watch.
After you toggle off ‘Fitness Tracking,’ your Apple Watch will stop recording any movement as exercise, and your rings will no longer update to reflect your activity.
Pros
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Battery life extension | Turning off fitness tracking can considerably save your Apple Watch battery since the sensors used for monitoring are quite power-intensive. |
| Privacy enhancement | If you’re concerned about personal data, turning off fitness tracking can give you peace of mind knowing that your physical activity data is not being recorded. |
| Reduced distractions | By turning off fitness tracking, you’ll no longer receive frequent notifications to stand or move, which can be beneficial during work hours or relaxation time. |
Cons
| Drawback | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Loss of fitness data | When fitness tracking is turned off, your Apple Watch will not record any workout data, which can be a downside for those who rely on it to monitor their progress. |
| Inaccurate Activity Rings | With fitness tracking disabled, the Activity Rings on your Apple Watch will not reflect your actual activity, which can be demotivating for some users. |
| Manual input required | If you still want to keep track of your workouts without the automatic tracking, you’ll need to manually input your exercise data, which can be time-consuming. |
Additional Information
While turning off Fitness on your Apple Watch is a simple task, there are a few additional considerations to keep in mind. For instance, if you use your Apple Watch in conjunction with the Fitness app on your iPhone, turning off Fitness tracking on your watch will affect the data displayed on your phone as well. Additionally, if you’re part of a sharing group where friends or family can see your Activity Rings, they will notice the lack of updates once you’ve turned off Fitness tracking.
Another point worth mentioning is that even though you’ve turned off Fitness tracking, your Apple Watch will still track your heart rate periodically, which can be useful for monitoring your overall health. If you wish to turn this feature off as well, you can do so in the same ‘Motion & Fitness’ section in your Privacy settings.
Lastly, remember that turning off Fitness tracking on your Apple Watch is a reversible action. If you decide to get back to tracking your activity, you can always follow the same steps and toggle ‘Fitness Tracking’ back on.
Summary
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Scroll down and tap on ‘Privacy.’
- Tap on ‘Motion & Fitness.’
- Toggle off ‘Fitness Tracking.’
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off Fitness Tracking affect my workout history?
No, your previous workout history will remain intact. Turning off Fitness Tracking only stops future workout data from being recorded.
Can I still use the Workout app if Fitness Tracking is off?
Yes, you can still use the Workout app to record workouts manually, but they won’t be tracked automatically.
Will my Apple Watch still monitor my heart rate with Fitness Tracking off?
Yes, your Apple Watch will still periodically check your heart rate unless you turn that feature off separately.
Will turning off Fitness Tracking improve my Apple Watch’s performance?
It might not improve performance, but it could help extend your battery life since the sensors won’t be in constant use.
Can I turn Fitness Tracking back on after I’ve turned it off?
Absolutely! You can turn Fitness Tracking back on at any time by following the same steps and toggling the switch back on.
Conclusion
Turning off Fitness on your Apple Watch is a straightforward process that can be beneficial for various reasons, whether it’s to take a break from being constantly monitored, to save battery life, or to have a period of reduced distractions. Remember, taking control of your Apple Watch’s features to suit your lifestyle is not only empowering but also practical.
So, whether you’re looking to disconnect for a while or just conserve some battery, now you know exactly how to go about it. Keep in mind that your watch is still a powerful tool that can be customized to fit your needs, and you can always turn it back on when you’re ready to jump back into your fitness routine.
Matthew Burleigh has been a freelance writer since the early 2000s. You can find his writing all over the Web, where his content has collectively been read millions of times.
Matthew received his Master’s degree in Computer Science, then spent over a decade as an IT consultant for small businesses before focusing on writing and website creation.
The topics he covers for MasterYourTech.com include iPhones, Microsoft Office, and Google Apps.
You can read his full bio here.