The Apple Watch is an incredible fitness tracker, and one of its most popular features is “Start Workout Reminder.” If the watch’s accelerometer detects that you are moving vigorously—such as running for a train, carrying heavy groceries, or going for a brisk walk—it will tap your wrist and ask, “It looks like you’re working out. Want to record it?” While helpful for dedicated athletes who frequently forget to start their timers, this constant nagging can be incredibly annoying if you are just going about your normal, active daily life and have no interest in logging every brisk walk as an official workout.
How to Disable Workout Reminders
You can turn off these automatic prompts directly from your wrist, ensuring your Apple Watch only tracks workouts when you explicitly tell it to.
- Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to view your app grid or list.
- Tap the Settings app (represented by a grey gear icon).
- Scroll down through the main settings list using your finger or the Digital Crown until you find Workout. Tap it.
- Scroll down the Workout menu to locate two specific toggle switches:
- Start Workout Reminder: This asks if you want to begin tracking when it detects movement.
- End Workout Reminder: This asks if you are finished working out if it detects you have stopped moving.
- Tap the toggle next to Start Workout Reminder to turn it off (the switch will turn from green to grey).
- (Optional) If you also want to stop it from guessing when you have finished exercising, turn off End Workout Reminder as well.
Does This Stop Activity Tracking?
Disabling this feature does not stop your Apple Watch from monitoring your daily health metrics.
The watch will continue to passively count your steps, track your heart rate in the background, and fill your daily Move, Exercise, and Stand rings. Turning off the reminder simply stops the on-screen pop-up notifications asking you to formalize that movement into a categorized, timed session within the Workout app.