The Artificial Clock
To make the Apple Watch feel more like a traditional timepiece, Apple introduced a feature simply called “Chimes.” When enabled, the watch will play a short audio clip and tap your wrist with a specific haptic pattern at the top of every single hour. You can choose to have it sound like a mechanical bell or the chirping of birds. While this is a clever way to keep track of time without looking at the screen, it can be highly disruptive in quiet environments like meetings or classrooms. If you prefer your smartwatch to remain completely silent unless you receive an actual notification, you must disable the hourly schedule.
How to Turn Off Hourly Chimes
You can silence the automated hourly alerts via the Accessibility settings.
- Open the Settings app directly on your Apple Watch (the grey gear icon).
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Accessibility.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Hearing.”
- Tap on the option labeled Chimes.
- Look at the very top of the screen for the master toggle switch labeled Chimes.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
A Silent Hour
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will immediately delete the background hourly schedule. When the clock strikes noon, the watch will remain perfectly silent and still on your wrist. You will never again be interrupted by artificial bird chirps or digital bells, ensuring your watch only demands your attention when you actually receive a text message or a phone call.