The Artificial Clicks
The Digital Crown on the side of the Apple Watch is a smooth, continuous scrolling wheel. However, to simulate the feeling of a traditional mechanical watch crown, Apple uses the internal Taptic Engine to generate tiny, sharp vibrations every time you scroll past an item on the screen. This is known as “Crown Haptics.” While it provides excellent tactile feedback, it also slightly drains the battery and can feel annoying if you frequently scroll through long text messages or emails. If you prefer a completely smooth and silent scrolling experience, you must disable the artificial clicks.
How to Turn Off Digital Crown Haptics
You can permanently sever the connection between the scrolling wheel and the vibration motor via the Haptics settings.
- Open the Settings app directly on your Apple Watch (the grey gear icon).
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Sounds & Haptics.
- Scroll down to the “Haptics” section.
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Crown Haptics.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
Smooth Scrolling
The change takes effect instantly. The Apple Watch will completely deactivate the Taptic Engine’s response to the physical scrolling wheel. You can still spin the Digital Crown to navigate menus or adjust the volume, but the physical clicking sensation will be completely gone, leaving you with a perfectly smooth, silent interface.