The Accidental Illumination
The Apple Watch utilizes an OLED display that draws significant power. To manage battery life, it attempts to only turn the screen on when necessary. In addition to raising your wrist or tapping the glass, Apple includes a feature called “Wake On Crown Rotation.” If the screen is black, slowly scrolling the Digital Crown (the physical dial on the side of the watch) will gradually brighten the display. While this is a neat party trick, it is highly prone to accidental activation. If you bend your wrist backward or if the crown rubs against a tight jacket sleeve, the screen will constantly illuminate in the background, draining your battery. You must disable the hardware trigger.
How to Turn Off Wake Screen on Crown Rotation
You can permanently strip the Digital Crown of its ability to wake the display via the Display settings.
- Open the Settings app directly on your Apple Watch (the grey gear icon).
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Display & Brightness.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Wake.”
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Wake On Crown Rotation.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
A Secure Display
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will completely sever the connection between the physical rotation of the Digital Crown and the OLED display controller when the screen is asleep. You can now rub the crown against your jacket or sleep on your wrist, and the screen will remain completely black. You must now explicitly tap the glass or sharply raise your wrist to illuminate the watch face.