The Medical Monitor
The Apple Watch contains advanced optical heart sensors capable of detecting atrial fibrillation (AFib). If you enable the “Irregular Rhythm Notifications” feature, the watch periodically analyzes your pulse in the background while you are resting. If it detects an irregular heartbeat pattern across multiple readings, it will push a massive alert to your wrist advising you to see a doctor. While this is an incredible, lifesaving feature for the general public, it is highly problematic if you have already been diagnosed with AFib by a cardiologist. The watch is not designed to monitor known AFib patients and will simply barrage you with redundant, stressful alerts regarding a condition you and your doctor are already actively managing. You must disable the notifications.
How to Turn Off Irregular Rhythm Notifications
You must disable the background AFib scanning algorithm using the companion Watch app on your iPhone.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Ensure you are on the My Watch tab at the bottom left.
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Heart.
- Locate the master toggle switch labeled Irregular Rhythm.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
Silencing the Alerts
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will completely terminate the specific background algorithm designed to hunt for atrial fibrillation. The watch will continue to track your standard heart rate during workouts and record your resting heart rate for your daily health metrics, but it will never again interrupt your day with an aggressive warning about an irregular pulse.