The Hourly Interruption
To mimic classic digital watches, the Apple Watch features a setting called “Chimes.” When enabled, the watch will play a short audio clip or vibrate precisely at the top of every hour (or every 30 minutes). Users can choose between a sharp bell sound or the chirping of a bird. While some users enjoy the hourly reminder, it is a massive annoyance if you work in a quiet office environment, attend frequent meetings, or simply do not want your wrist to randomly chirp like a bird while you are trying to concentrate. You must disable the hourly scheduler.
How to Turn Off Hourly Chimes
You can permanently silence the hourly alerts using 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 “Vision” section and locate Chimes.
- Tap on Chimes to enter the sub-menu.
- At the very top of the screen, locate the master toggle switch labeled Chimes.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
A Silent Schedule
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will completely terminate the background chronological listener attached to the system clock. The device will never again trigger an audio file or a physical haptic vibration based on the time of day. Your watch will remain completely silent and still at the top of the hour, only alerting you when you receive an actual, actionable notification from an application.