The Accidental Activation
The Apple Watch features a physical Digital Crown on the side of the chassis. By default, watchOS includes a feature that allows you to slowly wake the screen by gently turning the crown upward. The further you scroll, the brighter the screen gets. While this is designed for checking the time discreetly in a dark theater, it frequently causes the screen to activate accidentally if the crown brushes against your sleeve, your jacket, or the back of your hand while working. If you want the screen to remain completely dark until you explicitly tap it or raise your wrist, you must disable the crown trigger.
How to Turn Off Wake on Crown Up
You can permanently deactivate the crown rotation trigger 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 until you locate the “Wake” section.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled Wake On Crown Up.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
A Locked Display
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will completely sever the connection between the physical rotation of the Digital Crown and the display’s backlight engine. If your watch is asleep, you can spin the crown as fast or as much as you want, and the screen will remain completely black. You must now either physically tap the glass or sharply raise your wrist to illuminate the display.