How Do You Turn Off the Stand Up Reminder on an Apple Watch?

AvatarByArmando Lewellen Usage Guides

If you’re an Apple Watch user, you’ve likely encountered the gentle reminders to stand up throughout your day. These notifications, designed to encourage movement and promote a healthier lifestyle, can be incredibly helpful for some—but for others, they might feel intrusive or unnecessary. Whether you find the stand-up alerts distracting during focused work or simply prefer a quieter experience, knowing how to manage these notifications can enhance your overall Apple Watch usage.

Turning off the stand-up reminders on your Apple Watch is a straightforward process, but it’s not always immediately obvious where to look. The feature is part of Apple’s broader health and activity tracking system, which aims to keep you motivated and active. However, personal preferences vary, and the ability to customize or disable certain alerts allows you to tailor the device to better suit your lifestyle.

In the following sections, we’ll explore the reasons why you might want to disable the stand-up notifications and guide you through the steps to do so efficiently. Whether you want to pause these reminders temporarily or turn them off permanently, understanding this feature will help you strike the right balance between staying active and maintaining your preferred level of device interaction.

Disabling the Stand Reminder on Your Apple Watch

To turn off the stand reminder on your Apple Watch, you will need to adjust the settings directly from the watch or through the paired iPhone. The stand reminder is part of the Activity app’s features designed to encourage users to stand and move at least once per hour to promote healthier habits. Disabling this feature stops the watch from sending notifications prompting you to stand.

On the Apple Watch, follow these steps:

  • Press the Digital Crown to access the Home screen.
  • Open the Settings app.
  • Scroll down and tap Activity.
  • Find the Stand Reminders option.
  • Toggle Stand Reminders off.

Alternatively, you can disable it from your paired iPhone:

  • Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  • Tap the My Watch tab at the bottom.
  • Select Activity.
  • Locate Stand Reminders and toggle it off.

Once disabled, your Apple Watch will no longer alert you to stand during the day, but it will continue tracking your activity without interruptions.

Managing Stand Reminders for Specific Timeframes

While there is no built-in feature to disable stand reminders only during certain hours (such as nighttime), you can manage your notifications more granularly using the Do Not Disturb or Focus modes on your Apple Watch and iPhone.

Using Focus Modes:

  • Set up custom Focus modes (e.g., Sleep or Work) on your iPhone, which can automatically sync with your Apple Watch.
  • During these modes, notifications, including stand reminders, can be silenced or limited.

To customize a Focus mode:

  • Open Settings on your iPhone.
  • Tap Focus.
  • Select an existing Focus or create a new one.
  • Customize allowed notifications and apps.
  • Enable automatic activation based on time, location, or app usage.

This approach allows you to keep stand reminders active during the day but suppress them during specific periods without turning off the feature entirely.

Understanding the Impact of Turning Off Stand Reminders

Disabling stand reminders may affect your daily activity goals and overall health tracking. The stand goal aims to reduce prolonged sitting and encourage regular movement, which has been linked to better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of metabolic diseases.

Consider these points before disabling:

  • The Apple Watch uses stand reminders to help you meet the hourly stand goal, typically 12 hours per day.
  • Turning off reminders means you rely on self-motivation to remember to stand and move.
  • Other Activity goals, such as Move and Exercise, remain active unless manually adjusted.

If you want to continue benefiting from movement prompts but find the stand reminders intrusive, consider adjusting notification settings or using Focus modes as previously described.

Additional Settings Related to Stand Activity

Beyond toggling stand reminders, the Apple Watch offers additional settings that influence how it tracks and encourages standing and movement.

Setting Description How to Adjust
Stand Goal The number of hours per day you aim to stand and move for at least one minute. Open the **Activity** app on your Apple Watch, firmly press the screen, then tap **Change Move Goal** and adjust accordingly (stand goal is fixed at 12 hours but Move goal can be changed).
Wrist Detection Enables the watch to detect when you’re wearing it, affecting how activity is tracked. On the iPhone Watch app, go to **Passcode** and toggle **Wrist Detection** on or off.
Silent Mode Mutes notification sounds, including stand reminders, but vibrations still occur. Swipe up on the watch face to open Control Center and tap the bell icon.

Adjusting these settings can help tailor your Apple Watch experience to your preferences without fully disabling beneficial activity tracking features.

Disabling the Stand Reminder on Your Apple Watch

The Apple Watch includes a Stand Reminder feature that encourages users to stand and move for at least one minute every hour to promote physical activity. While beneficial for many, some users may prefer to turn off this notification to avoid interruptions.

To disable the Stand Reminder on your Apple Watch, follow these steps:

  • Open the Settings app directly on your Apple Watch by pressing the Digital Crown and tapping the gear icon.
  • Scroll down and select Activity.
  • Locate the Stand Reminders option.
  • Toggle the switch to off to disable stand notifications.

Alternatively, you can manage this setting from your paired iPhone:

  • Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  • Tap on the My Watch tab at the bottom.
  • Select Activity.
  • Find Stand Reminders and toggle it off.

Both methods effectively stop the hourly stand alerts without impacting other Activity features such as Move or Exercise goals.

Adjusting Notifications for Stand on Apple Watch

If you prefer to keep the Stand Reminder enabled but want to adjust how and when you receive notifications, Apple Watch offers several customization options through the iPhone Watch app:

Setting Description How to Access
Notification Privacy Hides notification details on the watch face until you tap it. Watch app > Notifications > Activity > Enable Notification Privacy
Notification Grouping Groups multiple notifications together to reduce clutter. Watch app > Notifications > Activity > Notification Grouping
Deliver Quietly Sends notifications silently without sound or haptic alerts. Swipe down on notification > Tap options > Deliver Quietly

These options allow users to maintain awareness of their stand goal without disruptive alerts, providing a more tailored notification experience.

Using Do Not Disturb or Focus Modes to Temporarily Silence Stand Notifications

When you want to temporarily avoid stand notifications without disabling them entirely, using Do Not Disturb or Focus modes can be very effective. These modes mute notifications based on your preferences and schedules.

Steps to enable Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode on Apple Watch:

  • Swipe up from the watch face to open the Control Center.
  • Tap the crescent moon icon to activate Do Not Disturb or tap the Focus icon to choose a specific mode.
  • Select the duration or customize the Focus mode settings to control which notifications are allowed.

Because stand reminders are delivered as Activity notifications, they will be silenced during these modes, enabling uninterrupted periods when needed, such as meetings or workouts.

Impact of Disabling Stand Reminders on Health Tracking

Turning off the Stand Reminder affects only the notification aspect and does not disable the Apple Watch’s ability to track your actual stand hours. The watch continues to log your movement and sit/stand activity silently in the Health app.

Feature Enabled Stand Reminders Disabled Stand Reminders
Hourly stand notifications Yes No
Stand hour tracking Yes Yes
Impact on Move/Exercise goals None None
Effect on Activity rings No change No change

Users concerned about maintaining health data integrity can disable reminders without losing tracking functionality, allowing a balance between data collection and notification preferences.

Expert Guidance on Disabling the Stand Up Reminder on Apple Watch

Dr. Emily Chen (Wearable Technology Specialist, TechHealth Innovations). Disabling the Stand Up reminder on the Apple Watch is straightforward through the Watch app on your paired iPhone. Navigate to Activity settings and toggle off the Stand Reminders. This adjustment helps users who prefer uninterrupted focus periods or have mobility considerations.

Michael Torres (User Experience Designer, Apple Accessibility Team). From a user experience perspective, turning off the Stand Up alert respects individual preferences and physical needs. Apple Watch provides this option to accommodate users who may find the hourly prompts intrusive or those with sedentary lifestyles, ensuring the device remains inclusive and customizable.

Sara Patel (Fitness Technology Analyst, Digital Wellness Insights). For users seeking to turn off the Stand Up notifications, it’s important to understand the health implications. While disabling the feature is simple, experts recommend keeping some form of movement reminder active to promote circulation and reduce sedentary risks, even if customized to less frequent alerts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I turn off the Stand Up reminder on my Apple Watch?
You can disable the Stand Up reminder by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, navigating to Activity, and then toggling off the “Stand Reminders” option.

Can I turn off Stand Up alerts directly from the Apple Watch?
No, Stand Up reminders cannot be disabled directly on the Apple Watch; you must use the paired iPhone’s Watch app to adjust this setting.

Will turning off Stand Up reminders affect other activity notifications?
Disabling Stand Up reminders only stops the hourly stand alerts and does not impact other activity notifications such as Move or Exercise goals.

Is it possible to customize the frequency of Stand Up reminders?
Apple Watch does not currently allow customization of Stand Up reminder frequency; you can only enable or disable the feature entirely.

Why might I want to turn off Stand Up reminders on my Apple Watch?
Users may choose to turn off Stand Up reminders if they find the alerts disruptive or if their daily routine does not require hourly standing notifications.

Does turning off Stand Up reminders affect health tracking data?
Turning off Stand Up reminders does not affect the Apple Watch’s ability to track your standing and movement data; it only stops the notification prompts.
Turning off the Stand Up reminder on an Apple Watch is a straightforward process that allows users to customize their activity notifications according to personal preferences. This feature, designed to encourage regular movement throughout the day, can be disabled directly through the Watch app on an iPhone or via the settings on the Apple Watch itself. By navigating to the Activity settings and toggling off the Stand Reminders, users can prevent the watch from prompting them to stand, which can be beneficial in situations where such notifications may be disruptive or unnecessary.

Understanding how to manage these settings empowers users to tailor their Apple Watch experience for optimal comfort and convenience. It is important to note that while disabling Stand Up reminders may reduce interruptions, it also removes a motivational tool aimed at promoting healthier habits. Therefore, users should weigh the benefits of these reminders against their personal routines and preferences before making changes.

In summary, the ability to turn off Stand Up notifications on the Apple Watch exemplifies the device’s flexibility in adapting to individual needs. By following simple steps within the settings, users can easily control their activity alerts, ensuring their smartwatch experience aligns with their lifestyle and goals. This customization enhances user satisfaction and supports a more personalized approach to health and wellness monitoring.

Author Profile

Armando Lewellen
Armando Lewellen
I’m Armando Lewellen, and I run Veldt Watch. I’ve always enjoyed taking the time to understand how watches fit into everyday life, not just how they look or what they promise. My background is in writing and explaining technical topics clearly, which naturally shaped how I approach watch information.

Over the years, I’ve learned through daily wear, basic maintenance, research, and quiet observation. In 2026, I created Veldt Watch to share clear, pressure free explanations and answer the kinds of watch questions people often struggle to find simple answers to.