What Is The Red Dot On The Apple Watch?

See a red dot on your Apple Watch display? Here’s what to do.

Wondering what the red dot is on the Apple Watch? It’s nothing nefarious. As a matter of fact, it’s a pretty useful indicator.

However, if it is annoying you, you CAN hide it if you want so it never shows up again. Whether or not you want to do that probably depends on how many notifications you get on your Apple Watch, however.

In this article, we’ll talk you through everything you need to know about the Apple Watch’s red dot.

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What Is The Apple Watch Red Dot?

Ad red dot…it sounds so sinister, but the Apple Watch’s red dot is actually something very useful. You see the Apple Watch’s red dot is a notification indicator. It lets you know when you’ve received a new notification on your Apple Watch.

In other words, if you see a red dot on your Apple Watch display (it will be in the top-center of the display, you know you have an unread notification on the Apple Watch.

When you see the Apple Watch’s red dot, swipe down from the top of the Apple Watch’s screen to reveal its notification center. From there you can interact with the notification however you wish. Once you’ve read the notification (and any other unread notifications), when you dismiss the Notification Center, the red dot will be gone from the Apple Watch’s display.

However, note that you may still have notifications in the Apple Watch Notification Center, but you’ve just read them all already.

Can You Get Rid Of The Apple Watch’s Red Dot Permanently?

Yes. Keep in mind that the Apple Watch’s red dot will disappear once you’ve read all unread messages in the Apple Watch’s Notification Center. However, it will reappear when you get another new notification.

But you can get rid of the Apple Watch’s red dot permanently–that is, you can make it so the Apple Watch never shows a red dot even when you get a new notification.

Whether or not you want to do this depends on how critical you feel notifications are to your Apple Watch experience. 

But let’s say you do want to get rid of the Apple Watch’s red dot permanently. There are actually TWO ways to do this. The first way is on the iPhone, and the second way is on the Apple Watch itself.

Getting Rid Of The Apple Watch’s Red Dot By Using The iPhone

The first way to get rid of the Apple Watch’s red dot is by using the Apple Watch app on the iPhone. This is the companion app that gets installed on the iPhone when you have an Apple Watch.

Here’s how to use it to get rid of the Apple Watch’s red dot:

1. Open the Watch app on the iPhone.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Next to the “Notifications Indicator” toggle, tap the switch so it turns WHITE (off).

You’ve now disabled the Apple Watch’s red dot and will not see it again unless you toggle the Notifications Indicator on again.

Getting Rid Of The Apple Watch’s Red Dot By Using The Apple Watch

You can also get rid of the Apple Watch’s red dot by using the Apple Watch itself. You DO NOT need to do both the above steps and this set of steps. Do either one and the changes will take effect.

Here’s how to dispel the Apple Watch’s red dot using the Apple Watch:

1. Open the Settings app on the Apple Watch.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Next to the “Notifications Indicator” toggle, tap the switch so it turns WHITE (off).

And that’s it! The Apple Watch’s red dot will never be shown again unless you enable it again manually.

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