The watchOS 4 update adds a bunch of cool features, but Apple forgot that the Apple Watch is a watch, and some people like to see watch faces when they look at their screen.
By default, watchOS 4 will show a currently playing screen on your Apple Watch when you lift it to wake it up if you’re listening to something on your iPhone. Here’s how to turn this horrible feature off and see your watch face when you look at your watch instead of what you’re listening to. This is also on by default on the new Apple Watch 3 with LTE.
When we look at our Apple watch, we want to see our Activity Rings and complications that we have set up specifically to see information quickly. This is one of the reasons we can’t use the new Siri personal assistant watch face, and that’s why we hate this watchOS 4.0 feature.
How to Turn Off Apple Watch Now Playing App
Now playing it on your Apple Watch is the worst thing to happen to your wrist since Livestrong bracelets.
You can’t downgrade your Apple Watch to watchOS 3, but you can turn this obnoxious feature off and go back to seeing your Apple Watch face when you look at your watch. The downside is that you can no longer use the Digital Crown to control volume, but it’s a very small price to pay to see your Apple Watch face.
Apple calls this feature Auto-Start, and you can turn it off in the Clock settings on your watch or on your phone using the Apple Watch app. The easiest way to do this is on the iPhone.
In watchOS 4, you no longer need to press a button to see your watch face.
- Open the Apple Watch App
- Tap on General
- Tap on Wake Screen
- Turn off autostart audio apps
- Enjoy seeing your watch face
When you turn this off, you can now lift your wrist and see your Apple Watch instead of the music you’re listening to. You might want to add a complication for yourself now playing or add it to your dock so you can use the dial to control volume, but it’s a minor tradeoff to get rid of the most annoying Apple Watch feature we’ve seen in three years.
