Can I turn off Smart Stack on my Apple Watch?

Is there any way to change the behaviour of the Digital Crown or disable Smart Stack? Very often I activate Smart Stack unintentionally with the back of my hand since I wear my Apple Watch very close to it. I never use this feature anyway.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Apple Watch Series 7, watchOS 11

Posted on Sep 30, 2024 12:37 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 22, 2024 8:18 AM

I think you’re seeing Smart Stack “suggestions” even though it’s not labeled that way. I went through this myself googling a fix. I disabled the Smart Stack options in the first watch app, but the nail in the coffin is done ON the watch.


Scroll the crown to show the Smart Stack widgets, then tap and hold any one of them. You’ll see the option to disable the “widget suggestions”. That did it for me in addition to the app setting.

20 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 22, 2024 8:18 AM in response to Anders Wilhelmsson

I think you’re seeing Smart Stack “suggestions” even though it’s not labeled that way. I went through this myself googling a fix. I disabled the Smart Stack options in the first watch app, but the nail in the coffin is done ON the watch.


Scroll the crown to show the Smart Stack widgets, then tap and hold any one of them. You’ll see the option to disable the “widget suggestions”. That did it for me in addition to the app setting.

Dec 17, 2024 11:04 AM in response to BobHarris

BobHarris wrote:

Try this

Disable Smart Stack automatically appearing on your Apple Watch screen

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/stop-live-activities-apple-watch-display

Apple Watch -> Settings -> Smart Stack -> Live Activities -> Auto-Launch Live Activities [disable]

That didn’t disable Smart Stack for me; it just changed the contents.



Oct 27, 2024 2:43 AM in response to Anders Wilhelmsson

Hi Apple Devs,


The Smart Stack feature doesn’t serve any real purpose and can be frustrating—it activates with just a slight touch of the crown, often when I’m simply moving my hand.


I value my Apple Watch for its watch faces; that’s the experience I bought it for. I don’t want or need the Smart Stack.


Please consider adding an option in the next update to turn this feature off entirely, giving users the choice to disable features they don’t find useful.


And, if I may suggest, it’s best to avoid forcing “innovations” on users. Letting the user decide what’s useful by including an “always off” option would greatly enhance the user experience.


Thank you.


Best regards,


C

Nov 5, 2024 1:42 PM in response to eliezailah96

I think smart stack is a GREAT feature; I use it multiple times every day. And with the latest update I can open it by just tapping two fingers together.


In general, Apple is not big on options. Probably because if you added options everywhere people think they want them the Settings app would grow by an order of magnitude. As it is, with each update it gets harder to find the option you are looking for in Settings.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Can I turn off Smart Stack on my Apple Watch?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.