Why does my Apple Watch Series 9 light up during sleep mode?

I use my watch to track sleep. Prior to the most recent updates my series 9 would not light up during sleep mode, and now it does. I can't find any settings to stop it from lighting up with wrist movement while in sleep mode. I don't want to have to place it in theater mode every night.


What am I missing?



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Feb 17, 2025 4:50 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 17, 2025 5:17 AM



You made it so easy, thank you - that fixed it.

Ingo2711 wrote:

Did you enable the option "Sleep Screen" on your iPhone in Settings/Focus/Sleep Focus/Customise Screens/Options -> Sleep Screen and Show Time -> enabled.
I did not select any Watch Face for my watch in the settings for the screen, so my watch will show a black screen and the time in a greenish color, if I tap on the watch during the night or slightly brighten the screen by turning the Digital Crown.


https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/9dd67f80-d408-41fa-b12c-b0c18fc2e897


3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 17, 2025 5:17 AM in response to Ingo2711



You made it so easy, thank you - that fixed it.

Ingo2711 wrote:

Did you enable the option "Sleep Screen" on your iPhone in Settings/Focus/Sleep Focus/Customise Screens/Options -> Sleep Screen and Show Time -> enabled.
I did not select any Watch Face for my watch in the settings for the screen, so my watch will show a black screen and the time in a greenish color, if I tap on the watch during the night or slightly brighten the screen by turning the Digital Crown.


https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/9dd67f80-d408-41fa-b12c-b0c18fc2e897


Feb 17, 2025 5:04 AM in response to TheReal702

Did you enable the option "Sleep Screen" on your iPhone in Settings/Focus/Sleep Focus/Customise Screens/Options -> Sleep Screen and Show Time -> enabled.

I did not select any Watch Face for my watch in the settings for the screen, so my watch will show a black screen and the time in a greenish color, if I tap on the watch during the night or slightly brighten the screen by turning the Digital Crown.


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Why does my Apple Watch Series 9 light up during sleep mode?

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