Apple designed the Apple Watch to be part productivity tool and part fitness tracker. On the fitness side of the Watch, Apple is using a goal-based system that encourages you to move throughout the day. One of the most visible metrics (and easiest to achieve) is the standing goal that tracks how many hours you get up and stand. It is always at the forefront of the Watch experience because Apple has included a “Time to Stand” reminder that alerts you when you have been sedentary.

The “Time to Stand” reminder chimes every hour to remind you to stand when you have been sedentary for the past 50 minutes. When the Watch detects this downtime, it will throw an alert that asks you to stand and add that hour to your Stand goal. The alarm is useful at times, but it is finicky as it is triggered throughout the day based on an hourly clock. It does not examine previous activity when determining whether you need to stand, so you will still receive an alert to stand even if you ran a marathon earlier in the day.
Recent studies have shown the dangers of prolonged sitting so this goal, and its associated reminder has welcomed health benefits, but Apple Watch wearers may grow weary of the ongoing alert to remind (Nag?) you to stand. This warning may be useful for those with a desk job who want this hourly reminder, but it is often vexing to users who receive the alert even when they are standing or are taking a sit-down break after several hours or activity.

Thankfully, Apple’s watchOS can turn off this feature, allowing you to sit without disruption if you so choose. You can elect to disable the alert permanently or only temporarily, depending on your needs.

• Open the Watch app on the iPhone that is paired with your Apple Watch.

• Scroll down until you see “Activity” in the list of available options.

• Tap Activity and then select “Mute Reminders for One Day” if you want to disable all fitness-related alerts for a single day. When selecting, green means the feature is enabled, while black/white is disabled.

• You also can choose to disable “Stand Reminders” by toggling the selection to the off position. This option is a permanent change that will remove the Stand Reminders completely.

Even if you choose to disable fitness and stand alerts, the Apple Watch will still track your fitness during the day. You still can view your exercise in the Activity app on your iPhone or Watch device. It also will keep track of your goals; it just won’t alert you to them if they are turned off.

Did you turn off the Stand Reminders on your Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments below.