I recently got my hands on the Apple Watch Series 10, and I’ve been loving it so far. However, I quickly encountered a frustrating issue: the Smart Stack kept popping up, obscuring the watch face I carefully chose. I was puzzled and irritated. If you’re experiencing the same annoyance, let me explain why it’s happening and how to fix it.
The culprit is a new feature called Live Activities. This feature, introduced in iOS 18 and watchOS 11, automatically displays information from apps on your iPhone on your Apple Watch. It’s a great way to stay updated on things like your workout progress, music playback, or a delivery’s estimated arrival time.
However, for me, Live Activities were constantly hijacking my watch face, especially while listening to music or watching content on my Apple TV. It was a constant distraction, replacing my chosen watch face with a less aesthetically pleasing dashboard-like display.
I wanted to maintain the classic, elegant watch face look, and I found this intrusive behavior quite disruptive. I was determined to regain control over my Apple Watch’s display.
At first, I blamed the Digital Crown’s sensitivity, thinking a slight wrist movement might be triggering the Smart Stack. But the issue was much deeper. It wasn’t the Digital Crown; it was Live Activities.
To tackle this issue, I dove into the Apple Watch’s settings. Under the ‘Smart Stack’ menu, there’s a dedicated section for ‘Live Activities’. This is where you can customize the behavior of Live Activities.
While you can disable Live Activities entirely, it’s not the most practical solution, as they can be helpful in certain situations.
Instead, I focused on selectively disabling Live Activities for specific apps. The key for me was finding the option to turn off Live Activities for Media Apps, which effectively solved the issue.
This setting is available for other apps as well, like Alarms, Wallet, and Workout. However, not all apps are covered, so if you’re facing interruptions from a specific app, you might need to disable Live Activities entirely for that app in its settings on your iPhone.
Ultimately, I managed to reclaim my watch face’s dominance and restore the elegance of my Apple Watch. With this simple fix, I can now enjoy the benefits of Live Activities without them constantly interrupting my watch face.
Remember, watchOS 11 and iOS 18 bring numerous new features, and it takes time to adjust and learn how to customize them to your liking. If you find yourself frustrated by the Smart Stack constantly appearing on your Apple Watch, I hope this solution helps you regain control over your watch’s display and enjoy the experience to the fullest.
