What Is the Green Light on Apple Watch?

Every person who owns an Apple Watch knows about that light that frequently pops up on the watch screen even when it is not on the wrist. This green light has a health purpose. So, let’s learn more about what it is and its functions in this article.

This green light pops up often during regular use, and there are certain situations when you may want to turn it off. Keep reading as we explore the reason for the green light and how you can turn it off.

What Is the Green Light on My Apple Watch?

Apple Inc. keeps innovating, and they try as much as possible to make their products useful for everyone. An example of this is their wearable, the Apple Watch, which has a green light.

The Apple green light glows the green color on Apple Watches. This light comes from a group of sensors in the Apple Watch that helps to determine the rate of blood flow through your wrist. By measuring the rate of blood flowing on your wrist, the Apple Watch can determine the blood flow rate in your body or heartbeat.

The Apple wristwatch serves many benefits and can help us estimate our heartbeats during physical activities like running, high intensity and impact exercises, etc. Besides sports, it is helpful for people who are looking to monitor the cardiovascular functioning of their heart.

When Does the Green Light Show Up on My Apple Watch?

You should notice the green light frequently while using your Apple Watch.

The following are the instances when the green light turns up when using your phone.

Activity #1: During Physical Exercises

The most obvious example of when this light shows up is when you perform a workout, such as:

• Running
• HIIT
• Cycling
• Dance

While you exercise, your Apple Watch constantly tracks and updates your heart rate on the screen.

This also happens when you perform a breathe-relax session on the watch. The watch keeps track of your heart rate during the session and updates you as you try to calm down.

Activity #2: When Finding Your Device

The green light also illuminates when you use the Find My application on your iPhone. If you use the application to try to find your Apple Watch, you can instruct it to have your watch play a sound.

As long as the watch is not dead, it plays a tone to help you locate the device. The green light on the watch’s underside also lights up to make it easier to find, especially in lower-light situations.

Remember that the green light cannot be turned off for this scenario.

Should I Turn off the Green Light on Apple Watch?

There are not many reasons to turn off the green light on your Apple Watch. Many who purchase an Apple Watch do so for this health monitoring feature alone.

The Apple Watch’s ability to track and monitor your heart rate can alert you if there is ever a problem, and the information is stored in your iPhone Health application under the Heart Rate section. 

You can share this information with your doctor or another medical professional to give them a clearer picture of your overall health. Even without issue, this gives you a clearer idea of your overall health.

The Apple Watch is safe to use, but it’s understandable to be skeptical of modern technology.

However, if you do not trust the accuracy of your heart monitor and the green light inconveniences you, it is better to turn off the green light. This can increase the lifespan of your Apple Watch, and you don’t need to stress about it being on.

You may also notice the light when you don’t want it to be, like when you are not wearing the watch. If you don’t want to turn the watch off, it’s easier to deactivate this feature.

How To Turn Off the Green Light on Apple Watch Temporarily

If you wait for the Apple Watch to finish taking your heart rate, it should turn off automatically. You may need to end specific tasks before this can happen.

Make sure you end the workout at the right time. Swipe right on your Apple Watch, then tap “End Workout”. This removes the need for your watch to continue tracking your heart rate, and it should switch off the green light.

This is true for your breath-relax sessions as well. Swipe right and tap “End” to finish your session prematurely, stopping the green light.

How To Turn Off the Green Light on Apple Watch Permanently

When you don’t want the green light to show up, you must permanently disable your watch’s ability to track your heart rate.

Method #1: From Your Watch

Press the digital crown to access all of your applications, then select the “Settings” icon. In your “Settings”, scroll to “Privacy” and choose “Health”, then “Heart Rate”. Toggle off the option to track heart rate.

Method #2: From Your iPhone

Open the watch’s app on your paired device, then select “My Watch”. Go to “Privacy” and “Heart Rate”, then switch off the permission.

This turns off your green light, but it also prevents you from measuring your heart rate while working out or taking a mindfulness session. The heart rate will appear empty on the screen.

How To Turn On the Green Light on Apple Watch

If you try to measure your heart rate on your device, you should get a notification prompting you to enable this feature in your “Privacy” settings.

Reverse the above process to turn your heart rate monitoring off instead of toggling the option back on.

The green light will show up on your watch again anytime it measures your heart rate, and you can switch back and forth as needed.

Final Thoughts

Whether you like it or not, the green light is an integrated part of your Apple Watch, and you need it to access the basic feature of heart monitoring.

You can turn it on and off as often as you like. Consider the pros and cons of each mode, and choose what works best for you.