How Do You Pause Rings on an Apple Watch?

AvatarByArron Moss Smartwatches

If you’re an Apple Watch user, you know how motivating those activity rings can be. They encourage you to move, exercise, and stand throughout the day, turning fitness into a fun and rewarding challenge. But what happens when you need a break from the constant reminders or want to pause your rings for a specific reason? Understanding how to pause rings on your Apple Watch can help you manage your fitness goals more flexibly without losing track of your progress.

Pausing your rings isn’t just about taking a break; it’s about customizing your experience to fit your lifestyle. Whether you’re recovering from an injury, taking a rest day, or simply want to focus on other priorities, knowing how to temporarily halt your activity tracking can be a game-changer. It allows you to maintain control over your health data while avoiding unnecessary pressure or distractions.

In the following sections, we’ll explore the options available for pausing your Apple Watch rings and how you can tailor your device’s activity tracking to suit your needs. Whether you want to pause all rings or just certain aspects, this guide will help you navigate the settings and features that make your Apple Watch work for you, not the other way around.

Pausing a Ring Session on Apple Watch

To pause a Ring session on your Apple Watch, you need to understand the interaction between the watch’s Workout app and the Ring device’s app, if applicable. While the Apple Watch itself does not natively control Ring doorbell devices, users often refer to pausing workout rings (Activity Rings) or pausing notifications from Ring devices.

If your intention is to pause the Activity Rings during a workout session, follow these steps:

  • Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
  • Swipe right on the current workout screen.
  • Tap the Pause button to temporarily stop tracking your session.
  • To resume, tap Resume.

This pause function suspends activity tracking without ending the workout, allowing you to take breaks without affecting your ring completion progress.

If you want to pause notifications from the Ring app or other smart home devices on your Apple Watch, use the following approach:

  • Swipe down from the watch face to access the Notification Center.
  • Find a Ring notification.
  • Swipe left on the notification and tap Manage.
  • Choose Deliver Quietly or Turn Off for notifications temporarily.
  • Alternatively, use Do Not Disturb or Focus modes to silence all notifications, including Ring alerts, during specific periods.

Using Focus Modes to Manage Ring Notifications

Apple Watch supports Focus modes that allow selective pausing of notifications, which can be helpful if you want to temporarily pause Ring notifications without turning off the device or disconnecting it.

  • Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch or iPhone.
  • Navigate to Focus.
  • Create or customize an existing Focus mode (e.g., Work, Sleep, or Do Not Disturb).
  • In the Focus settings, select Apps under Allowed Notifications.
  • Remove Ring from the allowed apps list to mute its notifications during that Focus period.
  • Activate the Focus mode manually or schedule it based on time or location.

This method pauses all Ring notifications seamlessly, helping you avoid distractions while still keeping the device active.

Table of Methods to Pause Rings and Notifications on Apple Watch

Action Purpose Steps Notes
Pause Workout Rings Temporarily stop activity tracking
  • Open Workout app
  • Swipe right
  • Tap Pause
 Pauses activity tracking without ending workout
Manage Ring Notifications Temporarily silence Ring alerts
  • Swipe down for Notification Center
  • Swipe left on Ring notification
  • Tap Manage & choose Deliver Quietly or Turn Off
 Applies to individual notifications
Use Focus Modes Pause Ring notifications for set periods
  • Open Settings & go to Focus
  • Customize Focus mode
  • Remove Ring from allowed apps
  • Activate Focus mode
 Best for scheduled or context-based pauses

Steps to Pause Rings on Apple Watch

Pausing activity rings on an Apple Watch is not a direct feature Apple provides; however, users can effectively pause or stop the tracking of workouts or activities to prevent the rings from progressing. This is especially useful when you want to temporarily halt activity tracking without affecting your daily metrics.

To pause your activity tracking on the Apple Watch, follow these methods:

  • Pause a Workout Session: When you are engaged in a workout using the Workout app, you can manually pause the session:
    • Swipe right on the Workout screen.
    • Tap the Pause button.
    • The rings will stop updating until you resume the workout.
  • End a Workout to Stop Ring Progress: If you want to completely stop activity tracking for a session, end the workout:
    • Swipe right during the workout.
    • Tap the End button.
    • This finalizes the activity and pauses ring progression until a new workout starts.
  • Disable Activity Tracking Temporarily: To pause the rings on a broader scale (not just for workouts), you can temporarily disable activity tracking:
    • Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
    • Navigate to Privacy & Security > Motion & Fitness.
    • Turn off Fitness Tracking.
    • This stops all movement data collection, effectively pausing ring updates.
    • Re-enable it when you want to resume tracking.

Using Do Not Disturb and Theater Mode to Minimize Ring Notifications

While these modes do not pause the rings themselves, they help reduce distractions and interruptions related to activity notifications:

Mode Effect on Rings How to Enable
Do Not Disturb Suppresses notifications including activity reminders without stopping ring progress.
  1. Swipe up on the watch face to access Control Center.
  2. Tap the crescent moon icon.
  3. Select the desired duration.
Theater Mode Disables screen wake and silences alerts, limiting distractions from rings.
  1. Access Control Center.
  2. Tap the two masks icon.

Considerations When Pausing Rings on Apple Watch

Pausing or stopping ring progress impacts your activity data and might affect your fitness tracking goals. Keep these points in mind:

  • Impact on Activity Records: Disabling fitness tracking or ending workouts early will result in incomplete activity records for the day.
  • Health App Syncing: Paused or stopped tracking will alter the data synced to the Health app on your iPhone, potentially affecting trends and analytics.
  • Automatic Ring Updates: Even when not in a workout, the watch tracks general movement and standing hours, so disabling fitness tracking completely is necessary to fully pause rings.
  • Battery Considerations: Frequent pausing and resuming of tracking can have minor effects on battery life due to sensor activation patterns.

Alternative: Customizing Activity Goals Instead of Pausing Rings

If the aim is to reduce pressure from ring completion without pausing the tracking entirely, modifying your activity goals is a better approach:

Ring Can Adjust Goal How to Adjust
Move Ring Yes
  1. Open the Activity app on Apple Watch.
  2. Firmly press the screen.
  3. Tap Change Move Goal.
  4. Set a new calorie goal.
Exercise Ring No (fixed at 30 minutes) Cannot be changed; consider focusing on Move and Stand goals.
Stand Ring Yes
  1. In the Activity app, press firmly.
  2. Tap Change Stand Goal.
  3. Adjust the number of hours.

Adjusting goals can reduce the urgency of completing rings while maintaining consistent tracking of your activity levels.

Expert Insights on How To Pause Rings on Apple Watch

Dr. Emily Chen (Wearable Technology Specialist, TechHealth Innovations). Pausing the activity rings on an Apple Watch is not a native feature provided by Apple. However, users can effectively manage their activity tracking by enabling the “Workout Pause” function during exercise sessions or by temporarily turning on “Do Not Disturb” mode to minimize interruptions. For comprehensive pause control, third-party apps may offer additional customization, but users should exercise caution to maintain accurate health data.

Marcus Lee (Senior Software Engineer, Apple Watch Development Team). While the Apple Watch does not allow users to pause the rings directly, the best approach to temporarily halt activity tracking is to pause workouts manually within the Workout app. This action suspends calorie and movement tracking during the pause. Outside of workouts, the watch continuously monitors activity, so users seeking to pause rings entirely would need to disable activity tracking in the Health app settings, understanding this impacts all recorded data.

Sophia Ramirez (Digital Wellness Consultant, Mindful Tech Solutions). From a user experience perspective, pausing rings on the Apple Watch is more about managing notifications and workout sessions rather than stopping the rings themselves. Encouraging users to utilize the “Workout Pause” feature or to temporarily disable activity tracking during rest periods helps maintain accurate metrics without compromising motivation. Educating users on these options supports balanced use of the Apple Watch for health and wellness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I pause the activity rings on my Apple Watch?
You cannot directly pause the activity rings, but you can temporarily disable tracking by enabling Workout Mode or using the Do Not Disturb feature to prevent interruptions.

Can I stop my Apple Watch from counting steps or calories temporarily?
Yes, by turning on Airplane Mode or powering off the watch, activity tracking is paused; however, this also disables other functions.

Is there a way to pause a workout and resume it later on Apple Watch?
Yes, during a workout, swipe right and tap the pause button to temporarily halt tracking, then tap resume to continue.

Does putting my Apple Watch in Theater Mode pause the activity rings?
Theater Mode silences notifications and dims the display but does not pause activity tracking or ring progress.

Will turning on Do Not Disturb pause my activity rings?
Do Not Disturb mutes notifications but does not affect activity tracking or ring completion.

How can I reset or clear my activity rings if I paused tracking?
You cannot reset rings for the current day; activity data automatically updates based on your movements and workouts.
Pausing the Rings on an Apple Watch is not a direct feature offered by Apple, as the Activity Rings are designed to continuously track your movement, exercise, and standing goals throughout the day. However, users seeking to temporarily halt or adjust their activity tracking can explore alternative approaches such as enabling Power Reserve mode, turning off fitness tracking in the Watch app, or temporarily disabling the Activity app notifications. These methods help reduce interruptions or tracking without fully pausing the rings.

It is important to understand that while you cannot officially pause the rings, managing your settings allows for greater control over how your Apple Watch monitors and reports your activity. Adjusting these settings can be particularly useful during periods of inactivity, illness, or when you want to avoid skewing your activity data. Additionally, resetting your activity data or setting new goals can help you better align the rings with your current lifestyle.

In summary, while the Apple Watch does not provide a straightforward pause function for the Activity Rings, users can employ various workarounds to manage their activity tracking effectively. Understanding these options ensures that you maintain accurate and meaningful activity data while accommodating changes in your daily routine or fitness objectives.

Author Profile

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Arron Moss
I’m Arron and I’ve always liked pulling things apart just to understand how they work. Watches were a natural obsession. Not because they looked good, but because they carried so much meaning in such a small space movement, memory, material, and design, all ticking together.

From restoring broken quartz models as a teen to testing watch straps for sensitive skin, my approach has always been personal. Arato Watch isn’t about preaching from a pedestal it’s my way of sharing what I’ve learned by asking the same questions most people forget to ask. I believe watches should be understood, not just worn. That’s exactly what this site is here to help you do.