watchOS 9.4: Wake-Up alarm still accidentially „silenced“ with cover to mute gesture

Is this intentional trolling?

No. Hitting the “stop” button ends the alarm and results in the alarm screen/app being terminated - user is returned to the clock face. Likewise hitting the snooze button has the same effect - the screen reverts to the watch face.

By contrast, hitting the screen with a palm, or the back of a hand, or a partner’s leg, or any other large patch of skin, for less than a second, immediately silences the alarm and and haptics, yet leaves the alarm screen/app on the watch face “as if” an alarm is still going on.

This is a bug and it has existed since watchOS 1. Many of us have been calling for a fix to something that’s blindingly obvious for years.

Watch stand is useless to me- why wouldn’t I just use my phone alarm

or any other audible alarm? Suggesting that users should completely change their behaviour to something they have already said contradicts their needs is not helpful at all.

You are right. I just tested it with cover to mute off and yes it looks like a bug.

https://apple.com/feedback

As I have said above, and others have said above, cover to mute is switched off.

Please see the demonstrations of the issue, because I don’t think you’re getting this. It is a real bug which has been commented on my many people for years and which was alleged to have been addressed but the fix did not work.

demonstrations:

https://youtu.be/dIQFhBtyvOA

and

https://youtu.be/5Yi1RFR1pfU

Hi Kajsa0905,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! If you unpair and the re-pair the Apple Watch, does the issue remain? To unpair, please follow the steps below:

Unpair and erase your Apple Watch

Before you start

* If you have the iPhone that your Apple Watch is paired with, you should follow the steps to unpair your Apple Watch. This removes Activation Lock from your Apple Watch as well as erasing all its content and settings. If you don't have the paired iPhone, you can erase your Apple Watch, but Activation Lock will remain.

* If you're using your Apple Watch with a transit card in the Wallet app, remove your transit card from your Apple Watch before you unpair.

* Apple Watch doesn't have a physical SIM slot or reset button — the holes in your Apple Watch case are there to allow sound to and from the microphone and speakers, and to allow water-depth measurement on Apple Watch Ultra. To avoid damage, don't insert any object into the holes in your Apple Watch case.

How to unpair and erase your Apple Watch if you have your iPhone

1. Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together as you unpair them.

2. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

3. Go to the My Watch tab and tap All Watches.

4. Tap the info button  next to the watch that you want to unpair. 

5.

6. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

7.

8. Tap Unpair [your Apple Watch name].

9. For GPS + Cellular models, choose whether to keep or remove your cellular plan. 

* If you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan. 

* If you don't want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, remove your plan. If you aren't going to pair with a different watch or iPhone, you might need to contact your carrier to cancel your cellular subscription. 

12. Type your Apple ID password to disable Activation Lock, then tap Unpair. 

Before erasing all content and settings on your Apple Watch, your iPhone creates a new backup of your Apple Watch. You can use the backup to restore a new Apple Watch. After your Apple Watch unpairs, you'll see the Start Pairing message.

Now you can set up your Apple Watch again or turn it off if you're selling it or giving it away.

Thank you.

Hi Kajsa0905,

Thank you for following up with us. Verified that with watchOS 9.4, this changed:

About watchOS 9 Updates - Apple Support

watchOS 9.4 includes improvements to Apple Watch and brings features to new regions.

• Wake-up alarms are no longer silenced with cover to mute gesture to avoid accidental cancellations during sleep

You mentioned already on watchOS 9.4. However, since this feature changed, let's make 100% sure your iPhone and Apple Watch are updated to the latest versions. iOS 16.4.1 and watchOS 9.4.

Update your iPhone first:Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Then, update your Apple Watch:Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Test, and if you're still experiencing the issue, we would suggest reaching back out to Apple Support for further assistance. You may be able to contact them here: Get Support

Take care.

I am on 9.6.1 and this bug still exists! The steps explained in this post still silences the alarm: Watch Alarm = Late for week because of un… - Apple Community

and to make matters worse (1) cover to wake can be turned off and this bug still exists; and (2) it doesn’t even take three seconds of covering the watch screen to deactivate the alarm - it only takes about half a second. Follow the steps:

are 1:) On Watch open Alarms app 2) Create an alarm that will go off in 1 minute from current time 3) When alarm goes touch palm to watch face 4) Observe watch alarm sound turn off/buzz turn off immediately.

I have been complaining about this for years (even emails to Steve Jobs and Tim Cook about it!) and yet here I am, 9 years and 6 Apple Watches later, still silencing my alarm unintentionally and missing a train. I’m now out of pocket over £100 as a result of this stupid coding error, which is supposedly “fixed”. In addition, it gives me such anxiety every night when I have to get up for a specific train or flight that I can never sleep. I genuinely never experienced anything like this before the Apple Watch bug. My partner is a light sleeper so I can’t use audiable alarms, and this is one of the main use cases for my Apple Watch (let’s face it the thing never quite met expectations for being a useful consumption device, and most of us turn off most notifications so we can actually get stuff done - when basic features like this remain unreliable, how can I justify the cost and inconvenience?)

edit: I recently restored my phone via dfu mode and had to completely

erase and re-pair my Apple Watch from scratch. There is zero chance this is a one off. My partner’s Apple Watch Series 6 does the same thing, and so does a friend’s series 7.

While the bug continues and it looks like it will not be fixed any time soon I can only re-suggest not wearing it in bed. Or set the alarm on the phone and turn off push notifications in Clock settings. I don't know of another workaround

I tested it with water lock on and it still does it so it appears to be a proximity or ambient light trigger not a touch issue.

As I am currently testing the next version software I will report it in that system.

Meanwhile continue to report it at https://apple.com/feedback as Apple maintenance technicians do not read these posts.

I have the same issue and it’s driving me nuts. It is enough to just touch the screen with my palm and the vibration is silenced completely. Overslept so many times because of that!

Hi Kajsa0905,

Based on the troubleshooting that has been completed up to this point, contacting Apple Support is the next best step. They will investigate this further with you: Get Support

Take care.

"Cover to mute" - the clue is in the name

It's like single press of side button on iPhone to mute an incoming call, it mutes the ringer but the call is still ringing silently.

If your sleep habits are incompatible ir you don't understand the concept, either take my suggestion or turn off cover to mute in iPhone, Watch app, My Watch tab, sounds & haptics

Touching with the palm surely will touch the STOP icon?

My advice is if waking up is important, use the nightstand (bedside in UK) mode and don't wear it in bed.