How To Stop Apple Watch From Pausing Workouts
The Apple Watch is an extremely versatile device that can be used in a range of circumstances and environments, including at the gym or while exercising outdoors. The tracking feature helps you monitor your workouts and progress. However, the Apple Watch sometimes pauses workouts by accident.
You can disable the Auto-Pause feature on your Apple Watch in the Settings menu. Click ‘Workouts’ and locate ‘Auto-Pause.’ You can enable or disable the feature and restart your device to save the changes. You can also disable the feature from your iPhone.
So, if your Apple Watch keeps pausing your workouts, there’s no need to panic. This is a common issue and is easily resolved. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know to adjust the setting as needed.
Why Does My Apple Watch Pause My Workouts?
The Auto-Pause feature might be the culprit behind your Apple Watch (on Amazon) pausing your workouts in the middle of a session. As the name suggests, the Auto-Pause feature automatically pauses some workouts once it detects inactivity.
The device will return to tracking once the activity is detected. Some reasons why this occurs include:
- You stopped moving or stopped being active.
- Your Apple Watch is too loose, and you don’t have Wrist Detection enabled.
- You have tattoos, accessories, or clothing that interfere with the device.
- You accidentally tapped on the screen during a workout.
The Auto-Pause feature can be useful for certain scenarios, but it can be a hindrance for others. The feature can cause errors when you’re running, resulting in inaccurate measurements of your activity. Thankfully, there are easy ways to resolve the Auto-Pause issues.
Can You Disable Auto Pause on Apple Watch?
Yes, it’s entirely possible to disable the Auto-Pause feature on your Apple Watch (on Amazon) or iPhone. Although the feature is useful when you need a break during your exercise, it can cause problems during certain activities.
Disabling the feature is the easiest way to resolve issues, and it’s a straightforward process.
Disable Auto-Pause on Your Apple Watch
- From your Apple Watch, launch the Settings app.
- Tap ‘Workouts.’
- Scroll down until you see the ‘Auto-Pause‘ tab and toggle it on or off with the slider.
- Restart your device to save the settings.
Note: You’ll need to manually pause your activity in the future if you disable the Auto-Pause function.
Disable Auto Pause on Your iPhone
- Launch the Watch app from your iPhone.
- Select the ‘My Watch‘ tab located near the bottom left corner of the app.
- Scroll down to find ‘Workout‘ and select it.
- Click on ‘Auto-Pause‘ and disable it.
Tracking Workout After “Finished Your Workout” Prompt Appears
At some point in your workout, you’ll come across a “Finished your Workout?” prompt on your Apple Watch. This prompt will appear depending on your activity. For example, if you stop to adjust your shoes, your workout might be paused, and you’ll receive the on-screen message.
You’ll have three different responses to choose from when you see this on-screen message, including:
- End Workout: Ends your current workout session and stop tracking your activity.
- Pause: Pauses your current workout session.
- Dismiss: Dismisses the on-screen prompts and allows you to continue working out without issues.
The first two options are easily visible on the screen, but you might not know about the Dismiss option. Clicking the wrong option can shut down or pause your workout, resulting in a frustrating experience. Here’s how to dismiss the on-screen message.
How to Dismiss the “Finished Your Workout?” Message
- Swipe upwards when you see the “Finished your workout?” prompt. Alternatively, you can utilize the Digital Crown to scroll and show more options.
- Click the ‘Dismiss‘ option to remove the on-screen prompt and continue your workout.
What If You Accidentally Click “Pause”?
Don’t panic if you accidentally clicked and selected the Pause button. You can resume your workout with the following steps:
- From the paused workout screen, swipe right to show the ‘Resume‘ button.
- Click the ‘Resume‘ button to start tracking again and return to your workout.
You can also pause or resume a workout by pressing the Home and Side buttons simultaneously. However, pressing these buttons will also take a screenshot. You can delete these screenshots from your connected iPhone.
Disable Workout Reminders
You might also want to disable workout reminders on your Apple Watch. This feature can automatically detect whether you’re working out or not. It might automatically pause your workout when you stop being active.
Workout reminders can be useful to remind you to start a session when it senses that you’re working out. However, you can easily disable the feature with the following steps:
- Launch the Apple Watch Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Scroll down and click ‘Workout.’
- Scroll down again until you notice the ‘Start Workout Reminder‘ selection. If the feature is green, it’s enabled. You can click the feature to toggle it on or off.
- Scroll down even further until you see the ‘End Workout Reminder‘ selection. If the feature is green, it’s enabled. You can click the feature to toggle it on or off.
Does My Apple Watch Track My Exercise When the Workout Is Paused?
One of the biggest concerns is that the Apple Watch stops tracking activity when the session is paused. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. The device is constantly tracking your activity.
If your heart rate is accelerated and your Apple Watch is connected properly, it will track your session. The Apple Watch will track metrics like how long you worked out, calories burned, heart rate, and more.
For example, the Apple Watch might track a workout session when you went to grab the mail on a Sunday morning — if your heart rate was high enough. For outdoor sessions, ensure to check your Apple Watch settings for better accuracy.
You can enable Location Services under the Privacy tab. You’ll also want to ensure that Location is set to ‘While Using‘ under Apple Watch Workout.