Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Do you use the 'red dot' notification indicator?
- Thread starter ManicMarc
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I wasn't aware you could turn it off. I find it useful as I may have missed a notification from a news site etc
One of the main benefits of the watch is access to notifications, I have quite a few set to silent so the red dot is essential for me.
For most apps I've turned off notification sounds and rely on the red dot to let me know there's an email or whatever. Much less intrusive.
Do not understand why you would turn it off.
My calendar was full of so much stuff that others had shoved into it, that the dot was on permanently. It became visual noise.
So off it went.
Give it a try! Personally I think I would be more anxious without the red dot, because I would be worried that I missed an important notification that I didn't acknowledge or act on soon enough. I suppose without the red dot you can still swipe down to see missed notifications though, so it might not be a big deal to turn it off. I think it depends on the urgency of your typical notifications. If you use reminders for things that need to be done or reviewed ASAP, the red dot provides a useful visual indicator.
Reducing stress and annoyances was the main reason I wanted the Apple Watch. Audible notifications stress me out. I rely quite a bit on notifications for meeting reminders, tasks that must be done at a specific time, system outage alerts for work, and texts from my wife. I have filtered out as much of the noise as possible by disabling notifications for most apps, and customizing notifications for apps that allow me to do that. I think the watch has been very effective for me. Haptics don't annoy me the way audible alerts so. Quite often i will ignore the haptic/vibration alert because I'm talking with someone or doing something that needs my full attention. I appreciate the red dot because the next time I look at my watch it reminds me that I ignored an earlier notification. That said I do have my reminders app set to nag me at custom intervals if I don't acknowledge the reminder, so I don't need the red dot for that. I do appreciate for other notifications that don't repeat though.
My rule of thumb is to try going without something if it annoys you. If the red dot annoys you, then you might be happier without it. You can always turn it back on.
What would be nice if is one could customize the color of the dot. Red can be a bit of a trigger for those of us who use color to prioritize work by urgency and impact. What would be totally awesome is a rule to change the color of that dot based on the app sending the notification. I would set mine to use a blue or green dot by default, purple there is a text message in the list, yellow or orange if the list includes an approaching calendar appointment, and red if it's a reminder to do something ASAP or a system alert from the app I use for that.
Sean
Last edited:
Thanks, think I'll give it a go turned off.
I usually feel each notification from the tap, so look at it, and then later when I look again at my Watch, the red dot is there, so mostly it's showing me notifications I've already seen (but not dismissed).
I kind of feel that if you raise your wrist directly after a notification comes in for more than a second, it should mark that notification as 'read' so it doesn't clog up notification centre.
I usually feel each notification from the tap, so look at it, and then later when I look again at my Watch, the red dot is there, so mostly it's showing me notifications I've already seen (but not dismissed).
I kind of feel that if you raise your wrist directly after a notification comes in for more than a second, it should mark that notification as 'read' so it doesn't clog up notification centre.
Maybe change the setting for the calendar app so you don’t miss other stuff as well by turning off everything?
Didn't even realize you could turn it off.
I do wish that the Mail, Text and Phone apps had little number indicators, like the phone does. I'd turn off the dot if those were available.
I do wish that the Mail, Text and Phone apps had little number indicators, like the phone does. I'd turn off the dot if those were available.
Honestly, the dot I want the option to turn off is the dot on the iPhone that tells you that an app has been updated. I updated it, so I shouldn't have to open it to get rid of it.
On the Apple Watch iPhone app, it's silly that earned badges have the dot as well. You've already shown me that I earned the badge on the watch. Why the heck do I need to open it on the phone as well?
On the Apple Watch iPhone app, it's silly that earned badges have the dot as well. You've already shown me that I earned the badge on the watch. Why the heck do I need to open it on the phone as well?
I cannot stand the red dot! As soon as I figured out it could be turned off, I did! For me, I don't always see or clear the notification, and so the red dot would be there for a notification I had already seen. Then, inevitably I would have a phantom buzz, raise my wrist and see the red dot, unsure whether there was a new notification or not. Add that to the fact that I am all about a clean desk, and it becomes clear that me and the red dot are not compatible. I have to zero out badges, etc. (all about "inbox zero") and the red dot just became another thing to clear.