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My phone AND watch have been on silent since I received the watch. LOVE this and is such a HUGE perk that nobody talks about.
 
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Just a follow up after a couple of weeks with the Apple Watch Sport:

The silent haptic notification feature is one of the main reasons I wanted an Apple Watch in the first place, and after two weeks I can say the impact of this feature is even better than I expected. Silent taps for notifications is much less stressful than an audible alert. Most people probably don't even realize that those audible notification alerts they receive throughout the day are adding stress to their lives. It's kind of like the peaceful calm you feel when something annoying that you have gotten used to is suddenly removed from your environment. Or maybe I just have a low tolerance for pestering o_O

I probably get more notifications than the average person. At work I am often asked to do very specific things at very specific times that are not part of my normal workday routine. I attend meetings throughout the week, and I often have deadlines I need to be reminded of. I am also the father of two young children, so I like to be notified when my wife is texting me in case it is urgent. I must confess that I snooze a lot of reminders because I'm involved in something and can't act on the reminder right away. So I snooze a reminder for 15 minutes, an hour, etc. All this used to mean that my iPhone was pinging me with audible alerts throughout the day and even into the evening when I had things I needed to remember to do at home. I tried changing notification sounds to something more pleasant, but even the most soothing tones can spike your blood pressure when they are an unwelcome intrusion. I don't like keeping my iPhone in my pocket either, so silent vibration alerts usually are not an option for me. Besides, a vibrating smartphone is still quite loud when you are in a meeting or in a quiet place.

When the Apple Watch taps me on the wrist, my body doesn't react the same way it reacts to an audible alarm. I don't tense up and fumble for my iPhone to silence or snooze the alert. I simply glance at my wrist and dismiss or snooze the notification. I may not even glance at my watch right away (don't want to be rude if I'm engaging in conversation with someone). I can remember to check my watch a little later, and the red dot will be there to remind me. If I set a truly urgent reminder, I will set it to keep notifying me on a schedule (Using the "Due" app for reminders).

Now my notifications feel more helpful than annoying. The difference between audible alerts and haptics may not be as significant for everyone, but after two weeks I can say the difference for me has been well worth the cost of the watch. I like a lot of things about the Apple Watch, but the subtle tap on the wrist is probably my favorite feature. So I keep my watch on Silent Mode so both iPhone and watch are quiet but useful tools that help me manage my day. While I find the default watch sounds to be reasonably pleasant and quiet enough to be subtle in most environments, I'd rather not hear them at all. The only time I have enabled watch sounds in the last couple of weeks was when I was riding my bicycle on a gravel road and I was expecting a text from my wife that I did not want to miss. In that situation the sound helps in case the vibration from the gravel road masks the haptic feedback. I could also see enabling sound if I want to use the watch alarm to wake up in the morning while it is charging, but while it is on my wrist I will keep it silent 95% of the time.

Sean
 
Mine is usually on silent because it needs to be at work, but when I remember to put It back on I do kind of like the sounds
 
I'm on silent 100% of the time now. I had the alerts enabled when I first got it and when I had my first meeting after getting the watch I silenced it and never took it off. Now my phone nor my watch make any noise and I don't miss alerts either. Best of both worlds. I also use do not disturb on the watch when I go into meetings so I'm not looking at notifications all of the time.
 
Just a follow up after a couple of weeks with the Apple Watch Sport:

The silent haptic notification feature is one of the main reasons I wanted an Apple Watch in the first place, and after two weeks I can say the impact of this feature is even better than I expected. Silent taps for notifications is much less stressful than an audible alert. Most people probably don't even realize that those audible notification alerts they receive throughout the day are adding stress to their lives. It's kind of like the peaceful calm you feel when something annoying that you have gotten used to is suddenly removed from your environment. Or maybe I just have a low tolerance for pestering o_O

I probably get more notifications than the average person. At work I am often asked to do very specific things at very specific times that are not part of my normal workday routine. I attend meetings throughout the week, and I often have deadlines I need to be reminded of. I am also the father of two young children, so I like to be notified when my wife is texting me in case it is urgent. I must confess that I snooze a lot of reminders because I'm involved in something and can't act on the reminder right away. So I snooze a reminder for 15 minutes, an hour, etc. All this used to mean that my iPhone was pinging me with audible alerts throughout the day and even into the evening when I had things I needed to remember to do at home. I tried changing notification sounds to something more pleasant, but even the most soothing tones can spike your blood pressure when they are an unwelcome intrusion. I don't like keeping my iPhone in my pocket either, so silent vibration alerts usually are not an option for me. Besides, a vibrating smartphone is still quite loud when you are in a meeting or in a quiet place.

When the Apple Watch taps me on the wrist, my body doesn't react the same way it reacts to an audible alarm. I don't tense up and fumble for my iPhone to silence or snooze the alert. I simply glance at my wrist and dismiss or snooze the notification. I may not even glance at my watch right away (don't want to be rude if I'm engaging in conversation with someone). I can remember to check my watch a little later, and the red dot will be there to remind me. If I set a truly urgent reminder, I will set it to keep notifying me on a schedule (Using the "Due" app for reminders).

Now my notifications feel more helpful than annoying. The difference between audible alerts and haptics may not be as significant for everyone, but after two weeks I can say the difference for me has been well worth the cost of the watch. I like a lot of things about the Apple Watch, but the subtle tap on the wrist is probably my favorite feature. So I keep my watch on Silent Mode so both iPhone and watch are quiet but useful tools that help me manage my day. While I find the default watch sounds to be reasonably pleasant and quiet enough to be subtle in most environments, I'd rather not hear them at all. The only time I have enabled watch sounds in the last couple of weeks was when I was riding my bicycle on a gravel road and I was expecting a text from my wife that I did not want to miss. In that situation the sound helps in case the vibration from the gravel road masks the haptic feedback. I could also see enabling sound if I want to use the watch alarm to wake up in the morning while it is charging, but while it is on my wrist I will keep it silent 95% of the time.

Sean
this is very impressive that the apple watch has has a a very positive impact. I'm now following the silent mode too except at home, and its working well. I'm also exercising (walking) an hour a day for the first time in my adult life! My Doctor says I have never looked so well.
 
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I don't have a watch [yet] but I can see myself only letting the phone vibrate on my wrist as opposed to making sounds.
 
Have used my Apple Watch on silent since being purchased. Haptic feedback is all I need.
 
It's been on silent since I first took it out the box

The apple watch making notification sounds defeats the purpose of it
 
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