Hands-On With the New Theater Mode in watchOS 3.2

[coffeemadmanUK]

you forgot the person you will do a handstand and occasionally clap while jumping up and down, making the watch turn on all the time. The arguments are getting better. It takes a bit more for the screen to light up (you have to raise your arm and look at it) and you make it sound as if this was happening all the time. I sat through a handful of movies with my watch on and I typically watch the screen rather than my watch.

Come on people, you are making up weird scenarios to justify this feature - the only good point so far was from the guy who wears the watch when sleeping.

Actually I simply fold my arms and the screen on the watch turns on. Then if my arms are over the watch it ends up changing the watch screen.

I'm not saying this is the biggest thing ever but it's much easier than you seem to make out to turn the screen on.

 

[Roller]

To me, an Apple Watch face lighting up during a movie is near the low end of the spectrum of annoyances that I see. I'm more bothered by buzzing and other notifications on phones for incoming texts and calls, even if the owner ignores them. It's rare these days that I can get through an entire film without at least one disturbance. Of course, talking during movies has been around forever, and I have to put up with a baby in the theater occasionally.

But I still welcome this Apple Watch feature because I know that my watch lighting up might disturb people immediately next to me.

 

[Iconoclysm]

That damn "Emergency Exit" Sign over the escape door right next to the damn screen needs a theater mode! Annoys me every time.

Same here

 

[huffhuff]

I'll probably forget it's there the rare occasion I do go to the cinema. However, I can't tell you how many times I've been blinded at night when moving my arm to change sleeping position. I wear my watch through the night probably 3/4 days a week between swapping to my "traditional" Omega watch.

Swap the Masks icon for Zzz...

 

[Ted13]

but that's the point - who is like you anymore? No one goes to watch movies in a cinema anymore with all due respect. This is indeed a feature for the cinema enthusiast and therefore pretty pointless to put this on all our watches.

No one, huh? Apart from me (saw 55 movies in a cinema since September), the US only statistics for 2015: over 1.34 BILLION movie theater tickets were sold in that single year. Love the "not me" = "no one".

And aside from annoying other film goers, my own watch can be distracting me, so yes, I'll be happy to have "Theater Mode"

 

[TroyBoy30]

no one goes to the theater any more

 

[spazzcat]

Wow, is this really news worth making so much fuzz and videos about? Its hardly a feature worth mentioning at all imo. Apple isn't throwing many bones to their users these days

Normally you don't get any new features in .x releases...

 

[The Doctor11]

Mine doesn't do this! Why doesn't mine do this?

Its for some reason a Series 2 feature.

 

[OneMike]

I don't get it at all - how this is remotely useful. Who is spending that much time in dark places to justify its own easily accessible setting for this feature?

I have my watch always on silent and I get haptic feedback all day, every day. When exactly was it ever an issue to have the screen light up, turning the situation into an inconvenient moment? Even in a theatre/cinema, it is not like my watch will light up the entire room.

So just because it's not useful to you that means it's not useful to anyone else?

For me I can see the use.

Some can't even see the purpose for a smart watch. We have to understand that the world is a very big place and we don't have the same requirements.

 

[Type4O]

I wear my watch to bed for sleep tracking, so this is useful to me; however, I think it would have been better if Apple incorporated it into Do Not Disturb, so those that have that scheduled (like I do over night), it would be automatic. You can just as easily switch Do Not Disturb on as you can a Theatre Mode, which I do when going to the cinema, or am in a meeting, anyway.

 

[aristobrat]

no one goes to the theater any more

Regular cinemas where I live (AMC, Regal, etc) seem to be doing well, but the "dinner + movie" places are starting to really kick ass.

With them, you reserve your seats/buy your tickets online, so you don't have to worry about getting there early to fight for a good seat.

Each of the seats is a wide lounge chair that reclines, has its own table, and you can order lunch/dinner/usual movie snacks from a waiter that brings it to you. All of them have beer/wine, and one (CinéBistro) has a full bar.

The CinéBistro in my area bans kids under 6-years old from PG-13/R movies after 6:00 PM, and the whole place is 21-and-older after 8:00 PM. They also have a reasonable dress-code that they enforce. Makes going to the movies fun again.

From that competition, some of the "regular" cinemas around here (Regal, anyway) are starting to install reclining lounge chairs and let you reserve your seats when you buy your tickets online.
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You can just as easily switch Do Not Disturb on as you can a Theatre Mode, which I do when going to the cinema, or am in a meeting, anyway.

I liked that setting Do Not Disturb on the watch automatically does the same on the phone. My movie "routine" would be to flip my watch to a custom watch face that simply had the time displayed in red (and nothing else on the screen), and then flip on DND. Since Theatre Mode still allows notifications (which I don't want), I'd prefer to use DND instead.

 

[2010mini]

and that's probably brighter than 10 Apple Watches..

Actually the color of the exit signs makes it ideal for darker rooms. White light, like you get from cellphones and smart watches are way more annoying.

 

[newdeal]

yeah what we really need is more watch faces, not more buttons in the control centre

 

[b11051973]

I will use theater mode. I go to 2-3 movies a month. I still need feedback when I get notifications. When I'm oncall for work, I need to know if I'm being paged. I just don't want the watch lighting up every time I stuff popcorn in my face.

 

[LordQ]

Fine. Some will have a use for this.

Now can we PLEASE talk about how there should be 2 pages in control center with one being music controls?!? You know, EXACTLY how it is on the iPhone? I would use this far more than all of the other controls in control center combined.

Specially with the AirPods paired to the Watch since skipping songs with Siri was not the brightest idea. Or Music controls while on a Workout!

 

[honglong1976]

You know there is already a cinema mode?

rotate your watch 180 so it's pointing down. After the film, put it back to normal.

 

[aristobrat]

You know there is already a cinema mode?

rotate your watch 180 so it's pointing down. After the film, put it back to normal.

So that the watch face rubs against the armrest every time you move your arm?

 

[Jim Lahey]

Nice feature. I will find this useful. If I didn't, I wouldn't comment, as it adds no negative to the Apple Watch, only positive.

People with mental issues should really be supervised.

 

[applezulu]

First, why is anyone complaining about this? If you have a watch but don't see the utility of "theater mode," don't use it.

Second, I welcome the feature. I've sometimes taken off my watch in the cinema to keep it from lighting up. I'm clearly not the only one.

Third, $11+ billion in 2016 says people do still go to the cinema.

Fourth, the Apple Watch, like any other mass-produced product, includes features that benefit people other than you. If it's that important to you that this shouldn't be the case, by all means, have someone build you a custom device that exclusively does the things that you want it to do.

 

[LordQ]

While this call cinema mode, this will be great when sleeping!

This will be excellent for me while at the gym, there are some exercises where my watch will wake the screen. I'd rather tap the screen to glance at my elapsed time. A much welcomed little thing.

 

[Khalanad75]

but that's the point - who is like you anymore? No one goes to watch movies in a cinema anymore with all due respect. This is indeed a feature for the cinema enthusiast and therefore pretty pointless to put this on all our watches.

update: I will also stand to what I said before - the light is hardly strong enough to be an annoyance to anyone. also, my watch usually disappears under my sleeves anyway ?

update2: I can't get over your comment - you are being distracted in a cinema all the time by people being loud and standing up or arriving late. This is way more distracting/disturbing than a tiny light. I disagree with what you said. This is also one of the reasons why I don't like to go - there is always someone not behaving him/herself.

Way to be completely dismissive of anyone who doesn't do things the way you do.

There are still lots of people who go to the movies, hence the record amount of money made each year.

And it's not necessarily like a beacon shining in the night, but light caught in your peripheral vision can very easily distract your focus off of the screen.

Last movie I went to (last week) I felt bad that every time I grabbed some popcorn my watch lit up. I will use theater mode as a common courtesy to my fellow man and not think twice about it.

 

[iambrooklynbound]

How about making the crown adjust volume on airpods, all the time??? Please..

 

[The Game 161]

If I went cinema then I would certainly use it so it's hardly a bad feature.

 

[aduteau]

but that's the point - who is like you anymore? No one goes to watch movies in a cinema anymore with all due respect. This is indeed a feature for the cinema enthusiast and therefore pretty pointless to put this on all our watches.

update: I will also stand to what I said before - the light is hardly strong enough to be an annoyance to anyone. also, my watch usually disappears under my sleeves anyway ?

update2: I can't get over your comment - you are being distracted in a cinema all the time by people being loud and standing up or arriving late. This is way more distracting/disturbing than a tiny light. I disagree with what you said. This is also one of the reasons why I don't like to go - there is always someone not behaving him/herself.

Wow, guess you represent all of the population with magic Facts coming from imaginary Polls.
Seriously, why hate on a new feature that can actually be useful to people who live in the real world without imaginary facts and polls ? It just so happens that people still go to the movies and would like to get a nice none distracting experience when going there. Dont like it ?? Dont use it !!! its That simple

 

[MakeAppleGreatAgain]

This is groundbreaking, revolutionary!!!