Since updating to watchOS 5, every time I walk to work, I get an annoying buzz on my wrist asking if I want to record a work out. OS 4 didn't do this, it just recorded all my activity regardless. How do I turn this annoying "feature" off? I don't want my watch buzzing every time I leave the house.
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"It looks like you're working out" - how to turn off?
- Thread starter eddjedi
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I've never gotten this notice when I forgot to start my workout. Is this triggered by your heart rate going above a certain level?
I think it is activated by an increase in heart rate, I walk quite briskly so must trigger it! I don't really understand the purpose of the feature though - why do you need to tell it you are doing a workout? Surely it knows that from your heart rate. Kind of defeats the point of having a 'smart watch' if you have to tell it what you are doing.
Well, it's a smart watch, not a psychic watch...
It can't know what you're doing, only guess. ...Which is why it asks if you're working out.
Well, it's a smart watch, not a psychic watch...
Yeah, you could just be sitting for a job interview and crapping it!
It seems like part of it is that acknowledging a workout rather than trying to catch the bus or something is that it then uses GPS to track your route and adds it as a workout in Activity, with corresponding heart rate info, etc.
And, really, your own example shows that it's not a given how to distinguish a workout from any random elevated heart rate. So, that's probably part of why it asks.
I wondered about this with automatic workout tracking. I walk to work as well (at least on the days I don't bike), and I don't consider it a workout... even though it's about 1.25 miles up and down hills steep enough to get my heart rate up. So I suppose one might consider it a workout, but to me it's just normal activity in my daily routine.
Same with bike rides. The majority of my rides are simply going to and from work (again... just over a mile and hills steep enough to get my heart rate going). I use an app on my phone call Ride Report that automatically tracks bike rides, but I configured it to not count those trips as workouts. I only record a workout when I'm going out for a long bike ride or walk for the purpose of getting exercise.
I guess it comes down to why you want to record your workouts and other periods of active movement with increased heart rate. If you want more details about the activity you get every day (more detail than just what the activity rings, step count, etc. provide), just let it record everything. If you want to reduce the clutter and see metrics only for actual workouts, it will be easier to monitor the progress of your training.
Same with bike rides. The majority of my rides are simply going to and from work (again... just over a mile and hills steep enough to get my heart rate going). I use an app on my phone call Ride Report that automatically tracks bike rides, but I configured it to not count those trips as workouts. I only record a workout when I'm going out for a long bike ride or walk for the purpose of getting exercise.
I guess it comes down to why you want to record your workouts and other periods of active movement with increased heart rate. If you want more details about the activity you get every day (more detail than just what the activity rings, step count, etc. provide), just let it record everything. If you want to reduce the clutter and see metrics only for actual workouts, it will be easier to monitor the progress of your training.
Amen to that! I had a similar problem on my fitbit also. (loves to pop up with these "helpful" notifications). Personally I find them annoying. You can turn some of them off but not all of them. (I'm sure there is a setting somewhere, so if anyone knows where to find it, please do share!)
Can’t believe I’m spending more than a second thinking about this... don’t most people wear their watch on their non-dominant hand..?
I'll have to remember to turn this off when my Series 4 arrives next week. I have an above average constant heart rate, even when I was younger and skinny. I had an echocardiogram stress test done in college and they basically told me that some people just have really high heart rates. Mine would get into the 210-220 range when exercising. I'm pretty sure this is going to trigger all the time if I don't turn it off.