If you have been using the Apple Watch, you might have noticed a green laser-like light shining from the side of the watch that’s facing your wrist. If you have been wondering what that green light is, you are not alone as any have been wondering about it too, including me when I first purchased my Apple Watch.
If you want to know what the green light is and how to turn off green light on Apple Watch, then this article is for you.
What is the Green Light on Apple Watch?
The green light under your Apple Watch is emitted by the heart rate sensor, it is used to measure your heart rate. The green light is switched on only when an app uses the heart rate sensor continuously to measure your heart rate in the background, like the Exercise app or the Heart app.
All Apple watch models come equipped with different optical sensors and these sensors are used to measure different things in your body. Like, the Apple Watch Series 6 comes with a blood oxygen level sensor, which is used to measure the blood oxygen level in your body. The LED lights emitted by these sensors are used to illuminate your skin so an accurate reading of what the sensor wants can be obtained.
The newer Apple Watch models, Series 4, 5 and above (excluding the SE), come with an ECG sensor present in the digital crown. The ECG sensor, unlike the optical sensor, does not use the green light to read your heart rate.
This green light can be used for other purposes also, for example, if you cannot find your Apple Watch at night, the green light flashes continuously when you try to find your Apple Watch from your iPhone at night. It does not work all the time in helping you find your watch at night but it can be helpful.
How to turn off Green Light on Apple Watch
As we have mentioned earlier, the green light is emitted by the heart rate sensor to read your heart rate. The only way to turn this green light off, is to disable the heart rate sensor.
We do not find any reason to disable this sensor, but, if for whatever reason, you want to turn it off, follow the steps below:
Disable the Heart Rate Sensor:
- Launch the Watch App on your iPhone.
- Scroll down till you see Privacy.
- Tap on Privacy.
- You will now see an option that says “Heart Rate” with a switch against it.
- Just tap on the switch to disable the heart rate sensor.
Now, the green light will be completely turned off.
If you still see that the green light is on, then there may be an app using it in the background. In this case, just restart your Apple Watch and it will be turned off.
Is the Green Light bad for you?
The answer to this question is simply No, the green light isn’t bad for you. The green lights under your Apple Watch have very low power and won’t burn your skin or cause any harm at all. They are just emitted to illuminate your skin to get a better reading of your heart rate. They also turn off automatically when you’re not using the watch to measure your heart rate actively.
Newer apple watch models now come equipped with an ECG sensor/electrode in the digital crown which can track your heart rate better than the older optical sensors which they still come with.
Why does Green Light always on my Apple Watch?
If the green light on your Apple Watch is always on, it is because an app is using the optical heart rate sensor to measure your heart rate even if you are not aware of this.
To turn it off completely, please follow the steps above and then restart your Apple Watch.
To restart your watch:
- Press and hold the side button until you see the “Power Off” slider.
- Then drag the slider to the right to turn off the Apple Watch.
- Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Your Apple Watch will now be turned back on and the green light should have been completely gone by now.
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We hope this article helps clear your doubts and educated you about the green light on the back of your Apple Watch and turn it off if you want. Feel free to drop a comment in the comments section below if you have any questions. Also, share this article with your friends and family.
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