Red Dot on an Apple Watch – Means & How to Remove It

Introduction Red Dot on an Apple Watch

If you doubt what the little red dot on an apple watch means at the top of the watch face on an Apple Watch, this is an indicator that you have unread notifications. Read on if you’d like to know how to get rid of it either temporarily or for good.

I’ve only owned an Red Dot Apple Watch for about a month, but it’s already shown to be helpful. Notifications, fitness tracking (which I never use, but the Apple Watch makes being active a lot more enjoyable), making and receiving calls—all it’s there. I’m using WhatsApp on my Apple Watch right now. However, other parts of watchOS 6, like specific symbols and iconography, might be unpleasant. Consider the tiny red dot at the screen’s top.

What Is the Red Dot on My Apple Watch?

The term red dot on Apple Watch refers to an alert indicator which displays on the Apple Watch when you have notifications on your iPhone. Although the dot is quite small, it will attract your eyes. You will notice the dot if you look at the Apple Watch from a distance. The red colour appears to be alert signal. The does not automatically imply that.

What the Red Dot Means

The red dot indicates that you have unread notifications on your Apple Watch. These notifications may include:

• Incoming messages (iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS)

• Missed calls

• App alerts (Instagram, Gmail, reminders, etc.)

• System notifications

Apple designed this feature to alert you subtly without disturbing you with constant vibrations or sounds.

How to Get Clear of The Red Dot on your Apple Watch

• The red dot on my wristwatch doesn’t disturb me at all.
• However, in watch OS 6, there is an easy solution to remove the red dot from your way once and for all.
• This is precisely what you need to do.
• Select ‘Notifications’ from the ‘Watch’ app on your iPhone.
• Toggle the ‘Notifications Indicator’ toggle to the off position.

Why the Red Dot?

The red dot is the Apple Watch’s equivalent of the iPhone’s badge notifications. It works well when you get a few notifications, but that isn’t the case for some people. If you get more notifications, the red dot remains on the watch face constantly. If disabling Apple Watch notifications isn’t an option, you could consider hiding the  dot, which is what we’ll do below.

Red Dot Won’t Go Away? Advanced Apple Watch Notification Fixes

Using the Notification Center from a Variety of Locations

Since we’re on the subject of notifications and how to manage them better, you might interest to know that you could only access the Notification Center when on the watch face in watchOS 5. Still, you can now access it from anywhere in watchOS 6.

While using a watch app, like WatchChat, swipe down from the top of the watch face to open the notification centre. By tapping/holding the top edge of your screen, your finger will feel a handle. Lower your Apple Watch to view the notifications center. Isn’t it exciting? By the way, the Control Center will includ in this, so you can access it from within applications if required.

Keep Clutter off your Watch Face

If you think the red dot on your Apple Watch is cluttering up your watch face unnecessary in a row, you can turn it off now that you know what it symbolizes. So, will bother  the  dot that occasionally displays on your Apple Watch screen, or do you want to wear it like me?

Oh, and did you hear that if you hold the phone’s button for a long time? Since I had never realized just that until I stumbled upon it by playing Dare the Monkey, a game from much earlier history that is nevertheless one of my all-time favorite Apple Watch games.

Now that you discern what the dot on your Apple Watch means, you may turn it off if you think it’s cluttering up your watch face with unneeded information. So, are you upset by the  dot that appears on your Apple Watch screen now and then, or do you prefer to have it on like me? Also, did you know that you can reach the notification center and control center by pressing the button on your phone for a long time? Because I didn’t know, and I just found out by mistake while playing Dare the Monkey, one of my all-time favorite Apple Watch games.

In What Way to Hide The Red Dot On Apple Watch

• Raise your wrist to rouse up the Apple Watch screen.
• Push the digital crown to the side of the watch.
• Select the Settings app from the app list or grid.
• Touch Notifications.
• Turn off the switch next to the notification light.
• Press the Digital Crown again to exit setup.

How Notifications Work On Apple Watch

Ordinarily, they would appear on your Apple Watch if the iPhone is locked or asleep: notifications for SMS or texts, activity reminders and the like. That way, your Apple Watch would buzz when you get these message alerts. You can also bring up a snippet of the warnings on the Apple Watch face by raising your wrist. Tapping a notification takes you to the app window so you can read the full message.

What Is The Red Dot On My Apple Watch?

The red dot on your Apple Watch is a simple reminder or status icon indicating unread messages or notifications for you to check at your convenience. More precisely, the dot shows up on the watch face when there’s a new entry in your Apple Watch’s Notification Center and will remain until you view the notifications.

Red dot on an apple watch series 7

Status Icons and Symbols on Apple Watch

Apple Watch uses small colored dots and symbols at the top of the watch face to quickly tell you what’s happening in the background. These icons are called status indicators. Below is a clear and detailed explanation of the green, blue, and red dots, including special cases like charging.

Green Dot on Apple Watch

What does the green dot mean?

The green dot appears when your Apple Watch is actively using the microphone or speaker.

Common situations when you see the green dot:

• You are on a phone call
• Using Siri
• Voice recording apps are active
• Walkie-Talkie feature is turned on
• Dictation is being used

Why is this important?

The green dot is a privacy indicator. It lets you know that audio is being used so nothing records without your knowledge.

Can you turn off the green dot?

No. It is built-in for privacy reasons and cannot be disabled.

Blue Dot on Apple Watch

What does the blue dot mean?

The blue dot indicates that an app is currently running or recently used in the background.

When does it usually appear?

• After opening an app
• When navigation apps are active
• During workouts
• Music or podcast apps running

Where do you see it?

• At the top center of the watch face
• Next to the app name when you swipe down Control Center

Is the blue dot a problem?

✅ No. It simply shows activity and disappears when the app closes.

Red Dot on Apple Watch While Charging

Does the red dot change meaning while charging?

No. The red dot still only means unread notifications, even when charging.

What else you might see while charging:

• Charging symbol
• Battery percentage
• Red lightning icon (low battery)

Important:

• A red lightning bolt means low battery, not notifications
• A red dot always means unread notifications

How to Automate Your Apple Watch Notifications (Beyond the Red Dot)

Instead of manually clearing notifications, you can automate and control them intelligently:Use Focus Modes (Best Automation)

Set different notification behaviors for different times:

• Work Focus – Only work apps allowed

• Sleep Focus – No notifications at all

• Personal Focus – Only calls from favorites

📍 Settings → Focus → Customize Allowed Notifications

Disable Notification Mirroring from iPhone

Many alerts appear because your watch mirrors your iPhone.

Fix:
Watch App → Notifications → Turn OFF "Mirror iPhone Alerts" for selected apps.

Use Notification Summary (Smart Batching)

Instead of real-time alerts:

• Enable Scheduled Summary

• Get notifications only at set times

📍 iPhone Settings → Notifications → Scheduled Summary

Turn Off Red Dot Completely (Optional)

If you want a clean watch face:

📍 Watch App → Notifications → Toggle OFF “Notification Indicator”

You’ll still receive notifications—just no red dot.

Automation via Shortcuts (Advanced Users)

You can create Shortcuts automations to:

• Silence notifications at night

• Auto-enable Focus Mode at work

• Disable alerts during workouts

How to Turn Off the Red Dot on Apple Watch

If you don’t like seeing the red dot:

1. Open the Watch app on iPhone
2. Tap Notifications
3. Turn off Notification Indicator

This will stop the red dot but notifications will still arrive.