The feature addresses one of the Apple Watch’s long-standing issues. Today, Apple released watchOS 11.4, the next major software upgrade for the Apple Watch. It doesn’t announce any improvements, but it does provide one modest but proper new function – especially for those who wear their Apple Watch while sleeping.
The feature is titled “Break Through Silent Mode.“
Don’t sleep through an alarm.
Most people who wear their Apple Watch to bed use Sleep Focus or Silent Mode. Both options turn off all notifications to avoid waking you up during the night. This includes alarms that vibrate.
To date, this has been a prevalent issue among Apple Watch users. While vibrating alarms work well for some people — and make a lot of sense for those who share a bed — they’re not nearly as effective as an alarm sound, which has led to many people sleeping through their alarms.
Well, the planned Break Through Silent Mode feature addresses this issue. According to the release notes for watchOS 11.4, the option enables an “alarm to break through Silent Mode.” All other notifications will remain silent or provide haptic feedback.
How to turn on Break Through Silent Mode
When your Apple Watch is running watchOS 11.4, you must enable Break Through Silent Mode, which may be done in two ways, both directly on the Apple Watch.
In the Sleep app, tap the alarm icon, then select Sounds & Haptics. Finally, turn on Break Through Silent Mode.
In the Alarms app, choose the alarm, then Change in Sleep > Sounds & Haptics > Break Through Silent Mode.
When’s it coming?
After weeks of public beta testing, Apple launched watchOS 11.4 today. If your Apple Watch does not ask you to update, you can do it manually in the Apple Watch app by navigating to Settings.
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