How to Turn Off Theater Mode on Apple Watch?

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What Is Theater Mode on the Apple Watch?

The Theater mode feature stops the Apple Watch screen from turning on when you raise your hand, so it remains dark. The theater mode setting is handy when watching movies, TV, or doing other activities. The feature is crucial, especially if you’re watching a movie or a play in a dark, quiet place with several people.

The theater mode icon is orange with two masks when it’s turned on. This icon appears on the control center on the watch’s screen.

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Why Does My Apple Watch Have Theater Mode?

The Theater mode feature is a simple and quick solution to eliminate audible and visual interruptions that can disrupt special moments, performances, or an important speech.

When the theater mode feature is on, the following actions take place;

• It disables the active screen gesture
• Turns to silent mode
• Set your walkie-talkie to unavailable
• It keeps your watch display dark

Why Can’t You Turn Off Theater Mode on Your Apple Watch?

Turning off the Theater mode feature on your Apple Watch can be challenging if you can’t access the control center. Below are possible reasons why you can’t reach the control center;

• Your Apple Watch’s screen protector is worn out; thus, it’s unresponsive to gestures

• Wet hands hindering proper swiping on the Apple Watch screen

• Greasy Apple watch’s screen prevents it from responding to touch functionality 

• You have gloves on, which makes your fingers quite useless on the touchscreen

• Can’t Turn off theater Mode on Apple Watch

Depending on the hurdles associated with turning off the theater mode, here are ways you can fix an unresponsive control center so that, in turn, you can switch off theater mode.

Switch Apple Watch Faces

Switching Apple’s watch face is a basic fix that can help fix the unresponsive control center. It involves swiping your available watch faces from right to left. The gesture changes the watch theme plus fixes the problem of swiping up and down gestures.

Restart Your Watch

• Long press the side button and hold till you can see the action to turn ‘power off’
• Slide to switch power off
• Power on the watch after a minute

If that doesn’t work, try forcing a restart.

• Together, press and hold the side button and digital crown until you see the Apple logo
• Then switch it on again

Unpair Then Re-Pair Your Apple Watch

• Open Watch app on your iPhone, then tap ‘all watches’
• Click the ‘i’ icon that’s next to the watch you need to unpair and click on ‘unpair Apple Watch.’

• Place your iPhone close to the unpaired watch, and wait for the ‘use your iPhone to set up to this Apple Watch’ prompt. Click continue and use the guides on the screen to re-pair. Choose the most current backup to restore.

Related: How to Reset Apple Watch and Pair It Again? A Step By Step Guide

Update Your Watch

Software updates can sometimes help resolve some problems; Thus, it’s worth trying, as it might work for your control center.

Why Is My Apple Watch Not Letting Me Swipe Up or Down?

Common reasons that cause your Apple Watch to decline swipe up or down include the following. 

• Software updates. For example, you need to install a newer version of software on your Apple Watch

• Your watch screen edges are dirty

• The screen protector is low-quality

• You’re rough when swiping on the screen or your hands are wet or greasy

Does Theater Mode Turn On Automatically?

No, it doesn’t. Theater mode is operated manually. The steps to follow are as follows;

1. Go to your watch face, then slide up from the bottom of your screen to access the control center
2. Scroll down to the bottom of your screen and click the theater mode button (appears as two masks)

1. Tap on the orange icon ‘theater mode button’ and confirm

Once you’ve verified, theater mode ‘on’ will appear on the top screen in the control center. Activated Theater mode will indicate a theater mask at the top corner of the watch face.

Related: How to Change Fitness Goals on iPhone – Step-By-Step

Apple Watch Control Center

Apple Watch control center is the function that allows iOS users to enable and disable features on their watch. The control center gives you access to various connectivity programs like wifi, mute sounds, data connection, etc.

You can run the Apple Watch control center by:

• Swiping up from the bottom of the screen
• If you are in an app, press and hold the lower part of the screen for several seconds and then slide up

To close the control center: 

• Swipe from the top to bottom of the screen or press the cron digital.

Related: How to Find an Apple Watch if Dead? A Step-By-Step Guide

Apple Watch Control Center Icons

There are several icons on the control center. Let’s discuss them and what they do.

• Cellular icon

This icon enables and disables your cellular connection on your Apple Watch using eSIM capability.

• WIFI icon

Clicking this icon toggles WIFI on your Apple Watch.

• Ping iPhone

Ping iPhone icon is used to locate your paired device. Clicking on this icon makes the iPhone beep so you can find it. Also, you can long press this icon, so your iPhone’s screen lights up, making a loud beep and making it easier to locate in the dark.

• Battery percentage

This shows the current percentage of battery on your watch. Clicking this icon also lets the ‘Power Reserve’ option appear.

• Flashlight icon

The icon is for turning on the flashlight on your watch. You can swipe to choose the mode you want.

• Sleep mode icon

The sleep mode icon indicates when it’s your bedtime. This icon turns off  ‘always on Display’ and turns on ‘do not disturb mode.’

• Silent mode icon

This icon is for muting sounds to enter silent mode. The icon moves from a standard bell icon to a crossed-out bell.

• Airplay icon

The Airplay icon allows you to choose the audio output you want with your Apple Watch.

• Personal focus mode icon

This icon appears when you enable it on your watch or any of your devices. It will appear on the control center and the watch face. With this function, you can silence notifications temporarily. You can also allow specific notifications using the personal focus mode icon. 

• Work focus mode icon

It appears when you activate it on your watch or Apple device. It shows up on the control center and watch face. This function helps you choose when you can receive notifications. This way, you can focus on the task at hand. 

• Schooltime icon

When you enable this icon, it appears yellow, and your watch’s functions are limited to minimize distractions. It is mainly for kids and can be set up by parents using the family setup function on iPhone. 

Apple Watch Control Center Not Working

If your control center is not working, you first need to check the settings on your watch. Click on Settings, then move to General. Scroll to the bottom of your screen and ensure the control center is set to ‘On.’

If you have the control center already on, try to restart your Apple Watch.

If it’s still not working after restarting, you should reset it. Do this by clicking on Settings, then General. Scroll down to the bottom and click ‘Reset.’ Then click on ‘Reset All Settings,’ this should confirm.

Control Center on Apple Watch Disappeared

If this happens, you shouldn’t worry. Click and hold the button on your watch face. Wait for the control center to appear, and then slide up. It’s possible to open the control center from any of your screens.

Theater Mode on YouTube

Let’s learn how to enter theater mode on YouTube.

• Hover over the bottom of your video
• Click on the long rectangular box icon
• You’re now in theater mode
• To exit the theater mode, click on the box again

Theater Mode iPhone

It’s possible to set your iPhone to theater mode by,  

• Setting your iPhone to vibrate mode
• Dimming the brightness
• Go to accessibility settings and set your iPhone to change colors when you tap the home button thrice; this changes it from black to white and reduces surrounding light.

Final Thoughts

Theater mode is a feature to praise – Apple has excellently made a feature representing smart technology. The feature can’t automatically turn on or off, but you can disable and enable it manually.

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