Respond to a notification when it arrives. If you hear or feel a notification, raise your wrist to view it. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll to the bottom of the notification, then tap a button there. Or tap the app icon in the notification to open the corresponding app.

Dismiss a notification. Swipe down on the notification, or scroll to the bottom of the notification, then tap Dismiss.

Choose which notifications you get. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications to specify which apps and events generate notifications. Then, open the Apple Watch app on iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Notifications, tap the app (for example, Messages), then tap Mirror my iPhone. Or, to choose different notification settings than those on iPhone, tap Custom instead.

Silence notifications. To silence notifications on Apple Watch, swipe up on the watch face, swipe to the Settings glance, then tap the Silent Mode button. You’ll still feel a tap when a notification arrives. To prevent sound or tap, tap Do Not Disturb.

You can also quickly mute notifications by resting the palm of your hand on the watch display for at least three seconds. You’ll feel a tap to confirm that mute is on. Make sure you turn on Cover to Mute in the Apple Watch app on iPhone—tap My Watch, then go to Sounds & Haptics.

Keep it private. When you raise your wrist to see a notification, you see a quick summary, then full details a few seconds later. For example, when a message arrives, you see who it’s from first, then the message appears. To stop the full notification from appearing unless you tap it, open the Apple Watch app on iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Notifications, then turn on Notification Privacy.