Finally, an Apple Watch feature that I’ve wanted for close to a decade, since I bought the very first Apple Watch Series 0 back in 2015. With the watchOS 11 update, you can now pause activity rings for up to 90 days, and you can define different goals for different days of the week. Because, you know, you’re a human, and not a machine.
Life gets to us all. You have to take a long flight, you sprain your ankle, or you just want a break of instead your Apple Watch nagging you to take “just 30 minutes of brisk walking to close your move ring”. Now, you can finally continue to build a streak, working on your overall health and fitness, instead of pushing yourself needlessly.
How to change and pause your Activity Rings on iPhone
Yes, this is an Apple Watch feature, but it’s easier to set it up on the iPhone, using the Fitness app. On the Apple Watch, you need to jump through many different screens on a tiny display. If you’re not deterred and want to set this up on the Watch itself, I’ll help you out in the section below, but I suggest using your phone if you can.
Open the Fitness app and tap the Activity Rings section at the top. Then, scroll down until you see the Change Goals and Pause Rings buttons.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
To change your goals, tap on Change Goals. Then, tap the Schedule button at the top. Here, you will see all the days of the week listed on a single page, and you can change the goals for each day with ease by using the Minus and Plus buttons. Once you’ve customized the goals, tap the Set Move Goal Schedule button.
This will bring you to the Exercise Goal screen. Here, tap the Schedule button at the top, customize the daily exercise goals, and tap the Set Exercise Goal Schedule button.
Then, one last time, do this for your Stand Goal. Tap the Schedule button from the top, customize the daily stand goal, and tap Set Stand Goal Schedule button. And that’s it. You’ll be back to the Activity Rings screen, with all your customizations activated.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
To pause your Activity Rings, tap the Pause Rings button, then choose to pause your rings for either the day, until next week, or until the next month. You can also tap the Custom button to define exactly when you want to resume Activity Rings (perhaps the day you’re back from your vacation). Once you’re done with your customizations, tap the Set button.
If you wish to resume your Activity Rings early, simply go back to the Activity Rings page and tap the Resume Rings button.
How to change and pause your Activity Rings on Apple Watch
On the Apple Watch, your have to first be running watchOS 11. Then, you’ll need to find this feature in the Activity app, where it’s slightly hidden.
Go to the Activity app or tap the Activity Rings from the watch face. From the first page, tap the Summary icon in the top-left corner of the screen. In the Weekly Summary screen, scroll all the way down. You will see two buttons here, Change Goals and Pause Rings.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Let’s talk about customizing Goals first. Tap the Change Goals button, then tap the Calendar icon in the top-right. Apple Watch will first walk you through the Move goal, then the Exercise goal, and finally the Stand goal.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Choose the Schedule option from the top-right, and choose a day of the week that you want to customize. Change the goal, and tap the Set button. Do this for all the days that you want to customize, and then tap the Set Schedule button. Repeat the process for Exercise and Stand goals and you’re done.
If you would like to pause the Activity Rings for a while, (Apple will let you pause for up to 90 days), tap the Pause Rings button from the Weekly Summary.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
This will bring up a couple of options. You can pause just for Today, until next week, or until the beginning of the next month. If you wish to be precise about it, choose the Custom option, then choose the number of days you wish to pause the rings and tap the Set button.
