If you're lost, injured, or in another emergency situation and want to make your location known, you can use the Apple Watch Ultra's 86-decibel siren. I'll show you how to control it below.
The siren uses a unique sound signature with two different alternating patterns that can repeat for several hours. The first pattern indicates an emergency call while the second mimics the generally accepted SOS pattern. The siren can be heard up to 180 meters away. The Apple Watch Ultra siren is quite loud, so it is not necessarily recommended to activate it in enclosed spaces.
How to turn on the siren on the Apple Watch Ultra
You can turn on the siren with the action button or the side button.
With the action button
- Press and hold the Action button until the siren slider appears.
- Drag the siren slider to start a countdown.
- After the countdown, the siren is switched on.
You can also press and hold the Action button to start the countdown and then keep holding the Action button until the siren goes off. If you don't want the siren to be triggered by this constant hold, go to Settings -> Action Button and turn the switch next to Hold to Turn On.
Using the Side Button
- Press and hold the side button until the siren slider appears.
- Drag the siren slider to start a countdown.
- After the countdown has expired, the siren is activated.
How to turn off the siren on the Apple Watch Ultra
You can cancel the siren during the countdown. If you hold down the action button, just release it to cancel the countdown. If you started the countdown by dragging the siren slider, cover your watch screen with your palm for at least three seconds to cancel it. To cancel the siren while it's sounding, just tap the central stop button in the Siren app.
How to deactivate the siren function
If you are worried that you might accidentally trigger the siren by long-pressing the action button, you can of course deactivate this function. Follow these steps:
- Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch Ultra.
- Tap the action button.
- Scroll down and under “Siren,” turn off the switch next to “Hold until turned on.”
Once you've done that, holding down the action button will no longer activate the siren. You can still activate the siren using the action button. But from now on you'll have to hold down the button and then swipe the siren slider, which makes it much harder to accidentally trigger the alarm. Looking for new accessories? Then take a look in our Amazon Storefront - there you will find numerous products from leading providers, also for HomeKit and Co.! (Image: Apple)
