What Is Theatre Mode On Android Wear And Why Is It Useful?

Android Wear, as well as pretty much any other smart wearable out there, is all about notifications. Staying on top of things is the primary reason for us getting the wearables in the first place, and when we hear that familiar beep, we know that we are needed somewhere.

However, there are times when we want to be left alone and enjoy some notification-free activities, like going to the movies, reading or even meditating.

Luckily, Android Wear 5.0 comes with a handy update that can put an end to the sounds and the light coming from your watches’ screen, giving you the needed minutes to quietly contemplate in complete uninterrupted darkness.

The handy feature is known as Theatre Mode.

How To Turn On Theatre Mode in Android Wear 5.0

Depending on the type of watch you have, Theatre Mode can be enabled in two ways.

You can press the power button twice (if you have one)

If your watch does not feature a power button, pull down from the top of the screen to access Settings>Notifications, swipe to the left and tap on Theatre Mode.

There you have it. With the mode enabled, your watch will not give any sound or light indications of incoming notifications, it won’t light up when you tilt the screen or touch it.

Once you’ve had enough quiet, you can turn off Theatre Mode by double tapping the screen or pressing the power button. In order to turn the screen on for a short time (with Theatre Mode still enabled in the background), give a short press to the power button.

When You Might Use Theatre Mode

As we have mentioned earlier, there may be a number of occasions when you wouldn’t want to be disturbed by notification-related sounds, vibration and light coming from your watch.

During a meeting: unless your boss and colleagues are crazy about wearables, there is little chance that they would appreciate a flashing screen when discussing next year’s sales plan. Switch to Theatre Mode and you will give you and others a chance to focus on the discussion at hand. Pun intended.

Before going to bed: a few blogs back we covered how bright “gadgety” light negatively affects your sleep pattern (Gadgets Messing With Your Sleep? Here’s Why). Keeping it out of the way will let you have a better night’s rest and let you relax without social media updates waking you up in the middle of the night.

Repetitive movements: if, for some reason, you have to perform actions that will be setting off your watch’s screen, it can get annoying. By enabling Theatre Mode, you will be able to wave your hands all you want without taking it as a call to action.

While driving: we all know that keeping eyes on the road is the way to go. Disabling your notifications while you are behind the wheel is a safe and wise decision.

When in contact with water: if your watch comes with a waterproof rating, water should not be an issue for your device’s safety. However, water drops can activate your screen and cause unwanted activity. So, if you prefer not to take off your watch when taking a shower, at least set it to Theatre Mode (unless you want to risk your shower picture being accidentally sent to someone on the contact list).

Whatever your reason is, it’s always good to have the options. Take your time to explore theatre mode on Android 5.0 and report back.