Your smartwatch knows more about you than almost any other device. It tracks your location throughout the day, monitors your heart rate and sleep patterns, stores your payment information, and displays your private messages. This intimate data access makes smartwatch security critically important—yet often overlooked.

This guide covers essential security settings and privacy practices to protect your personal data while still enjoying your smartwatch's features.

Why Smartwatch Security Matters

Consider what your smartwatch can access:

  • Health data: Heart rate, sleep patterns, workout history, potentially ECG recordings
  • Location history: Where you go, when, and how often
  • Communications: Text messages, emails, call history
  • Financial information: Payment cards for contactless payments
  • Personal schedules: Calendar events, reminders, appointments
  • Home control: Smart home access if configured

A compromised smartwatch or careless data practices can expose this sensitive information. Taking security seriously protects not just your privacy but potentially your safety and finances.

Essential Security Settings

Enable a Screen Lock

The most fundamental protection is preventing unauthorized access to your watch:

  • PIN code: A 4-6 digit code required when removing the watch or after a period of inactivity
  • Wrist detection: Automatically locks the watch when removed from your wrist
  • Pattern lock: Available on some watches as an alternative to PIN

Wrist detection combined with a PIN is the recommended configuration. The watch stays unlocked while worn but requires authentication when removed, preventing someone who steals your watch from accessing your data.

Apple Watch Specific

Apple Watch can unlock automatically when you unlock your iPhone if they're close together. This is convenient but means iPhone security is crucial—if someone accesses your iPhone, they access your Watch too. Consider whether this convenience is worth the linked security.

Review App Permissions

Apps on your smartwatch may request access to data they don't truly need:

  • Check which apps have access to location, health data, and notifications
  • Remove permissions from apps that don't need them for core functionality
  • Periodically audit installed apps and remove unused ones
  • Be skeptical of third-party watch faces that request extensive permissions

Secure Your Payment Information

If you use Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Pay, or Garmin Pay:

  • Enable authentication for every payment (some watches allow skipping for small amounts)
  • Ensure wrist detection is active—payments should require the watch to be worn
  • Know how to remotely disable payment cards if your watch is lost
  • Review transaction history regularly for unauthorized charges

Privacy Considerations

Location Data

Your watch likely tracks your location continuously if GPS is enabled. Consider:

  • Disable GPS when not needed: Turn off location services except during activities that require them
  • Review location history: Periodically check what location data is stored and clear if unnecessary
  • Understand cloud sync: Location data often syncs to manufacturer cloud services
  • Check privacy zones: Some apps allow you to hide your home location from activity maps

Public Activity Sharing

If you share workouts on Strava, Garmin Connect, or similar platforms, be aware that your route maps can reveal where you live, work, and exercise. Use privacy zones to hide start/end points near your home, and consider making activities private or visible only to friends.

Health Data Privacy

Health information is particularly sensitive:

  • Understand data retention: How long does the manufacturer keep your health data? Can you delete it?
  • Review sharing settings: Who can see your health metrics? Check app sharing and leaderboard privacy.
  • Consider health apps carefully: Third-party health apps may have weaker privacy practices than the watch manufacturer.
  • Export and delete: If switching platforms, export your data and delete from the old service.

Notification Privacy

Message previews on your watch can be seen by anyone nearby:

  • Disable notification previews so content requires unlocking the watch
  • Use "Do Not Disturb" in sensitive situations
  • Consider which apps really need watch notifications—fewer is often better
  • Disable notifications for sensitive apps (banking, medical, etc.)

Key Takeaway: Privacy Checklist

  • Enable screen lock and wrist detection
  • Review and limit app permissions
  • Use privacy zones for activity tracking
  • Disable notification previews
  • Understand where your data is stored and who can access it

If Your Watch Is Lost or Stolen

Immediate Actions

  1. Use Find My Device: Apple, Google, and Samsung all offer device location services. Try to locate your watch immediately.
  2. Enable Lost Mode: This locks the watch and optionally displays a contact message.
  3. Disable payment cards: Remove your cards from Apple Pay/Google Wallet remotely through your phone or web browser.
  4. Remote wipe: If you can't recover the watch, perform a remote wipe to erase all data.

After Recovery or Replacement

  • Change passwords for any accounts accessible through the watch
  • Review connected services and revoke access if the watch was compromised
  • Monitor bank and credit card statements for unauthorized transactions
  • Set up the replacement watch with fresh security settings

Software and Update Security

Keep Software Updated

Software updates often include security patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities:

  • Enable automatic updates when possible
  • Don't ignore update notifications
  • Ensure your phone's companion app is also updated
  • Be aware that older watches may stop receiving security updates

App Security

  • Only install apps from official sources (App Store, Google Play, manufacturer stores)
  • Research apps before installing—check reviews and developer reputation
  • Be particularly cautious with third-party watch faces that request unusual permissions
  • Remove apps you no longer use

Bluetooth Security

Your watch communicates with your phone via Bluetooth, which has its own security considerations:

  • Keep Bluetooth updated: Modern Bluetooth versions have stronger security. Ensure both watch and phone run current software.
  • Disable when not needed: Though inconvenient, turning off Bluetooth prevents certain attack vectors.
  • Be cautious with pairing: Only pair your watch with your own devices in secure locations.
  • Unpair before selling: Fully unpair and factory reset before selling or giving away your watch.

Company-Specific Privacy Considerations

Apple Watch

Apple emphasises privacy, processing much health data on-device. However, iCloud backups include health data unless you specifically exclude it. Enable Advanced Data Protection for end-to-end encryption of iCloud health data.

Google/Wear OS

Google's business model involves data collection. Review your Google Activity Controls to understand and limit what's stored. Health data from Fitbit (now Google-owned) has its own privacy settings in the Fitbit app.

Samsung

Samsung Health data is stored on Samsung servers. Review Samsung Health privacy settings and your Samsung account privacy controls. Galaxy Watch can use Google services, adding another layer of data handling to understand.

Garmin

Garmin suffered a major ransomware attack in 2020, highlighting that even fitness companies can be targets. Review Garmin Connect privacy settings and consider what data you sync to their cloud versus keep locally.

Read Privacy Policies

It's tedious, but privacy policies reveal what data companies collect, how long they keep it, and who they share it with. When choosing a smartwatch ecosystem, privacy practices should be part of your decision—not just features and price.

Final Thoughts

Perfect security is impossible, but reasonable precautions dramatically reduce your risk. The most important steps—enabling screen locks, managing permissions, and understanding what data you're sharing—take only minutes to implement.

Your smartwatch is a powerful tool, and with that power comes responsibility for the data it collects. Treat your watch's data with the same care you'd give your phone or computer, and you'll enjoy its benefits without unnecessarily exposing your personal information.