If your Mac goes to sleep unexpectedly
Make sure that Energy Saver is set up the way you want: choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Energy Saver. Adjust one or more of the following controls to affect when your Mac goes to sleep. Some of these controls might not be available on your Mac.
- 'Turn display off after' slider
- 'Display sleep' slider
- 'Computer sleep' slider
If a slider is set to 'Never,' sleep is disabled for that feature. - Schedule button
Make sure that you aren't putting your Mac to sleep accidentally:
Aug 02, 2017 Temporarily Disable Sleep On macOS. Install Lungo from the Mac App Store and run it. It runs exclusively in the Menu Bar. Click the app icon and choose how long you want to keep your Mac awake. You can keep it awake indefinitely or you can keep it awake for 10 or 30 minutes, or 1 or 4 hours. My fitbit quit giving me a sleep score and detailed sleep info on October 20. It worked consistently, until it didn't. Did something change? My battery is not low, and my sleep.
- Pressing the power button can put your Mac to sleep.
- Moving your mouse pointer to a hot corner can put your Mac to sleep, depending on your Mission Control settings. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Mission Control. Click the Hot Corners button, then see if any of the corners are set to 'Put Display to Sleep.'
- Using magnets near your Mac notebook can put your Mac to sleep.
If your Mac doesn't go to sleep when you expect
Check your Energy Saver settings as described above, and be aware that your Mac won't automatically go to sleep unless it's inactive:
- The same network activities that can wake your Mac can also keep your Mac from sleeping.
- Any app or other process that's running on your Mac could also be keeping your Mac awake. Check the Energy Saver pane of Activity Monitor to identify apps that need your Mac to be awake. If 'Yes' appears in the Preventing Sleep column for an app, your Mac won't automatically sleep while the app is running. Other apps prevent sleep only when doing certain things, such playing music or video, printing, or downloading files.
If you started from macOS Recovery on a Mac notebook, automatic sleep is disabled as long as the Mac is using AC power.
If your Mac wakes unexpectedly
Your Mac might wake for these activities:
- Network activity that uses the Wake on Demand feature. Examples of network activity include iTunes sharing, photo sharing, printer sharing, file sharing, and using Back to My Mac.*
- Enhanced notifications from FaceTime, Messages, and other apps and services.
- Bluetooth activity. To prevent Bluetooth devices from waking your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth. Click the Advanced Button, then deselect 'Allow Bluetooth devices to wake this computer.'
If you have a MacBook Pro (2016 or later) or MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017), note that these models are designed to start up when you open their lids or connect them to power.
*As of July 1, 2019, Back to My Mac service is no longer available.
If your Mac doesn't wake when you expect
Your Mac might pause a few seconds before it wakes up. If it doesn't seem to wake at all, check for these possibilities:
- Your screen brightness might be turned down.
- If you're using an external display, your display might be turned off.
- Your Mac might be in safe sleep. To wake from safe sleep, press the power button.
- Check for a sleep indicator light, if applicable, and make sure that your Mac isn't turned off.
If the previous steps don't work
These additional steps may help identify or resolve the issue:
- Reset the SMC.
- Reset NVRAM.
- Disconnect external devices other than your Apple keyboard, mouse, and display. If that resolves the issue, gradually reconnect your devices, testing each time, until you find the device that is interfering with sleep. Then check the documentation that came with the device, or contact the device manufacturer.
- Start up in Safe Mode to see if the issue is related to non-Apple startup items, login items, or kernel extensions.
- Try to isolate the issue by using another user account.
If you still see the issue, contact Apple Support.
FaceTime is not available in all countries or regions.
One of the most requested features from Apple for several years has been sleep tracking. Sleep tracking has been possible with third-party apps for a long time now, but the reliability of these apps is known too well, and the lack of integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem makes third-party apps a makeshift solution at best. Couple this with the plethora of health-related features already present on the Apple Watch, and it’s easy to see why Apple fans have been bugging the watchOS team to add sleep tracking.
Fortunately, prayers were answered at WWDC20 when Apple unveiled watchOS 7, the first edition of Apple Watch’s software to come with native sleep tracking.
Contents
- 1 How Sleep Tracking Works In watchOS 7
- 2 What Sleep Tracking On watchOS 7 DOESN’T Do
- 4 FAQs
How Sleep Tracking Works In watchOS 7
The tech that’s gone into watchOS 7’s Sleep Tracking feature doesn’t seem to be all that different from third-party solutions, at least on the surface. Using a combination of movement and breathing tracking, the Apple Watch differentiates sleep and wake states to create a timeline of your sleep each night. You can then view this data in the new Sleep app or the Health app on your iPhone.
App That Didn't Make Mac Os Sleep Free
So, all things considered, it’s a pretty straightforward app. Where it gets Apple-y is, of course, in the integration.
Wind Down in watchOS7
The first thing you’ll notice with Sleep Tracking (once the beta period is over and watchOS 7 is widely available) is Wind Down. Wind Down is Apple’s way of helping you create a bedtime routine, which is one of the most important aspects of a healthy sleep habit.
The way Wind Down does this is by simplifying your Lock Screen, reducing brightness and notifications, reminding you to brush your teeth, suggesting a relaxing podcast or playlist, asking you if you’d like to read or meditate, etc. You can, of course, customize all of these options to your preferences. Wind Down can start as early as three hours before bedtime or as late as fifteen minutes. The goal is just to give you a chance to settle in.
Sleep Tracking in watchOS 7
This is where the meat of the new Sleep app is. After you’ve set your sleep schedule in the Sleep app and have completed your Wind Down routine, your Apple Watch and iPhone will both turn off their displays and turn on Do Not Disturb automatically. Then, all night long, your Apple Watch will use your movements to track your sleep, creating a report that is added to the Health app automatically.
Waking up with Sleep Tracking
If you wake up before your alarm, you have the option to turn your alarm off. Otherwise, you have several new wake-up sounds to choose as your morning alarm.
Once you’ve risen and shined, your iPhone and Apple Watch will display a wake-up screen that just tells you a few simple bits of info, like what time it is, what the temperature is, and your battery level. This way, you don’t have to wake up to emails, missed calls, and unanswered texts. Once you clear your screen, it’s back to work as usual!
You can view stats on your sleep times in the Health and Sleep apps to help you better improve your routine. For now, that’s about all there is to Sleep Tracking in watchOS 7.
What Sleep Tracking On watchOS 7 DOESN’T Do
Now that we’ve covered everything you can do in the new Sleep app on watchOS 7, let’s get into the things you can’t do, because to be honest, there are some sorely desired features missing from the app.
Namely, watchOS 7 only tracks when you’re sleeping, not how well you’re sleeping. Other third-party apps do provide this feature, giving you an idea of your REM rhythm throughout the night. In other words, all it does is help you build a healthy sleep habit – there isn’t a lot of complex data tracking going on.
But, why?
Well, Kevin Lynch, Apple’s VP of Technologies, actually had something to say on this:
In our testing, what we’ve found is that it’s very difficult to understand what’s going on in your brain from a device that’s not reading the electrical signals of your brain. In any of these adventures we go on when building things here we ask, what will make the most difference for people that, from a mainstream perspective, will be easy, helpful, and empowering.
– Kevin Lynch.
– Kevin Lynch.
In other words, Apple realized in their testing that you can’t determine how deeply someone is sleeping by using the accelerometer in their Apple Watch. The data just isn’t there. Which likely means that third-party apps claiming to provide you with data on the depth of your sleep are probably inaccurate.
While disappointing, this does make a lot of sense, especially for Apple. Another well-known Apple exec, Craig Federighi, made a similar point in an interview with Marques Brownlee when asked about the lack of a calculator app on iPad. Essentially, Federighi’s point boiled down to the fact that the iPad has the screen space and potential to provide a groundbreaking calculator app – but the Apple team just hasn’t had the right idea yet, which is why the iPad still doesn’t have a native calculator.
The takeaway is that if Apple isn’t completely confident in its ability to knock a feature or service out of the park, then they’ll simply pass on it. And it’s for this reason that, as of now, the Apple Watch’s sleep tracking features are relatively simple.
Does Sleep Tracking Kill Your Apple Watch Battery?
One of the main concerns Apple Watch users have about the new Sleep Tracking feature is how it’s going to impact their Watch’s battery. A reasonable concern, as having an app in use all night will certainly have some impact on your Watch’s battery when you wake up.
Fortunately, early testing is showing that the impact on the battery is fairly manageable, though not ideal. Many testers have reported losing between 10% and 20% each night that they use sleep tracking. To help with this, your Apple Watch will notify you if your battery is below 30% long before you go to bed so that you can charge it before you go to sleep. But if you’re someone who only charges your Watch while you’re sleeping, then you’ll either have to change your habits or pass on this new feature.
FAQs
What’s new in watchOS 7?
watchOS 7 brings lots of long-requested features to Apple Watch, like Sleep Tracking, cycling directions, Siri translation, an updated Activity app (now called the Fitness app), dance workout tracking, and customized watch faces, as well as some features we didn’t know we wanted, like detecting and timing your hand washing.
How to track my sleep on Apple Watch?
In watchOS 7, you can easily track your sleep in the all-new Sleep app. If you’re using an older version of watchOS, you can track your sleep with your Apple Watch by using a third-party app.
How does sleep tracking work?
Sleep Tracking in watchOS 7 works by using the accelerometer in your Apple Watch to track your movements, differentiating between sleep and awake states. Third-party apps use similar methods, sometimes combining microphone input as well.
What are the best sleep tracking apps on Apple Watch?
For those who don’t yet have watchOS 7 or want features that Apple’s new Sleep app doesn’t have, you can use these sleep tracking alternatives for Apple Watch:
- For simplicity:AutoSleep Tracker
- For a pleasant design:Sleepzy
- For advanced data:Sleep Watch
Can I download watchOS 7 on my Apple Watch?
watchOS 7 is available on the following devices:
- Apple Watch Series 3
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Apple Watch Series 5