How do I disable background heart rate sampling on my WearOS watch?

To disable background heart rate sampling on the WearOS app on versions 3.3.0 or above, visit the measurements settings page by swiping right twice after launching the app to the Sampling settings page. At the bottom of this page, there is a toggle to enable or disable sampling labeled "Enabled."

An alternative route to disabling sampling is to open the WearOS app's persistent foreground notification, which has a shortcut to either disable sampling or bring you directly to the settings page.

You can still run workouts or take manual readings by opening the app while background sampling is disabled.