Usually, your Apple Watch stops getting notifications in some instances. But don’t worry as it’s not a permanent problem.
This issue is generally associated with the connectivity between your Apple Watch and iPhone.
When you have the “Apple Watch not getting notifications” issue, your working schedule and professional tasks might get disturbed. And in this fast-paced world, you can’t afford that.
So, in this guide, we will not only find the solution for this issue but will also understand how the Apple Watch notifications work.
Table of Contents
How Do Apple Watch Notifications Work?
When you pair your iPhone with your Apple Watch and use the phone, you get notifications only on the iPhone and not on the Watch.
Plus, if your Apple Watch is locked or sitting idle, you aren’t supposed to get the incoming notifications on your watch.
So, before taking any technical step, check whether your iPhone’s screen is on or off. That way, you will instantly identify if your Apple Watch has any errors.
Now let’s talk about why you stopped receiving notifications on your Apple Watch.
Why Isn’t Your Apple Watch Alerting You When You Get a Text?
So, what will you do if your iPhone is not in use, but still, the Apple Watch is not getting notifications?
This guide will show you how to fix the Apple Watch not getting notifications issue.
First of all, always make sure that your Apple Watch is not locked. It’s because when it’s locked, you can’t go beyond the lock-screen phase. Thus, you will not have any access to any information, including notifications on your Apple Watch.
Disable Lock & Disturb Mode to Fix Apple Watch
To disable lock or disturb mode on your Apple Watch, enter the passcode or disable it on Apple Watch. After doing that, check for the Do Not Disturb mode. Disable it so that your Apple Watch can show your notifications again.
No doubt, the purpose of this mode is to prevent the notifications from disturbing you.
So, you can disable it by following these steps on your Apple Watch:
- First, open Control Center by swiping up the Apple Watch face.
- Then, check the status of the Moon icon. It represents the Do Not Disturb feature.
- Next, check that the Moon icon is not showing blue or purple color.
Bring iPhone Close to the Apple Watch
Other than that, some applications are installed on your iPhone but not on your Apple Watch. If you are not getting notifications of those apps, it’s because of the distance between your iPhone and the watch.
Therefore, make sure that your iPhone is near the Apple watch to get the notifications again.
You can check if your Apple Watch is showing a “red iPhone” icon. If this happens, it means that your paired iPhone is out of range.
Moreover, make sure that your iPhone is connected to the internet. Without a stable internet connection, your watch is not going to notify you about any notification.
Another fix you can try is by checking the notification settings on your Apple Watch and iPhone. Also, check if your iOS device is up to date.
Fix Apple Watch from Notification Settings
Follow these steps for an alternative method for fixing the issue:
Apple Watch App Settings
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap Notifications.
- Enable “Always Show Short Looks.” This is like a preview of the notification that you receive on your Apple Watch. You will get a snippet of the notifications menu when you enable that option.
- Now at the bottom, set the app notification preferences according to your requirement. Next, go to each application and enable/disable notifications on your Apple Watch.
- Swipe down, and in the last section, there are third-party apps. Enable/Disable them as you like.
Now, these are the apps that are available on both Apple Watch and iPhone. But what about the apps that are only available on your iPhone? As an iPhone user, you would like to see everything on your phone as well as watch.
For that, you have to set the notifications settings of your iPhone.
iPhone Settings
On your iPhone:
- Go to the Custom Settings app.
- Tap Notifications.
- Browse through all the third-party apps and turn on/off notifications as you like.
If you have disabled the notifications for the third-party apps on your iPhone, you are not going to get notifications on your Apple gadget that’s on your wrist.
If the above solutions don’t work for you, let’s check other settings.
Wrist Detection
No doubt, this feature of your Apple Watch is incredibly cool. If it’s working fine, you won’t have any issue at all. However, if the wrist detection is not working okay, you will stop receiving notifications.
Moreover, the wrist detection feature tells the Apple Watch whether it’s on your wrist or not. Thus, if you want to stay on the safe side, turn off the wrist detection by following these steps.
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Go to the My Watch tab and select Passcode.
- Find Wrist Detection and turn it off.
Power Reserve Mode
The Power Reserve mode usually limits the functionality of your Apple Watch. Therefore, make sure you turn that off by following these steps:
- First, go to the Settings app on your watch.
- Next, scroll down and select Battery.
- Finally, check that the Power Reserve mode is turned off in the battery option.
If your Apple Watch screen is only showing you the current time, that means the Power Reserve mode is turned on. Besides, you are not going to receive notifications but time. This feature saves the battery of your watch when it drops below 10%.
How Do I Get My Apple Watch to Notify Me of Text Messages?
Sometimes, your Apple Watch is either on Do Not Disturb or Silent mode. You have already seen how to disable the former.
Now, follow these steps to disable Silent mode:
- Open Control Center on your Apple Watch.
- Check whether the “Bell” notification icon is blank or crossed.
- Remove the cross by tapping the notification icon.
If you are on Silent mode, your Apple Watch will undoubtedly receive text messages. However, you will not receive any alerts regarding any notifications.
Mirror iPhone Alerts
This feature makes your iPhone mirror the notifications on your Apple Watch. That way, you will receive notifications on your iPhone as well as on your Apple Watch.
You can enable this feature from the iPhone notifications settings in the Watch app:
- First, go to the Watch app on your iPhone.
- In the Watch app, select Messages.
- There, check the box “Mirror My iPhone.”
By doing this from the Watch iPhone app, your Apple Watch will start showing you message alerts just like iPhone.
No Contact Names in Incoming Calls
You can fix this issue from your watch’s reset sync data settings.
- Open the Apple Watch app.
- Go to My Watch.
- Go to General.
- Select the Reset menu.
- There, tap Reset Sync Data.
After doing that, your Watch app will sync all the phone numbers with the respective contact names.
This issue occurs when either your Apple Watch or your iPhone doesn’t sync data on the schedule. Once you reset the data settings, you will see the respective contact names on the phone calls.
Conclusion
No doubt, there are times when Apple Watch fails you when you need it the most. However, the fixes mentioned above will help you make your Apple Watch receive notifications alerts again. Also, no matter what, constantly update watches.
If the issue of the notifications persists, contact Apple support right away and make the most of your Apple Watch.
