iMessage Issues on Apple Watch

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iMessage Issues on Apple Watch

Trying to get to the bottom of a persistent iMessage issue on Apple Watch and would appreciate some input.

Some background information for context;

I am not permitted to have my iPhone on me while I am working and as such I rely on my Apple Watch (Series 3, Cellular + GPS, WatchOS 5.1.2) to send and receive messages, stream music etc. throughout my day.

The issue;

When I leave my iPhone behind and the Watch switches over to cellular data, it will not send iMessages unless I turn the Apple Watch off and turn it back on again. The issue comes straight back the very next time the Watch leaves bluetooth range of the iPhone.

Naturally I would like to be able to send messages without having to restart my watch after each subsequent time it has disconnected from my iPhone.

Force quitting the Messages app on the watch does not resolve the issue, nor does turning off cellular data and turning cellular data back on. All other cellular functions appear to work as expected - I can receive messages and stream music without issue.

This issue bugged me on the WatchOS 5 Beta when paired with an iPhone X but appeared to resolve itself for some time when WatchOS 5 was properly released and the Watch was paired with my new iPhone XS Max. The issue seemed to return with Watch OS 5.1.2. Re-pairing the watch and setting up as new has not resolved the issue.

This one has me stumped and I'd love some input - cheers!

Apple Watch

Posted on Jan 14, 2019 11:05 PM

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Answer 1

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Jan 16, 2019 3:50 PM in response to Rory Jacobs

Hi Rory Jacobs,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities. I understand you're running into an issue sending iMessages when your Watch switches to cellular data.

When you try sending a message in this scenario, what happens? Do you see an error?

Re-pairing the Apple Watch and setting it up as new was a great idea, and that helps to rule out a number of possible causes. I have a link with some steps that will typically assist with this type of issue: If you can’t send or receive messages on your Apple Watch.

I see a step there that may help you out, unless you've tried this already. On your iPhone, try signing out of iMessage and then back in. To do this, tap Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Then tap your Apple ID and sign out. Then go back to Settings > Messages and turn iMessage off and then back on. Then, sign back in by tapping Settings > Messages > Send & Receive > Use your Apple ID for iMessage.

If this doesn't resolve the issue, I recommend getting in touch directly with Apple to look into this further, particularly since the issue persists after setting the Apple Watch up as new: Contact Apple Support.

Hopefully the information above helps you.

Take care.

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iMessage Issues on Apple Watch

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