SOLVED: WhatsApp notification won’t vibrate Apple Watch

So I was having issues with my Apple Watch (SE). I would notice the notification dot on my watch, and scroll the notifications to find WhatsApp messages, but the watch didn’t vibrate when the message came in. Google searches gave me nothing other that “make sure you’re not on Do Not Disturb” and other useless info. But after a few tests, I figured it out.

The main issue is that the WhatsApp notification settings (both on the phone and in the Watch app) don’t have a “vibrate” option like other apps such as Messages. So the instinct is to have that sound turned off. However, in order to get WhatsApp to buzz the vibration on your watch, you need to have the sound notification turned on in the app settings, and then flip the phone switch to silent mode so that the phone doesn’t beep when the notification comes in.

When doing this, the phone stays quiet, while having the app sound on triggers the notification vibration in your watch!

HOWEVER… the watch also beeps as it vibrates, so now I need to figure out how to stop that watch beep part. I’m hopeful that hitting the bell icon on the watch will silence the ding while still vibrating. TBD.

Update: hitting the bell icon in the watch control centre (so that it shows red and struck through) will stop the watch from beeping, but it will still vibrate when a new message comes in. ISSUE SOLVED.