How to sync notification sounds on Apple Watch and iPhone?

You can't get notifications on both. It's not how notifications are designed to work. If your iPhone screen is on, notifications come to your iPhone. If your iPhone screen is locked, notifications come to your Apple Watch. They do NOT come to both as that is how Apple engineered it to work.

Read this link about notifications --> Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

PVHunter wrote:

Amazing that with all the features that it does that dual notifications is not an option.

The Apple Watch was released almost 10 years ago. This has never been a feature. In fact, Apple made a big deal in the original announcement about how the watch was designed to help minimize interruptions. This is why it's important to do your due diligence before buying something as expensive as an Apple Watch.

You can let Apple know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Centurion71 wrote:

I realized a few days ago that if you keep Apple Watch locked ( by not entering the passcode when it’s on your wrist) then sound notifications will go to your IPhone. they will also vibrate on your wrist.

if you unlock rhe watch, you will only receive vibration notifications on your watch, silence on the phone.

That is how Apple designed it to work, to avoid duplicate notifications.

Bcarr2022 wrote:

I'm just adding my voice to everyone that has already spoken up. I just switched from Samsung to iPhone after 30 years and the lack of this one features is absolutely awful. I've missed SO many notifications, including important texts. I guess I'll just turn the sound up and change the haptic for now until they resolve this. Apple - please fix this. Give people the option. It's important.

You aren't writing anyone from Apple here on this user to user only forum. Since Apple Watch first launched, notifications have been handled this way and now nearly 10 years later, it doesn't seem Apple believes this is an issue. I get that you do, but I certainly don't. I don't want my phone and watch to ring at the same time. And people around me, particularly in the office don't either.

But you are more than welcome to let Apple know your thoughts by providing feedback here as no one from Apple will see your comment on this forum --> Feedback - Watch - Apple

I realized a few days ago that if you keep Apple Watch locked ( by not entering the passcode when it’s on your wrist) then sound notifications will go to your IPhone. they will also vibrate on your wrist.

if you unlock rhe watch, you will only receive vibration notifications on your watch, silence on the phone.

LeslieMA80 wrote:

Why do we have to pay an extra fee for an Apple Watch per month? If I can’t receive notifications on both it and my cell phone?

So you can make and receive phone calls, even if your iPhone isn't with you or isn't turned on. So you can connect to the internet even if your iPhone isn't with you or isn't turned on. That's what you're paying for. Notifications are still available on both devices, they just don't notify you on both devices at the same time.

If you don't like this, tell Apple here --> Feedback - Watch - Apple

Totally agree with this comment. I'm astonished by the lack of this option, that's completely unacceptable that it is impossible to choose where the notification are ringing !

Since I have an Apple watch I miss a lot of important notifications in my daily life because my iphone is not ringing anymore on incoming notifications.

I can't understand that it is not possible to choose "receive notification on Iphone, on iWatch or BOTH !".

I know that there is an option which allows to have the notifications again on the iphone but it disable a lot of important watch features ! That's not an acceptable answer.

This is not an acceptable solution.

Turning off wrist detection affects these Apple Watch features:

• When you use Apple Pay on your Apple Watch, you’ll be prompted to enter your passcode when you double-click the side button to authorize the payment.
• Some Activity measurements are unavailable.
• Heart rate tracking and notifications are turned off.
• Apple Watch will no longer automatically lock and unlock.
• Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 and later wonʼt automatically make an emergency call even after it has detected a hard impact fall.

In other word if you want notifications on your iphone, it transforms your Apple Watch into a cheap wristband but with a ridiculous battery life.

I also read the article about "Where notifications appear" : About notifications - Apple Support

This is just crazy in term of ergonomics! You need to write an article for people understanding how the logic work ! And even knowing how it work, you'll never be sure of where the notification will come !

(Sorry for the doublon, I can't delete posts).

You can get notifications on both devices by disabling wrist detection, but you'll lose some features like hear rate detection.

Kind regards,

/alex

"Engineered" is a pretty pretentious way to put it. It's a design choice and nothing more, and an absurd one at that. If that's the way someone wants it to work, then that's fine, but don't force literally everyone else to be stuck with idiotic design choices like this one. Users should have the OPTION to configure which devices they want to receive alerts on - including audible alerts - and whether they occur on just one or both devices. Absolutely NO reason this can't be the case other than Apple thinking it knows better than it's poor little customer base.

mc_goo wrote:

In order to get notifications on my iPhone, I separated my Apple Watch from my main iPhone and configured it to work on an older iPhone that I keep in a drawer. I agree with Bill_Kelly that the programming choice made by Apple is not the way I would like to iPhone and watch to work together so needed to "re-engineer" Apple's options to partially work for me and have augmented the health data gathering with an Oura Ring.

I'll check back from time to time to see if the Apple integration changes to better meet my requirements.

Given that Apple made a big deal, in the initial release of the Watch, about how it would allow people to get fewer notifications and get them more discreetly on the Watch, I think that things are working exactly the way Apple envisioned and they've shown no sign of changing.

But, you can let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

TheSchmurtz wrote:

Totally agree with this comment. I'm astonished by the lack of this option, that's completely unacceptable that it is impossible to choose where the notification are ringing !

Since I have an Apple watch I miss a lot of important notifications in my daily life because my iphone is not ringing anymore on incoming notifications.

I can't understand that it is not possible to choose "receive notification on Iphone, on iWatch or BOTH !".

Tell Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

you are absolutely right. this is how it was designed. I am old & although I knew notifications would handoff only to the watch when unlocked, I didn’t realize that you could lock the watch & receive sound notifications on the phone, vibration on watch.

I will also say that I never receive a sound notification on the watch from messages. I do receive a sound from IMessages through Facebook. it’s easy to miss a notification that is vibrate only, especially during the night. I now choose to keep the Apple Watch locked & let sound notifications go to the phone or IPad.

I accidentally found a work-around. If you put your watch on your wrist but don't unlock it, then you'll get a buzz on your watch and the phone will also give an audible tone. You have to make sure your watch is set so that it won't automatically unlock when you unlock your phone, though.

brian109 wrote:

And this is exactly what I was experiencing — the watch and phone do not notify. My watch tends to remain off my wrist because this.

I would open the Settings App on your iPhone. Then Notifications. Make sure you have configured notifications for every app as you'd like on your iPhone (sounds, banners, etc.). Then open the Watch App on your iPhone and tap Notifications at the top. Make sure you have configured Notifications for your Apple watch as you'd like (often choosing Mirror your iPhone). Then in Sounds and Haptics, choose the way you'd like to be notified on your Apple Watch. I choose Haptics and Prominent, then turn the volume up accordingly.

Alwaysahassel wrote:

I don’t get text sounds on my phone only on my watch and I pad

That is how it is designed to work. I f you are wearing your watch you will only get one alert, on your watch, unless the iPhone is unlocked.