Apple Watch not firing critical alerts properly.

This has been asked so many times already and still no proper solution. Instead we are offered to turn off the app in Watch app notifications to get them only on iphone. Which is dumb. Why then i need apple watch?

Our case: We are living in Ukraine. We have war now and russia - the terrorist state is bombing us every night. We have an app which fires an alarm when air raid alert is there and new bombs are heading to our homes. When i sleep wearing my watch on my wrist, it will give me very unnoticeable notification and i won’t hear it! And i won’t hear that bombs are coming! Hey Apple guys, please put some attention to this issue and please do not propose turning off app notification in Watch app. It doesn’t make any sense! There are many people with similar issues where their lives are in danger and only thing uou can propose, is to turn off notification in Watch app. You are Apple! Not huawei or xiaomi!

Apple Watch Series 8, watchOS 9

Posted on Jun 2, 2023 1:42 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 2, 2023 2:11 PM

The watch has a very, very small speaker. It is simply not capable of creating an alert as loud as the one from your phone. If this is a critical issue, stop wearing the watch to bed. Or, you can try leaving the watch locked. Before you go to bed, remove the watch from your wrist. Put it back on. Do not enter the unlock code. As long as it stays locked, the notifications will sound on your phone, not the watch.

15 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 2, 2023 2:11 PM in response to Izykov

The watch has a very, very small speaker. It is simply not capable of creating an alert as loud as the one from your phone. If this is a critical issue, stop wearing the watch to bed. Or, you can try leaving the watch locked. Before you go to bed, remove the watch from your wrist. Put it back on. Do not enter the unlock code. As long as it stays locked, the notifications will sound on your phone, not the watch.

Jun 2, 2023 2:50 PM in response to Izykov

I'm sorry for what you must be confronted with on a daily basis. But no one here is defending Apple or being critical of them either. We are ALL users on this user to user only forum. The speaker in the watch is very small and as such is only capable of making sounds to a certain level. There is nothing anyone here can do to effect any change there. IdrisSeabright offered some good advice however. If the advice offered doesn't meet with your expectations, you need to direct your thoughts to Apple, which you haven't done here. She even provided a link for you to use.


Please stay safe and know I keep you and your country in my thoughts and prayers.

Jun 2, 2023 11:29 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Thank you for your insights guys. We know the facts about the speaker size very well. But this is not about the speaker size. This issue can be and has to be fixed with software. More haptics, more sound. For example haptic notification about need to charge your watch before going to bed is much more harsh and noticeable than the critical alert. Feels like electric chair. You as users should know this. Thank you for the prayers and all the military help! Glory to Ukraine!

Jun 3, 2023 7:05 AM in response to Izykov

There is only so much air a speaker can move and that is TOTALLY depending on its size. Your suggestion that software can make a tiny speaker louder kind of goes against physics.


That said, we don't work for Apple. We have nothing to do with designing the software or hardware in Apple Watch. And since you think Apple should be doing something about this, you should let them know what you think they should do. And you do that by using the link, which was provided to you.

Jun 3, 2023 8:51 AM in response to 9Eager1Learner1

I understand and even told the OP I pray for their safety every day. And I do. But when a user asks for something which just isn't possible based on the size of the speaker, which is down to the physics of sound, telling other users on a user to user only forum, won't help them. They suggest Apple could fix this with software. Not likely. But they are most welcome to share their thoughts with Apple via the link provided above.


Ps: The suggestion to not be signed into the watch and to rely on their iPhone to alert them to the sirens, makes the most sense, given their dire circumstances.

Jun 2, 2023 2:31 PM in response to Izykov

Izykov wrote:

It all sounds like you are defending Apple on purpose:) and you can’t experience the issue yourself, so please try to reproduce it first.

I'm telling you that there is currently no way to make the alerts louder. That is a simple statement of fact. All I can do is offer suggestions on things you might do to manage the situation.


If you want to complain, address it to Apple:


Product Feedback - Apple


Jun 2, 2023 2:33 PM in response to Izykov

I get confused on if the support on Apple is for a solution or to incur more issues.

I don’t live in Ukraine, but I do depend on my Apple products- my iPhone 14 max pro, and my Apple Watch to keep me in the know in regards to safety. I am very eager to pin point exactly what I need to do with my devices to keep my life at peace. I am not in the midst of a War as the previous user shared, and I hope their devices keep them safe.

Mar 26, 2024 8:07 PM in response to Izykov

Mine isnt nearly as urgent as yours, but I have noticed that it periodically will stop sending critical alerts to remind me to take my medication at certain times. The phone will send the alert, but usually the watch will then follow if I don’t respond within a few seconds. It is stopped doing it after this last update and nothing was changed other than the update itself. So I don’t know how to fix it.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Apple Watch not firing critical alerts properly.

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.