iPhone notifications not appearing on iMac, option sometimes missing from System Settings

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Level 1

52 points

iPhone notifications not appearing on iMac, option sometimes missing from System Settings

After setting up a new iMac, the Notifications section in System Settings did not show the option to Allow notifications from iPhone.

When I type "phone" in the System Settings search bar, the option does appear in the results, and I can turn on iPhone notifications for the iMac's Notification Center. "Allow notifications from iPhone" is then listed among the options for the Notification Center in System Settings and I receive phone notifications on the desktop.

However, as soon as I close System Settings it seems to turn off again. When I reopen System Settings, the iPhone notifications option is again missing from the Notification section, and if I find it by again searching "phone" in the System Settings search bar, "Allow notifications from iPhone" is again off.

Both the iMac (M4) and iPhone (16 Pro) are updated to the latest OS (15.5 and 18.5) and both are signed in to the same iCloud account and on the same wifi network.

Posted on Jul 15, 2025 8:46 AM

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Answer 1

ddrogin Author

Level 1

52 points

Jul 16, 2025 6:18 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

The iPhone notifications on a Mac are supposed to work even when the phone is not being mirrored on that Mac. The Mac's System Settings should show the option to turn on and off "iPhone notifications on this Mac" even while the phone is not being mirrored. And, if that notifications setting is on, all notifications from the phone should appear on the Mac, even if the Mac does not have the app receiving the phone notification.

For instance, on my other Macs that work correctly, if I get a notification on my phone from the Uber app, that notification also appears in the Notification Center on my Mac. And, on my other Macs, even while the phone is not being mirrored, I always see the option to turn on/off iPhone notifications in the Mac's System Settings. Also, as stated on the Apple support page: "After using the iPhone Mirroring app to connect to your iPhone, your Mac automatically receives notifications from your iPhone, even when iPhone Mirroring is not in use."

The problem is that this function is not working properly on the newly set-up iMac. After hours on the phone with Apple Support, the proposed solution was to erase the iMac, set it up as new without migrating anything from Time Machine/another computer, see if the notifications work properly then, and then migrate only files and apps but not preferences and settings, which would be redone from scratch. This is a hugely time-consuming and frustrating process for something that should have worked correctly after initial set-up. The alternative (and likely) solution will be that I have a new computer that does not have all the functionality it should, even if the issue in question is relatively minor.

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Answer 2

Jul 16, 2025 8:19 AM in response to ddrogin

Do you have a VPN installed on your Mac?
Do you have your Firewall turned on at  > System Settings > Network > Firewall?
Does the same thing happen when starting your Mac in Safe Mode?

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

And just for my information, since it is not documented and I don't have multiple Macs to test, do the iPhone Notifications with the iPhone icon appear on BOTH of your other Macs at the same time?

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Answer 3

Jul 15, 2025 9:11 AM in response to ddrogin

The setting to "Allow Notifications from iPhone" on your Mac is only useful when using iPhone Mirroring.

Manage iPhone notifications on Mac - Apple Support

When the iPhone is not being mirrored, the option will not appear at  > System Settings > Notifications. Searching for it in Settings will bring up any possible option, but changing the setting will have no effect, since the iPhone is not being mirrored. In my opinion, I don't think searching in Settings should bring up options that are not available, but that is not the case. You can send Feedback to Apple here if you wish.

Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 4

ddrogin Author

Level 1

52 points

Jul 15, 2025 11:41 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

On my other computers—a MacBook Air and a Mac mini—I get iPhone notifications on the Mac even when I am not mirroring the iPhone. I assumed the same would be possible on the iMac running the same OS. But, I see the issue may be that I have not yet set up mirroring on the iMac, and that's required in order to permanently enable phone notifications.

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Answer 5

Jul 15, 2025 12:33 PM in response to ddrogin

The iPhone Mirroring is a new feature just released in Mac OS Sequoia and the Setting you referred to is for using that feature.

I suspect that is different than the Notifications you are expecting on your Mac. I also have both a Mac and iPhone signed into the same Apple Account and there are some Notifications that will appear on both devices, such as Apple Card payments and Reminders and some that are device specific and only show on either the Mac or iPhone.

It may help to know which app you are looking to get a Notification for on your Mac and make sure that your Mac has Notifications allowed for that app at  > System Settings > Notifications.

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Answer 6

Jul 16, 2025 7:45 AM in response to ddrogin

It was not clear to me if your other Macs had previously set up iPhone Mirroring where you would see the “Allow notifications from iPhone” since the only Macs that would see it are ones that use the Silicon processor with Mac OS Sequoia. You stated that you have not set up iPhone Mirroring on your new Mac and that is why you do not see it in your Settings. You are correct that notifications will still appear on your Mac when not mirroring, but it still needs to be set up first. After it is set up, your will see the Allow Notification from iPhone in your Mac Settings, and if you Revoke Access to iPhone Mirroring, then that option will disappear from your Mac Settings.

Revoke Access to [name of your iPhone]: Reset the iPhone Mirroring setup for this iPhone and remove “Allow notifications from iPhone” from Notifications settings on your Mac. To mirror your iPhone and receive its notifications again, set up iPhone mirroring.

iPhone Mirroring: Use your iPhone from your Mac - Apple Support

These Notifications appear with the iPhone icon to notify you that they came from the iPhone and you can tap on them to open the app on your Mac.

Sorry, it was not clear to me that these are the Notifications you were looking for, since you said you had not set up iPhone Mirroring. I also have an older Intel Mac not capable of iPhone Mirroring and as indicated in my post, some Notifications will appear on both devices, such as Reminders or Apple Card Payments that are using the same Apple Account, but they are not actually the iPhone notifications being sent to the Mac. If Messages is turned on, I will also see the same Notifications for that app on both devices, but the iPhone Message notifications do not appear on that Intel Mac with Messages turned off.

So to get the “Allow notifications from iPhone” setting on your Mac, have you set up iPhone Mirroring on your new Mac?
I don't have 2 Silicon Macs to test if a single iPhone can send Notifications to both Macs at the same time, without having to revoke access on one of them. It does state that "iPhone Mirroring can be used with only one Mac and one iPhone at a time", and if you have 2 iPhones, then you have to choose which one you want the Mac to use for the Notifications.

I honestly don't think you are going to need to reset your Mac and set it up as new. There are other troubleshooting steps that you can take without having to jump to that solution. It helps knowing that you are looking for the Notification on your Mac that appear with the iPhone icon, and not the independent notifications that appear on both devices due to using the same Apple Account and the same apps on both devices to deliver the notification.

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Answer 7

ddrogin Author

Level 1

52 points

Jul 16, 2025 8:11 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

At first, I thought the problem was that I had not yet set up iPhone Mirroring on the new iMac. But, even after doing so—and even after just now revoking access to iPhone Mirroring and setting it up again—the problem still persists: "Allow notifications from iPhone" does not appear in the Mac's System Settings; if I search in System Settings for "phone" then find and turn on "Allow notifications from iPhone," that setting disappears and reverts to off when I reopen System Settings. Additionally, as I just tested it, the "Allow notifications from iPhone" option does not appear in the Mac's System Settings even while I am actively mirroring the phone.

Additionally, I have only one phone, and other Macs (where iPhone notifications work seamlessly) are in sleep mode or shut down while having this issue.

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Answer 8

ddrogin Author

Level 1

52 points

Jul 16, 2025 8:52 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

There is no VPN installed.

The Firewall is not turned on.

The same thing happens after starting the Mac in Safe Mode, including while mirroring the phone.

On the other Macs where the iPhone notifications do work, I have only used them independently; one is asleep/shut down if the other is in use. So I have not seen whether a notification with iPhone icon would appear simultaneously on both.

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