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User profile for user: mr48
mr48 Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

Text Message Notifications on iPhone when also using Apple Watch

I have an iPhone 7 Plus and an Apple Watch. I realized today that I have not been getting message notifications (alerts and sounds) on my iPhone when the phone is locked but my watch is unlocked. My watch is almost always unlocked when on my wrist and my iPhone is set to automatically lock after so many minutes, plus I always lock it when done using it and have it just sitting on my desk. This link listed below describes exactly what is happening and I think this is so stupid. Sometimes I have sounds turned off on my watch and I don't know I received a text message because my iPhone is also locked and it doesn't notify me.


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204791


Why would Apple do something like this? When my iPhone is locked and my watch is unlocked I still get phone calls and hear the phone ring on my iPhone, so I would expect message alerts and sounds to work exactly the same way. Apple shouldn't tell me they will only send alerts to the device I'm using and assume I'm not using my phone when it is locked. Most the time it is locked sitting on my desk and if I see a message alert on the phone I would pick it up and look at it. But because Apple doesn't display messages when the phone is locked I tend to miss many messages.


I really wish they would make this an option to display alerts on the phone when the phone is locked and the watch is unlocked.

So to summarize what I've found, here's what I can tell you with regards to how Notifications work if you have both a watch and phone:

iPhone Locked and Apple Watch Locked

You will receive a notification on your iPhone only

iPhone Locked and Apple Watch Unlocked

You will receive a notification on your Apple Watch only

iPhone Unlocked and Apple Watch Locked

You will receive a notification on your iPhone only

iPhone Unlocked and Apple Watch Unlocked

You will receive a notification on your iPhone only

I WANT MY IPHONE AND APPLE WATCH TO MIRROR EACH OTHER AND WHEN A MESSAGE COMES IN I WANT AN ALERT ON BOTH DEVICES!

iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 10.2

Posted on Jan 26, 2017 12:18 PM

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User profile for user: Jonathan UK
Jonathan UK
User level: Level 10
163,853 points

Posted on Jan 26, 2017 12:21 PM

Hi


If you turn off Wrist Detection (on your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > General > Wrist Detection), then all notification alerts will be delivered to both devices.


However, you will then not be able to benefit from features including Apple Pay and a single unlock after placing your watch on your wrist.


With Wrist Detection enabled, how notifications behave depends on the status of your devices (and your other settings). In order to bring notifications to your attention as soon as possible:


  • If your iPhone is unlocked, you will receive notifications on your iPhone instead of on your watch.
  • If your iPhone is locked or asleep and your watch is unlocked (regardless of whether the watch screen is asleep or awake) and on your wrist, you will receive notifications on your watch.
  • If your watch is locked or has Do Not Disturb enabled, notifications will go to your iPhone.


More information:

Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support


If you would to send feedback or suggestions to Apple, you can do so here:


https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

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User profile for user: Jonathan UK
Jonathan UK
User level: Level 10
163,853 points

Jan 26, 2017 12:21 PM in response to mr48

Hi


If you turn off Wrist Detection (on your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > General > Wrist Detection), then all notification alerts will be delivered to both devices.


However, you will then not be able to benefit from features including Apple Pay and a single unlock after placing your watch on your wrist.


With Wrist Detection enabled, how notifications behave depends on the status of your devices (and your other settings). In order to bring notifications to your attention as soon as possible:


  • If your iPhone is unlocked, you will receive notifications on your iPhone instead of on your watch.
  • If your iPhone is locked or asleep and your watch is unlocked (regardless of whether the watch screen is asleep or awake) and on your wrist, you will receive notifications on your watch.
  • If your watch is locked or has Do Not Disturb enabled, notifications will go to your iPhone.


More information:

Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support


If you would to send feedback or suggestions to Apple, you can do so here:


https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

Reply
User profile for user: mr48
mr48 Author
User level: Level 1
20 points

Jan 27, 2017 5:11 AM in response to Jonathan UK

Turning off Wrist Detection is an option but not a good one. In order to get messages on my iPhone when locked, I could have manually locked my Apple Watch by swiping up on the Time screen, but Apple took away that feature away in the latest watch OS. This is yet another sore point for me with Apple's poor decision to remove a feature that should not have been removed. The only way to manually lock your watch now is to remove it from your wrist. I'll be posting another message separately about this for what it's worth.

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Text Message Notifications on iPhone when also using Apple Watch

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