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My Apple Watch is not notifying me when a text or call comes into my phone

My watch is paired to my phone, notifications are enabled, but calls or texts on my phone don’t transfer to my watch

Posted on Oct 15, 2017 9:39 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 15, 2017 4:59 PM

Hi


How notifications behave depends on the status of your devices and your settings. With Wrist Detection enabled, in order to bring notifications to your attention as soon as possible:


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


More information:

Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support


Alerts for incoming calls should be delivered to both devices. If they are not being delivered on your Apple Watch as expected, then the following steps may help:

Check for and install any available updates for your iPhone and Apple Watch, starting with your iPhone:


Check that Wrist Detection is turned on and that, if passcode is enabled, you are unlocking your Apple Watch after placing it on your wrist:

  • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Passcode > turn Wrist Detection on.


Check your Phone settings:

  • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Phone.
  • Choose Custom and select your preferred settings under each of Alerts and Ringtone, including checking that the Alert Volume is towards the centre or right hand side.


Check your Messages settings:

  • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > Messages.
  • Choose Custom and check - under Alerts - that Show Alerts, Sound and Haptic are each enabled.


Check that Theatre Mode is not enabled on your Apple Watch:


Check that Do Not Disturb mode is not enabled on your Apple Watch:

  • When viewing the time on your watch, swipe up to open Control Centre.
  • Tap the Do Not Disturb button (crescent moon icon) to toggle the setting on / off.


On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > Sounds & Haptics:

  • Check that the Alert Volume is towards the centre or right hand side.
  • Check that Silent Mode is not enabled.
  • Check that Haptic Strength is set to the middle or far right hand side of the slider.


Confirm directly on your Apple Watch that Silent Mode is not enabled:

  • When viewing the time on your watch: swipe up on the screen to open Control Centre > check whether Silent Mode (button with a crossed out bell icon) is enabled.


Check that your Apple Watch and iPhone are connected:

The following further steps may also help:

Restart both your iPhone and your Apple Watch, turning both devices off together, then restart your iPhone first;


Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch:

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 15, 2017 4:59 PM in response to lswhitega

Hi


How notifications behave depends on the status of your devices and your settings. With Wrist Detection enabled, in order to bring notifications to your attention as soon as possible:


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


More information:

Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support


Alerts for incoming calls should be delivered to both devices. If they are not being delivered on your Apple Watch as expected, then the following steps may help:

Check for and install any available updates for your iPhone and Apple Watch, starting with your iPhone:


Check that Wrist Detection is turned on and that, if passcode is enabled, you are unlocking your Apple Watch after placing it on your wrist:

  • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Passcode > turn Wrist Detection on.


Check your Phone settings:

  • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > Phone.
  • Choose Custom and select your preferred settings under each of Alerts and Ringtone, including checking that the Alert Volume is towards the centre or right hand side.


Check your Messages settings:

  • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > Messages.
  • Choose Custom and check - under Alerts - that Show Alerts, Sound and Haptic are each enabled.


Check that Theatre Mode is not enabled on your Apple Watch:


Check that Do Not Disturb mode is not enabled on your Apple Watch:

  • When viewing the time on your watch, swipe up to open Control Centre.
  • Tap the Do Not Disturb button (crescent moon icon) to toggle the setting on / off.


On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch > Sounds & Haptics:

  • Check that the Alert Volume is towards the centre or right hand side.
  • Check that Silent Mode is not enabled.
  • Check that Haptic Strength is set to the middle or far right hand side of the slider.


Confirm directly on your Apple Watch that Silent Mode is not enabled:

  • When viewing the time on your watch: swipe up on the screen to open Control Centre > check whether Silent Mode (button with a crossed out bell icon) is enabled.


Check that your Apple Watch and iPhone are connected:

The following further steps may also help:

Restart both your iPhone and your Apple Watch, turning both devices off together, then restart your iPhone first;


Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch:

My Apple Watch is not notifying me when a text or call comes into my phone

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