7 Ways to Fix an Apple Watch Not Getting Notifications | A Detailed Guide

Your Apple Watch is your go-to companion. This little device on your wrist solves so many problems in our daily lives. With its compact size, it becomes easy to use and carry. Thanks to the Apple Watch, you don’t have to unlock your phone again and again to perform every other task. However, what if you stop receiving notifications on your watch? It will be a disaster. So let me tell you how to fix an Apple Watch not getting notifications.

The Apple Watch is a great example of how you can be efficient and in style. There are times when you cannot check your phone again and again, so why not sync it with your watch and get all the notifications there. Checking your notifications on your watch instead of your phone will save you time, that you didn’t know you could save!

It is true that we spend a lot of time scrolling through our phones and checking our notifications. This becomes a problem when you have to do some work with concentration. Getting notifications on your watch can solve this problem. However, if your Apple Watch is not receiving notifications, it can be a problem. In this article, I will tell you how to fix an Apple Watch not getting notifications.

How to Fix an Apple Watch Not Getting Notifications?

Your Apple watch carries a whole world inside it. From browsing the internet on your watch to installing apps, you can do so much from a small screen. However, it can get frustrating when you are not receiving the notifications on your watch. Here are some ways you can fix an Apple Watch not getting notifications.

1. Enable the Notifications

Yes, I know this sounds very basic!  However, there is a possibility that you might not have enabled the Apple Watch notifications. Check if you have enabled Apple Watch notification. If not, follow these steps to fix an Apple Watch not getting notifications:

1. Click on the Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on Notifications.
3. For the built-in apps, make sure Allow Notification is enabled.
4. For other apps, make sure Mirror my iPhone is ticked.

5. For third-party apps, Turn on the toggle for Mirror iPhone Alerts From.

2. Check the Connection between your Apple Watch and iPhone

There is a possibility that you might not be getting notifications because your iPhone and Apple Watch are not connected. Check if your devices are connected. For this, go to the control center of your Apple Watch by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Here if you see a green iPhone icon, your devices are connected. 

If you see a red iPhone icon, Wi-Fi icon, or a red cross icon, your devices are not connected. Now, to fix an Apple Watch not getting notifications, you need to connect the device by following these steps:

1. Click on the Watch App on your iPhone.
2. Click on Start Pairing.
3. Tap on Pair Apple Watch Manually.
4. Click on the ‘i’ icon on your watch to see the device name on your phone.
5. On your iPhone, select the name of your Apple Watch.
6. You will get a code on your watch.
7. Enter the six-digit code on your iPhone.

3. Check If Apple Watch is Unlocked

You cannot get notifications on a locked Apple Watch. This is one thing that many people don’t know about Apple Watch notifications. If you see a tiny lock icon on your watch that means your Apple Watch is locked with a passcode. So automatically, the notifications are sent to the paired iPhone.

To receive the notifications on Apple Watch, you need to enter your passcode on the watch. However, you will not get notifications on both your devices. So, if your iPhone is unlocked, the notifications will appear on it only.

4. Disable Do Not Disturb 

Do Not Disturb Mode comes as a savior when you want to focus on something. It helps to reduce the distractions by not showing the notifications. So there is a possibility, that you might have enabled the Do Not Disturb mode and forgot to disable it. Thus, another thing you can do to fix an Apple Watch not getting notifications is to disable Do Not Disturb. 

Here is how you can do it:

1. Go to Control Center on the Apple Watch Screen.
2. You will see a moon icon.
3. If, the moon icon is purple, Do Not Disturb is enabled.
4. Turn off the moon icon.

5. Make Sure Your WatchOS and iOS are Updated

One of the reasons for not getting notifications on an Apple Watch is that its system is not updated. Yes! It is that simple. All electronic devices need to be updated to perform smoothly. So, does your Apple Watch. Check if your watchOS is updated. 

To update your WatchOS, follow these steps:

1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Click on general.
3. Click on Download and install.

Note: If you see Install Now instead of Download and Install, don’t worry! It means that the update has already been downloaded. All you need to do is Tap on Install Now and follow along.

To update your iOS, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Click on General.
3. Tap on Software Update.
4. If you see a new update, Download and Install it.

After updating both your devices, restart them. 

6. Restart your Apple Watch and iPhone

How many times have you heard the advice “Try turning it off and on again”. Trust me, it works! This has to be the simplest solution that can be offered to fix not getting notifications on Apple Watch. 

Turn off your Apple Watch and your iPhone. Now, restart them both and connect them. Check if the notifications are on and you are good to go!

You can restart your Apple Watch by following these steps:

1. Press and hold the digital crown and side button at the same time.
2. Hold for 10 seconds.
3. Release the buttons when you see the Apple logo.

7. Contact Apple Support

If all the above suggestions don’t work, you can contact Apple Support. They will provide you with personalized help to fix notifications on your Apple Watch. Now, you can try all the above methods and I am sure they will help. However, this is your last resort if nothing works.

Wrapping Up

In this article, I have told you how to fix an apple watch not getting notifications. There are 7 ways in which you can fix the notifications of your Apple Watch. These solutions will be very helpful and I hope your Apple Watch has started receiving notifications. 

If you have more  Apple Watch related queries, you can contact us in the comments below.

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