Your watch is probably silenced, disconnected from your phone, or set to a focus mode that blocks alerts

Apple Watch notifications fail for three main reasons: the watch itself is in silent mode, it has lost its connection to your iPhone, or you have turned on a focus mode (like Do Not Disturb or Sleep Focus) that blocks incoming alerts. Most of the time, the fix takes less than a minute. The rest of this guide walks you through each one in order, starting with the easiest to check.

Before you start troubleshooting, know that your watch stores notifications even when it is not receiving them — so if you fix the problem, you will see the alerts that arrived while your watch was disconnected or silenced. Nothing is lost.

Key Takeaways

  • Silent mode on your Apple Watch mutes all notifications — swipe up from the bottom of the watch face and look for a bell icon with a line through it.
  • Your watch must stay within Bluetooth range of your iPhone (usually 30 to 40 feet) to receive notifications when not on Wi-Fi.
  • Focus modes like Do Not Disturb, Sleep Focus, and Workout block notifications even when your watch is connected and not silenced.
  • Restarting your watch and re-pairing it with your iPhone fixes most connection problems that settings alone cannot solve.
  • Some apps send notifications only to your phone by default — you must turn on notifications for each app in the Watch app on your iPhone.

Check if your watch is in silent mode

Silent mode on your Apple Watch blocks all notifications and alerts. To see if it is on, swipe up from the bottom of your watch face to open Control Center. Look for a bell icon with a line through it. If you see it, tap it once to turn silent mode off.

Silent mode is straightforward to turn on by accident — you might have swiped up while adjusting something else, or it could have been triggered by a gesture. Once you turn it off, notifications should start coming through again within a few seconds. The bell icon will no longer have a line through it.

Verify your watch is connected to your iPhone

Your Apple Watch needs a Bluetooth connection to your iPhone to receive notifications when you are not on Wi-Fi. If your watch has drifted out of range or the connection has dropped, it will not receive alerts. To check the connection, open Control Center on your watch (swipe up from the bottom) and look at the top left. You should see a Bluetooth icon. If it has a line through it, your watch is not connected.

Move your iPhone and watch closer together — within 30 to 40 feet — and wait 10 to 15 seconds for them to reconnect. The Bluetooth icon should stop showing a line. If it does not reconnect after a minute, restart your watch. Press and hold the side button until you see the power-off slider, then slide it to turn off the watch. Wait 10 seconds, then press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears.

If your watch is on Wi-Fi, it can receive notifications even without a Bluetooth connection to your phone. Check Control Center again — if you see a Wi-Fi icon, your watch is online. In that case, a missing Bluetooth connection is not the problem, and your watch should be receiving alerts normally.

Turn off focus modes that block notifications

Focus modes on your Apple Watch — Do Not Disturb, Sleep Focus, Workout, and any custom focus you have created — block all incoming notifications. To see which focus is active, swipe up from the bottom of your watch face. If you see a focus mode name at the top of Control Center, tap it and then tap the focus name again to turn it off.

Sleep Focus turns on automatically when you go to bed if you have sleep tracking enabled. Do Not Disturb can turn on if you have set a schedule. Workout Focus activates when you start a workout. If one of these is blocking your notifications, you can turn it off in the moment, or you can adjust when it turns on by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, going to Focus, and changing the schedule or settings for that focus mode.

Check notification settings for individual apps

Even if your watch is connected and not silenced, some apps do not send notifications to your watch by default. You have to turn on notifications for each app separately in the Watch app on your iPhone. Open the Watch app, scroll down to Notifications, tap the app you want to hear from, and make sure the toggle next to "Mirror iPhone Alerts" or "Custom Notifications" is turned on.

Some apps — like Mail, Messages, and Calendar — are set to mirror your iPhone notifications by default, so you should see them on your watch if they are turned on in your iPhone settings. Other apps, like banking or fitness apps, may not send watch notifications at all unless you turn them on in the Watch app. If you are not seeing notifications from a specific app, check both the Watch app settings and your iPhone's main Settings app under Notifications for that app.

Re-pair your watch if the connection keeps dropping

If your watch keeps losing its connection to your iPhone even when they are close together, or if restarting does not fix the problem, you may need to unpair and re-pair them. This erases everything on your watch, so back it up first by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, going to General, and tapping About. Write down your watch serial number in case you need it.

To unpair, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to the My Watch tab, tap the watch at the top, tap the info icon, and select "Unpair Apple Watch." Follow the prompts. Then put your watch on the charger, hold it near your iPhone, and open the Watch app again. Tap "Set Up a New Apple Watch" and follow the steps to pair them again. This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes. Once pairing is complete, your notifications should come through normally.

Check your iPhone's notification settings

Your Apple Watch can only show notifications that your iPhone is set to send. If notifications are turned off for an app on your iPhone, your watch will not receive them either. Open Settings on your iPhone, go to Notifications, and find the app you are not seeing on your watch. Make sure "Allow Notifications" is turned on. Also check that the app is not set to "Deliver Quietly" — that setting sends notifications to Notification Center but does not alert you on your watch or phone.

If you have turned on Focus modes on your iPhone itself, those can also block notifications from reaching your watch. Check your iPhone's Control Center (swipe down from the top right) to see if a focus mode is active there. If one is, tap it and turn it off, or adjust its settings so it does not silence the apps you want to hear from.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I get notifications on my iPhone but not my Apple Watch?

Your watch may not have notifications turned on for that specific app. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Notifications, find the app, and turn on "Mirror iPhone Alerts." If that is already on, check that the app is not set to "Deliver Quietly" in your iPhone's main Notifications settings.

Can my Apple Watch get notifications without being connected to my iPhone?

Yes, if your watch is on Wi-Fi. When your watch is connected to Wi-Fi, it can receive notifications even if your iPhone is not nearby. Check Control Center on your watch — if you see a Wi-Fi icon, your watch is online. Without Wi-Fi, your watch needs a Bluetooth connection to your iPhone within 30 to 40 feet.

What does the bell with a line through it mean on my Apple Watch?

That is silent mode. Your watch is muted and will not alert you to notifications, though they will still arrive and show in Notification Center. Tap the icon in Control Center to turn silent mode off and start receiving alerts again.

How do I know if my Apple Watch is actually connected to my iPhone?

Open Control Center on your watch by swiping up from the bottom. Look at the top left corner. A Bluetooth icon without a line means you are connected. A Bluetooth icon with a line means you are not connected. A Wi-Fi icon means your watch is on Wi-Fi and can receive notifications without Bluetooth.

Do I have to re-pair my watch every time it loses connection?

No. If your watch disconnects and reconnects on its own, you do not need to re-pair. Move your iPhone and watch closer together and wait 10 to 15 seconds. If the connection keeps dropping repeatedly, restart your watch first. Re-pairing is only necessary if restarting does not solve the problem.