Apple Watch Series 8 Not Getting Notifications? 10 Fixes!

A core part of the Apple Watch experience is interacting with notifications on your wrist. However, sometimes, these notifications can suddenly stop filtering through. In this article, I’ll explain why you’re not receiving notifications on your Apple Watch Series 8 and show you how to fix the problem for good!

Important Things You Need to Know About How Notifications Work on Apple Watch Series 8

Notifications appear on your Apple Watch or iPhone, but not both.

If your iPhone is unlocked, you get notifications on your iPhone instead of your Apple Watch.

If your iPhone is locked or asleep, you get notifications on your Apple Watch, unless your Apple Watch is locked.

Some apps, such as the Noise app, are only on your Apple Watch. Notifications for these apps don’t appear on your iPhone.

The red notification icon appears at the top of your watch face when you have unread notifications. You can check all of your notifications from the Notification Center. Simply, swipe down from the top of the screen to access the Notification Center. Then, you can either use the Digital Crown or your finger to scroll through your notifications.

Ways to Fix ‘Apple Watch Series 8 Not Getting Notifications’ Issue

If you’re not getting notifications on your Apple Watch Series 8, try these ten fixes — from configuring notifications to resetting your Watch.

1. Ensure That You Have Perfectly Customized Your Apple Watch Notifications

The first thing you should do if your Apple Watch Series 8 is not getting notifications is to ensure that notifications have been ideally customized on your Watch. Maybe you had accidentally messed up the notification setting on your wearable device and forgot to revert that later.

1. Head over to the Watch app on your iPhone -> My Watch tab at the bottom left corner of the screen-> Notifications.
2. Next, select an app and then customize the notifications depending on your needs.

Bear in mind that not all apps have the same notification options. If you wish to use the same notification settings on your iPhone and Apple Watch, tap Mirror my iPhone.

There are four ways you can customize notifications on your watchOS device:

• Allow Notifications: Select it to allow notifications to appear in the Notification Center and also let your Apple Watch alert you about the latest notifications.
• Send to Notification Center: Choose it to send notifications directly to the Notification Center without your Apple Watch alerting you.
• Notifications Off: Disable the notifications.
• Group Notifications: You can group notifications depending on your needs. To do so, tap Notification grouping (Watch app -> Notifications) and then choose Off, Automatically, or By app.

2. Check Your Connection

If you’re not receiving notifications on your Apple Watch Series 8, there is a chance that it’s because the watch has lost its connection with the iPhone. Please make sure that your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone.

1. On your Apple Watch, swipe up on the watch face to bring up the control center.
2. If your devices are disconnected, a red “X” icon, red iPhone icon, or Wi-Fi icon will appear at the top. These icons may also show at the top of the watch face.
3. When your Apple Watch is connected to the iPhone, a green iPhone icon shows up at the top in the control center.

Note:

To fix the connection issue, ensure that your Apple Watch and iPhone are in range. Besides, make sure that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled on your iPhone (Settings app -> Wi-Fi/Bluetooth).
Also, ensure Airplane Mode is off on your Apple Watch and iPhone. You can switch it off by opening the Control Center on your device and tapping on the airplane icon.

3. Make Sure You Have Allowed Apps to Send Notifications

Receiving notifications for some apps but not others? Head to the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Notifications, scroll down to an app that isn’t sending notifications, and tap it. Here, select Show Alerts, and the app should now send notifications to your wrist.

4. Turn OFF/ON Bluetooth on Your iPhone and Apple Watch

At times, turning off/on the Bluetooth on both the devices can help you resolve many common watchOS issues. Thus, do give this nifty trick a chance to troubleshoot the notification problem on the watch.

• On your Apple Watch, go to the Settings app -> Bluetooth and then turn off the switch.
• On your paired iPhone, open the Settings app -> Bluetooth and then turn off the toggle.

Now, restart both your devices. Once they have rebooted, go back to the same settings and then turn on Bluetooth on your iPhone and Apple Watch.

5. Make Sure Do Not Disturb Mode isn’t switched on

When do not disturb mode is activated, the Apple Watch Series 8 will not send notifications. You should see a tiny crescent moon on the watch face when the DND is active. To check if the mode is on:
Check if the crescent moon icon is present on your watch face.
If it is, swipe up on the watch face and tap the Do Not Disturb button. It’s also a crescent moon icon.

6. Force Restart/Hard Reset Your Apple Watch

If notifications still do not show up on your Apple Watch Series 8, hard reset your smartwatch. It has fixed so many miscellaneous watchOS issues. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to count on this troubleshooter to resolve this problem as well.

Press and hold the Side button and the Digital Crown simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
Once your Apple Watch has restarted, wait for sometime to check if notifications have started to arrive.

7. Update Apps on Your Apple Watch

If you don’t get notifications from certain apps on your Apple Watch, ensure that those apps are updated.

1. Launch the App Store on your Apple Watch -> Scroll down to the bottom and choose Account.
2. Tap Account in App Store
3. After that, tap Update. Now, you can either update one app at a time or hit Update All to update all apps at one go.

8. Delete the Problematic Apps and Reinstall Them

If you still can’t get notifications from certain apps on your watchOS device, delete and reinstall those problematic apps.

1. Press the Digital Crown to access the home screen on your Apple Watch. If the home screen is in the grid view, touch and hold an app icon. Next, tap Edit App in the menu to enter the jiggle mode.
2. After that, hit the “X” button at the top of the app you want to remove and hit Delete App.

If your home screen is in the List View, swipe left on the app and then hit the red delete button.

9. Update Your Apple Watch

More often than not, watchOS software updates come with performance enhancements and several bug fixes. If notifications continue to misbehave on your Apple Watch, updating the software would be a wise move.

Update watchOS from Apple Watch

1. To get started, place your Apple Watch on its charger and ensure that the watch is charging.
2. Next, go to the Settings app on your Apple Watch and choose General.
3. After that, tap Software Update and then download and install the latest version of watchOS.

Update Apple Watch Using iPhone

1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and select General.
2. Next, tap Software Update and then wait for some time until your device has checked for the update.
3. Once it shows the available update, download and install the latest iteration of watchOS as usual.

10. Last Resort: Erase Your Apple Watch and Re-Pair It With Your iPhone

If your Apple Watch still can’t get notifications, erase the watch and re-pair it with your iPhone. Known as the last resort, it often fixes persistant watchOS issues. Thanks to the automatic backup, you won’t lose any data. So, don’t worry about that.

Erase Your Apple Watch

1. Navigate to the Settings app on your Apple Watch and tap General. After that, scroll down to the bottom and tap Reset.
2. Then, tap Erase All Content and Settings and confirm.

Erase Your Apple Watch Using iPhone

1. Head over to the Watch app on your iPhone and choose General. Next, scroll down to the bottom and tap Reset.
2. Next, tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings and confirm.

After you have successfully erased your Apple Watch, open the Watch app on your iPhone and then follow the prompts to re-pair both the devices.

See also: Apple Watch Series 8 Not Getting Text Messages? 13 Fixes!

Fixed Apple Watch Series 8 not getting Notifications Problem

So, that wraps up this detailed troubleshooting guide about fixing Apple Watch Series 8 not receiving notifications issue. Hopefully, the notifications are back on track on your Apple Watch Series 8. Apple Watch Series 8 is faced with several annoying issues including the rapid battery drain problem, the inability to install apps and charge the Apple Watch. Let me know your experience of using Apple Watch Series 8 and whether or not the above fixes have worked for you..