If you’ve recently picked up an Apple Watch, you’re likely eager to start receiving notifications from all your favorite apps right on your wrist. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging services in the world, so not getting your WhatsApp notifications on your Apple Watch can be frustrating.
Don’t worry – in most cases, fixing your missing WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch is an easy process. Here are some of the most common reasons why your Apple Watch isn’t getting WhatsApp notifications and how to troubleshoot them.
Your Apple Watch and iPhone Aren’t Paired
In order to get notifications from any app on your Apple Watch, including WhatsApp, you’ll first need to pair your Apple Watch to your iPhone. The pairing process connects the devices so they can communicate with each other.
Here are the steps to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone:
- Make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 10 or later. This is required to pair with an Apple Watch.
- On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app. This comes pre-installed.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to pair your Apple Watch to your iPhone. You’ll need to hold your Apple Watch close to your iPhone to complete pairing.
- Agree to all prompts on your Apple Watch and iPhone during the pairing process.
- Once pairing is complete, you’ll see your Apple Watch show up as a connected device in the Apple Watch app.
If you run into any trouble during the pairing process, follow the on-screen instructions or check Apple’s support documentation for help. Once your devices are successfully paired, your Apple Watch should start receiving notifications from WhatsApp and other installed apps.
WhatsApp Notifications Aren’t Enabled on Your Apple Watch
Even if your devices are properly paired, you still need to specifically enable notifications from WhatsApp to show up on your Apple Watch. The app’s notifications are not automatically enabled on your Apple Watch just because they are on your iPhone.
Here’s how to enable WhatsApp notifications for Apple Watch:
- On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.
- Tap on Notifications.
- Locate WhatsApp under the Mirror iPhone Alerts From section.
- Toggle on the button next to WhatsApp to enable notifications on your Apple Watch.
Once you enable WhatsApp notifications this way, you should start receiving them on your Apple Watch right away whenever you get new WhatsApp messages or other alerts on your iPhone.
Your Apple Watch’s Notification Settings are Restricted
Even if WhatsApp notifications are enabled specifically for your Apple Watch, you may have general notification settings restricted on your Apple Watch itself that prevent WhatsApp (or other apps) from sending notifications.
On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app and go to Notifications. Check the following settings:
- Notifications Off: Make sure Notifications are toggled ON overall on your Apple Watch. If notifications are turned off completely here, you won’t get any from any apps.
- Do Not Disturb: Disable Do Not Disturb if it is enabled. This blocks notifications.
- WhatsApp Settings: Check the specific WhatsApp notification settings under All Apps and make sure Show in Notification Center is enabled.
Adjust any restricted notification settings for WhatsApp or at the overall watch level to ensure your Apple Watch can receive notifications properly from WhatsApp and other installed apps.
Your iPhone’s Notifications are Disabled or Restricted
Since your Apple Watch mirrors notifications from your iPhone, if notifications are disabled or restricted at the iPhone level this can prevent your Apple Watch from getting them as well.
On your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications and check that notifications are enabled at the global level. Then go into the WhatsApp notification settings specifically and make sure they are enabled and not blocked.
Re-enable or unrestrict notifications here so your Apple Watch can mirror them properly from your iPhone again.
Your Apple Watch’s Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Connection is Disrupted
Your Apple Watch relies on a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to your iPhone to receive mirrored notifications. If that connection is disrupted or disconnected for some reason, your Apple Watch won’t get WhatsApp or other notifications from your iPhone.
If you’ve verified notifications are set up properly on both devices, make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are within close wireless range of each other and that both devices have Wi-Fi/Bluetooth turned on. Restarting both devices can help reconnect them more quickly.
You can also open the Watch app on your iPhone and check the connection status – it should show your Apple Watch having a strong and active connection to be able to receive notifications. Move the devices closer together or toggle Wi-Fi/Bluetooth off and on to try re-establishing a stable connection.
Older Incompatible Versions of watchOS or WhatsApp
For full Apple Watch notification support, you’ll need to be running the latest updates of watchOS on your Apple Watch and have the newest version of WhatsApp installed on your iPhone.
Older versions of the watchOS or WhatsApp app may not support all notification functions properly between devices. To fix, update your Apple Watch’s system software and the WhatsApp app on your iPhone to the newest available versions.
Restart Your iPhone and Apple Watch
As with many tech bugs, sometimes simply restarting your devices can help resolve issues with notifications not coming through properly on your Apple Watch from WhatsApp or other apps.
Power down your iPhone and Apple Watch completely, wait 30 seconds, then power them back on. Once both devices have restarted, check if your WhatsApp notifications now come through when receiving new messages.
Uninstall/Reinstall the WhatsApp App
If notifications are still not coming through, the last resort is to uninstall and reinstall the WhatsApp app on your iPhone. This will clear out any corrupted cached data that could be preventing notifications from working properly.
To do this:
- On your iPhone, hold down on the WhatsApp icon until the icons start to wiggle.
- Tap the X icon on the WhatsApp app to uninstall it.
- Go to the App Store and redownload the latest version of the WhatsApp app.
- Once it’s reinstalled, restart your iPhone and check for WhatsApp notifications on your Apple Watch again.
Contact WhatsApp Support
If you still can’t get WhatsApp notifications working on your Apple Watch after trying all troubleshooting steps, it’s time to reach out to the developers for help.
In WhatsApp, go to Settings > Help > Contact Us. Explain the notification issue with your Apple Watch and include details on the troubleshooting you’ve tried.
The WhatsApp team may be able to provide specialized troubleshooting tips or identify a bug causing the notifications to fail. Keep an eye out for any WhatsApp app updates that could contain a fix.
Conclusion
With these troubleshooting tips, you should be able to resolve most common reasons for missing WhatsApp notifications on your Apple Watch. The key steps include:
- Ensuring your Apple Watch is properly paired to your iPhone
- Checking notification settings on both devices
- Making sure Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connections are strong
- Updating to the latest software versions
- Restarting your iPhone and Apple Watch
- Reinstalling the WhatsApp app
- Contacting WhatsApp support if needed
Stick with it and you’ll likely be able to get your Apple Watch lighting up with new WhatsApp alerts in no time. Enjoy having your messaging notifications right on your wrist!