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The Apple Watch is the ultimate extension of the iPhone. The Apple Watch’s home screen goes far beyond just letting you know what time it is. Whatever the clock face you choose, they will offer the possibility to discretely inform the users that a message has been received on the phone and is available to look at.
The red dot that appears on the top of the Apple Watch is designed just for that. But as a complex piece of technology, the Apple Watch can be a bit temperamental sometimes. So much so that you may even think it may be broken and tempted to send it back to the closed Apple Store. Wait a minute! Most of the time, if the Apple Watch messages are not syncing, this is often just because of a misconfiguration.
This article will guide you through the easy fixes that will hopefully bring back your Apple Watch to its full potential and make it worth its price.
Why Is the Apple Watch Not Syncing the iPhone Messages?
There are plenty of reasons why the Apple Watch messages are not syncing with the iPhone. Remember, the Apple Watch and iPhone also need to be in communication range for the data to communicate with each other. The Bluetooth maximum distance is no more than 30 feet and is also very sensitive to obstacles such as walls or persons.
Always make sure that the Do Not Disturb modes are not enabled. The Airplane mode is designed to stop the Apple Watch from emitting or receiving any signals. So if you travel a lot, always ensure that the airplane mode is deactivated once you reach your destination. A quick check at the Apple Watch control center will save you a lot of frustration. You have to trust me on this.
Once you make sure that your device’s Bluetooth is activated or that your iPhone and Apple Watch share the same local network, if the messages are still not showing up, it is time to dig a bit deeper into the settings.
Is the Apple Watch Mirroring the iPhone?
One key element to mirror the messages is to activate the iPhone mirroring feature in the Apple Watch companion app. Open the Watch app on the iPhone, tap “messages,” and check that “Mirror my iPhone” is selected.
The Custom tab allows for fine-tuning the message notification. From there, it becomes possible to emit a sound or a vibration when a message is received on the iPhone. I understand that it may be tempting to customize some settings, but my advice is that in doubt, selecting “Mirror my iPhone” is the safest and most reliable option to choose.
Check the iMessage Settings?
Make sure that iMessage is activated on your iPhone by navigating to Settings > Messages. After that, select Send & Receive, and check to see that you are logged in with the identical Apple ID associated with your Apple Watch. You can use your Apple ID to sign in to iMessage if you aren’t already signed in.
5 Tips to fix Apple Watch messages Syncing issues?
Restart your iPhone and Apple Watch
It may sound cliché, but turning things off and back on again is the solution to many of the frequent issues with electronics.
It is also the case with Apple products, such as the iPhone and the Apple Watch. Turn off the watch and then turn it back on if the messages are not in sync with one other.
You can reset the watch by holding the side button until a slide shows that allows you to turn off the power to the watch. This will allow you to restart the watch.
The watch can be turned off by sliding it to the right, and it can be turned back on by holding down the side button until the Apple logo appears.
Holding down the lock button on the side of the iPhone until a toggle slide appears that allows you to power the phone off is the way to turn it off. After the phone has been turned off, it can be turned back on by pressing and holding the button on the side of the device.
Reset the Network Settings
The Apple Watch Series will sync data based on the assumption that they communicate through Bluetooth or share the same network. A frequent issue when not using Bluetooth is linked to the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
The VPNs will ensure complete privacy when browsing the Internet but will also change the IP address. It may then become possible that the Apple Watch and the iPhone will not be considered to share the same network, even if this is the case.
I recommend you check the Bluetooth and local Network settings and then consider disconnecting the VPN.
Check for Updates on both the iPhone and the Apple Watch
Updates to the operating system include all of the most recent fixes for problematic issues that have been reported to and resolved by the developers of iOS and watchOS.
Problems with syncing messages between the watch and the phone are one example of this issue. You will need to check both the phone and the watch to see if there are any available software updates before you can install them on either device.
If an update is required, you will be able to get it from the section labeled “Software Update,” located under the General tab of the iPhone’s Settings.
After ensuring that all of the phone’s software is up to date, launch the Watch app, go to the My Watch tab, tap on the “General“, and then look for a notification that indicates an update is available.
Because installing updates can be draining to the battery, it is essential to ensure that the device has a sufficient charge. At least, 50% of the battery is usually recommended to be on the safe side. Don’t worry too much, though. If the battery is sufficiently charged, the update will not install
Unpair and Repair the Apple Watch
Before reaching out to Apple Support, it is highly recommended that you try this approach as a final ditch effort. If nothing works and your Apple Watch still refuses to display incoming message notifications, beginning the process of unpairing and repairing may be the solution. But here again, proceed with caution and only in last resort.
Contact the Apple Support Community
I trust that if you followed the steps described in this article, the problem would be solved. However, if, despite all of your efforts, the iPhone messages still do not synchronize with the Apple Watch, the last course of action is to contact Apple support.
