Notifications

I’m not receiving notifications on my Smartwatch. How do I fix this?

The Wear OS by Google app must be running on your phone at all times to ensure a connection with the watch. Closing the app disconnects the watch from your phone, and prevents notifications from coming through. Make sure the app is open on your phone any time you are wearing your smartwatch.

• A Connected message will appear in the app.
• If a Disconnected message appears in the app, swipe up from your watch face and tap the refresh circle on the Reconnect card.

Make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is on and your smartwatch is synced to your device. Check your phone’s software version in the settings to make sure it is compatible with your smartwatch. If your phone software is out of date, update to properly sync devices. Make sure your watch’s software is up-to-date.

• Swipe down from the top of your watch screen.
• Tap Settings, then tap System at the bottom of the menu.

Tap About, then tap System updates. If your system is not up-to-date, it will prompt you to download the latest software build at this time. iPhone users: Go to your phone's settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down to Messages, then scroll down to Options. When you tap Show Previews, either choose Always or When Unlocked. If Never is selected, your iPhone won't push the messages to a paired device.

How do I use Theatre mode?

You can use theatre mode to temporarily turn off your watch’s screen. This prevents any vibrations or visual notifications from coming through.

• Swipe down from the top of your screen.
• Tap the watch icon to enable theatre mode.
• Press the middle button to turn screen back on.

How do I use Do Not Disturb mode?

Do Not Disturb mode removes vibration alerts, but notification cards will still appear.

• Swipe down from the top of your screen.
• Android: Tap the circle with a strikethrough icon to enable.
• iOS: Tap the half-moon icon to enable.
• Tap the icon again to disable Do Not Disturb.

How do I control which notifications I can receive on my Smartwatch?

If you get notifications on your phone that you don’t want to see on your watch, you can stop specific apps from showing up on your watch. You can edit your notification preferences in the Wear OS by Google app. Tap Notifications under the Settings menu on the main screen. In the Notifications menu, you can toggle off any apps you don’t want to receive notifications for on your watch.

When you listen to music on your phone, you’ll always see the music card with options to pause and play. You can’t turn this card off.

Which notifications will I receive?

Most notifications you see on your phone will also show up on your watch. These include notifications for missed calls, texts, event reminders, and more. When you get a notification, your watch will only vibrate (i.e. it will not make any sounds).

How do notifications work?

Your watch uses the notification settings you have for each app on your phone. If the alert vibrates or makes a sound for notifications on your phone, your watch will vibrate. If your app doesn’t vibrate or make a sound for notifications, your watch won’t vibrate but you’ll still see a card on your watch.