One of the Apple Watch's most important features is the ability to keep you connected to your notifications without needing to have your iPhone in your hand or even in your pocket all of the time. I often miss important text messages because my iPhone is too far away from me to hear my alerts.

But with Apple Watch, all of your notifications are at your fingertips, as if someone is next to you, tapping you on the wrist whenever you get an alert. We've got a tutorial for you today that will explain how to set up and manage notifications so that you get the alerts you want and aren't distracted by the ones you don't want.

Notification Indicator Apple Watch

Set Up Notifications

Notifications on Apple Watch are actually mirrored from your iPhone by default, so any app you have notifications enabled for on your iPhone will also appear on your Apple Watch. To make sure you don't miss any notifications, you can turn on a Notification Indicator that will display a red dot on your watch face if you have unread notifications.

  1. Enable compatible apps on your iPhone via Notification Center that you want to receive alerts for. It is likely these apps are already enabled on your iPhone, but it is a good idea to check on them.
  2. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  3. Tap the My Watch tab.
  4. Select Notifications from the menu list.
  5. Toggle Notification Indicator to the On position.
  6. You can also set your notifications to private so that it requires you to tap the screen in order to see it.


Calendar Notification Customization Apple Watch

Customize Notifications

Some Apple apps, like Calendar, Mail, and Messages are customizable with a few additional features. Be sure that the notification you wish to customize is already enabled on your iPhone first.

  1. Open the Apple Watch App on your iPhone
  2. Tap Notifications
  3. Select the app you wish to customize
  4. Change "Mirror my iPhone" to "Custom" to see your options, like sound, haptics, and repeat options.

Third-party apps do not have customization options, offering only a toggle to turn on or off the mirroring of notifications from your iPhone for a given app.

View and Respond to Live Notifications

Viewing a notification is as simple as raising your arm. To respond to it, scroll to the bottom of the notification and tap the button to perform the action.

You can also dismiss a notification by swiping down on it or scrolling to the bottom of it and tapping Dismiss.

Unread Notification Apple Watch

View and Respond to Unread Notifications

When you receive a notification on Apple Watch that you do not view right away, as long as you have the Notification Indicator turned on you will see a red dot at the top of your watch face, so you can access the notifications at any time.

  1. Navigate to the watch face, and then swipe down from the top of the screen.
  2. Rotate the Digital Crown or swipe up and down to scroll through unread notifications.
  3. Tap a notification to respond to it.
  4. Clear a notification by swiping to the left on it and then pressing clear. Use a hard "Force Press" on a notification to bring up an option to clear all notifications.

Silence Notifications

If you are in a meeting, going to the movies, or would like to otherwise be undisturbed for a short period of time, you can do so two ways.

Silent Mode Apple WatchSilent Mode

  1. Navigate to the watch face, and then swipe up.
  2. Swipe to the Settings glance.
  3. Tap Silent Mode
  4. You will still feel a tap when a notification arrives.

Do Not Disturb Apple WatchDo Not Disturb

  1. Navigate to the watch face, and then swipe up.
  2. Swipe to the Settings glance.
  3. Tap Do Not Disturb.
  4. Both sound and vibrations will be turned off.

By managing and customizing your Apple Watch notifications, you will be able to ensure that you stay connected to the things you want while avoiding distractions from unnecessary alerts. Plus, for those times when you just need to disconnect, you can silence your notifications temporarily.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

jclo Avatar
128 months ago
Here I am.

Just pointing out that this is yet another pointless article, mocking MR's regular readers while pandering to empty clicks from search engines, and once again posted under the name "Lory Gil". I would really like to hear from Lory on this matter, if she is a real person, or at least from a MR mod.

I think it's a mistake to assume that every MacRumors reader is at the same skill level. That an Apple Watch feature is obvious to you is not an indication that it's obvious to everyone, and honestly, the Apple Watch has a lot of complicated options and interactions to figure out. We feel that it's useful to meet the needs of users who might require a bit of help learning about all of the features on their devices (and this goes for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad too).

Even when Apple Watch features are obvious, there are often hidden little features that you might not find on your own, which also makes these posts useful for those who are already familiar with their devices.

There are a lot of people who come to MacRumors for help for a wide range of reasons, and while we realize that some of these how to posts are not useful for regular readers who are technically minded and very familiar with Apple products, people do find value in them.

We wish every post on the site would appeal to every reader, but that's just not the case. That's why we provide many different types of content aimed to meet different tastes and content preferences. That said, we appreciate the feedback -- we're always listening to what you guys have to say and we do take it into account when making content decisions.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MR-LIZARD Avatar
128 months ago
Here I am.

Just pointing out that this is yet another pointless article, mocking MR's regular readers while pandering to empty clicks from search engines...

It's hardly mocking; if it's something that is of no interest then it's easy enough to ignore or not get involved in. As a website I'm sure MR wants to grow its visitor numbers and repeat visitors; if it can convert an inexperienced Apple user into a regular visitor by providing them with information that's useful to them then why not? These inexperienced users will then hopefully become the experienced users of the future.

TBH I don't find the guides necessary for myself, the Apple Watch is simple to use, but I can see the benefit for others. However, it's easy to assume you know everything about something but sometimes these sort of guides have a little extra bit that of information that somehow passed you by so even for experienced users they can be useful.

I think as the Apple Watch is also quite scarce at the moment there will be a lot of people waiting on their Watch who will happily devour every bit of information about it and live vicariously through these guides until they can get their watch.

Other people may be sitting on the fence about a purchase What can the Watch do for me? How am I going to use one? These guides may assist in making that decision (whether as a sale or in the reader deciding it's not for them).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidTheExpert Avatar
128 months ago
I need DavidTheExpert's review of Lory's latest opus.
Here I am.

Just pointing out that this is yet another pointless article, mocking MR's regular readers while pandering to empty clicks from search engines, and once again posted under the name "Lory Gil". I would really like to hear from Lory on this matter, if she is a real person, or at least from a MR mod.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
peoplesyak Avatar
128 months ago
I need DavidTheExpert's review of Lory's latest opus.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lk400 Avatar
128 months ago
Here I am.

Just pointing out that this is yet another pointless article, mocking MR's regular readers while pandering to empty clicks from search engines, and once again posted under the name "Lory Gil". I would really like to hear from Lory on this matter, if she is a real person, or at least from a MR mod.

10/10, would read again.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidTheExpert Avatar
128 months ago
My wife is finding these articles quite useful. She is learning about her watch bit by bit over time.

Really? She couldn't have figured out how to turn on calendar notifications by going to the Watch app and clicking on the big Calendar button on her own?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...