Garmin Watch Not Getting Notifications? How to Fix It

A Garmin watch that isn't getting notifications misses the texts, calls and app alerts your phone still receives. Garmin calls the feature Smart Notifications, and its setup page says they need settings on three things: your paired phone, a Garmin app such as Garmin Connect, and the watch itself. If the watch won't pair or sync at all, start with Garmin watch pairing, sync and battery fixes.

For an Apple Watch, Fitbit, Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch, our smartwatch won't sync guide links the notification fix for each brand.

Why Your Garmin Watch Isn't Getting Notifications

Garmin's support pages point to six causes of a Garmin watch not getting notifications, listed in the order the fixes below check them:

1. No connection: Bluetooth is off on the phone or the watch.
2. The phone isn't sharing alerts: an iPhone or Android notification setting, or a Garmin Connect permission, is off.
3. A quiet mode: Do Not Disturb, a sleep schedule, a watch Focus Mode or an iPhone Focus profile.
4. The app is switched off in Garmin Connect or blocked on the watch.
5. Android battery optimization can put Garmin Connect to sleep.
6. Battery Saver on the watch can limit Bluetooth or hold back some notifications.

Some alerts never reach the watch, whatever you set. Garmin says persistent Android notifications, such as reminders, "must be viewed on the phone," and apps inside a Samsung Secure Folder can't show on a Garmin device.

How to Fix a Garmin Watch That Isn't Getting Notifications

Work through these in order: the connection and the phone first, then Garmin Connect and the watch, with restarting and pairing again last.

Fix 1: Check the Connection

Check the connection first, because Garmin says Bluetooth "must remain enabled to review notifications from your connected smartphone":

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone.
2. On the watch, check Settings › Bluetooth or Phone.
3. Open Garmin Connect and look for a green dot at the top of the Home screen.

The green dot shows the watch is connected to your phone. If it's missing, work through Garmin watch not connecting to the app before you change any notification setting.

Fix 2: Allow Notifications on Your Phone

Allow notifications on the phone next. Garmin's iPhone steps are based on iOS 18.2 or later.

iPhone:

1. Go to Settings › Bluetooth, tap the (i) next to your Garmin watch under MY DEVICES, and turn on Share System Notifications.
2. Go to Settings › Notifications and set Show Previews to Always or When Unlocked. Garmin notes that "Apple requires this setting for notifications to appear on Bluetooth paired devices."
3. Go to Settings › Apps › Garmin Connect and turn on its permissions.

Android:

1. Go to Settings › Apps › Garmin Connect › Permissions, and turn on SMS, Contacts and Phone if any of them says off.
2. In Garmin Connect, select More › Settings › Notifications › App Notifications/Smart Notifications.
3. Make sure Notification Access is on, then switch on the apps you want on your wrist.

Fix 3: Turn Off Do Not Disturb, Sleep Mode or Focus

Turn off Do Not Disturb on the watch, because it silences notifications while it's on:

1. On the watch, open Settings › System › Do Not Disturb and turn it off. Its icon is a half moon.
2. In Garmin Connect, check your sleep schedule. Garmin says sleep time settings "can enable Do Not Disturb mode, preventing notifications from displaying on your Garmin watch."
3. On watches with Focus Modes (Settings › Focus Modes), check each mode, since each one can handle notifications differently.
4. On iPhone, go to Settings › Focus and review each Focus profile. An active Focus can stop pop-ups on the watch, although the alerts may still sit in its notification widget.

Fix 4: Check the Watch's Notification Settings

Check what the watch is set to show in Settings › Connectivity or Phone › Notifications. Options vary by model; Garmin's examples are on, off, show calls only, and show calls and texts only.

Some models can also block single apps. Garmin lists the D2 Mach 2 series, Enduro 3, fēnix 8 series, fēnix 9 series, fēnix E, Forerunner 70, Forerunner 170 series, Forerunner 570, Forerunner 970, quatix 8 series, tactix 8 series, Venu 4, Venu X1 and vívoactive 6. On those watches:

Phone	Watch menu	What to do
iPhone	Settings › Notifications & Alerts › Smart Notifications › Apps › Connected Apps	Select the app and set it to Allow or On
Android	Settings › Notifications & Alerts › Smart Notifications › Apps › Blocked Apps	See which apps are blocked, then turn them back on in Garmin Connect's app notification settings

An app appears under Connected Apps only after your phone and watch have received a notification from it.

Fix 5: Keep Garmin Connect Running (Android) and Battery Saver Off

On Android, stop battery optimization from putting Garmin Connect to sleep. Garmin warns that "Battery optimization for apps can prevent smart notifications from reaching your Garmin device." Garmin's FAQ also covers LG, Motorola, Xiaomi and other brands, and menus vary by model. Its Pixel and Samsung paths:

Phone	Path	Change
Google Pixel	Settings › Apps › Garmin Connect › App Battery Usage	Turn on Allow Background Usage and turn off battery optimization
Samsung	Settings › Apps › Garmin Connect › Battery	Touch Optimize Battery Usage and turn off battery optimization

On the watch, turn off Battery Saver (Settings › Power/Battery Manager › Battery Saver). Garmin says it "may limit Bluetooth connectivity or prevent some notifications from being delivered."

Fix 6 (Last): Restart Both, Then Pair Again

Restart your phone and the watch; Garmin says many Bluetooth issues "can be resolved by restarting your phone and Garmin device." If alerts still don't arrive, remove the watch and pair it again:

1. In Garmin Connect, select More › Garmin Devices, pick your watch, open the three-dot menu and select Remove Device.
2. Remove the watch from the phone's Bluetooth list: Forget This Device on iPhone, Unpair on Android.
3. In Garmin Connect, select More › Garmin Devices › Add Device, put the watch in pairing mode and confirm the six-digit code.

Your Garmin Pay wallet has to be created again once the watch is back in the app. If notifications still fail after pairing again, reset a Garmin watch and pair it once more.

Texts, Calls and Specific Apps

When only texts or only calls go missing, check that app's own settings on the phone and on the watch.

Text Messages Not Showing on iPhone

Texts from an iPhone need the Messages app's own notification settings turned on:

1. Go to Settings › Notifications › Messages.
2. Turn on Allow Notifications and Notification Center.
3. Set Show Previews to Always or When Unlocked.

Then check the contact isn't muted: in Messages, swipe right to left on the conversation. Garmin says a muted contact's bell icon does not have a slash through it, and muting a contact stops its messages coming through. On the watches listed in Fix 4, iPhone Phone and Messages alerts follow the watch's Calls and Texts settings, not the Connected Apps list.

Text Messages Not Showing on Android

Texts on Android need Garmin Connect's SMS, Contacts and Phone permissions and Notification Access turned on, with your messaging app switched on in Garmin Connect's app list. If texts arrive with the words missing, open your messaging app's Settings › Notifications and turn on Preview or Preview Message; labels vary by phone and app.

Calls Not Showing

Make sure the watch's Settings › Connectivity or Phone › Notifications setting isn't off. On Android, also turn on Garmin Connect's Phone permission. On watches with Focus Modes, open Notifications & Alerts › Smart Notifications › Calls: its Status controls whether the watch alerts for calls at all.