How do I make my Apple Watch vibrate when I get a text?

Answered by Willie Powers

To make your Apple Watch vibrate when you receive a text message, you can follow these steps:

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app and scroll down to find “Phone”. Tap on it.
2. In the Phone settings, locate and tap on “Notifications”.
3. Inside the Notifications settings, scroll down and tap on “Vibrations”.
4. Now, tap on “Text Tone” or “Sounds” to customize the vibration pattern for text messages. Note that the exact wording may vary depending on your iOS version.
5. You will be presented with a list of pre-defined vibration patterns. Tap on any pattern to preview it.
6. Choose the vibration pattern that you prefer, such as “Synchronized”, “Accent”, “Alert”, or any other option that suits your preference.
7. Once you have selected a vibration pattern, head back to the main Settings screen by tapping the back arrow in the top-left corner.
8. Locate and tap on “Messages” to access the settings for your text messages.
9. Inside the Messages settings, you can customize various aspects of your text messages, but for now, we are focusing on the notification settings.
10. Make sure the “Allow Notifications” toggle is enabled. You can also adjust other notification settings like “Show Previews” and “Badge App Icon” according to your preference.
11. To ensure your Apple Watch receives the notifications, scroll down and tap on “Notifications”.
12. In the Notifications settings for Messages, make sure the “Mirror my iPhone” option is enabled. This ensures that when you receive a text message on your iPhone, it will be mirrored and sent to your Apple Watch as well.
13. Now, when you receive a text message on your iPhone, your Apple Watch will vibrate according to the selected vibration pattern.

If you encounter any issues with the vibration settings or the connection between your Apple Watch and iPhone, you can try the following steps to reconnect them:

1. On your iPhone, open the Watch app.
2. Tap on the “My Watch” tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap on “General”.
4. In the General settings, tap on “Reset”.
5. tap on “Reset Sync Data”. This will remove the connection between your iPhone and Apple Watch, but it won’t erase any of your data or settings.

After performing these steps, follow the on-screen instructions to reconnect your Apple Watch to your iPhone. This should help resolve any connectivity issues and ensure that your Apple Watch vibrates when you receive a text message.

Remember, these instructions may vary slightly depending on your iOS version and Apple Watch model.