Quick Answer
Yes, it is possible to get iPhone notifications on Garmin smartwatches. This allows you to view notifications from apps on your iPhone directly on your Garmin watch. To enable this, you need to pair your iPhone with your compatible Garmin watch via Bluetooth and enable notifications access in the Garmin Connect app.
How do I set up iPhone notifications on my Garmin watch?
Here are the steps to set up iPhone notifications on your Garmin watch:
- Ensure your Garmin watch is compatible with smart notifications. Most modern Garmin watches support this feature except for some basic fitness trackers.
- Download the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone if you haven’t already.
- Pair your Garmin watch with your iPhone via Bluetooth. Refer to your watch’s owner’s manual for detailed steps.
- In the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone, go to the settings for your watch.
- Under Notifications, select “Enabled”.
- Tap on “When using this device”.
- Enable notifications access for the apps you want to get notifications from on your Garmin watch.
Once notifications access is enabled, your iPhone notifications will start appearing on your compatible Garmin watch when paired.
What types of notifications can I get on my Garmin watch?
You can get these types of iPhone notifications on your compatible Garmin watch:
- Text messages
- Calendar events
- Social media alerts
- App notifications
- Incoming calls
Basically, any app notification that appears in the iPhone’s Notification Center can be mirrored to your Garmin watch.
Can I customize notifications on my Garmin watch?
Yes, you can customize notifications on your Garmin watch in a few ways:
- You can pick and choose which apps send notifications to your Garmin watch in the Garmin Connect settings.
- You can enable/disable individual notification types like text messages, calls, emails, etc.
- For some apps like text messages, calendar, email, you can enable notifications only from specific accounts.
- You can set important notifications to alert you every time they arrive.
- You can schedule “Do Not Disturb” hours when you don’t want to receive any notifications.
Customizing notifications allows you to avoid notification overload and only surface the alerts that matter most on your Garmin watch.
How do I view and manage notifications on my Garmin watch?
When you get a notification on your compatible Garmin watch, it will show an alert icon at the top of the screen. Here’s how to view and manage those notifications:
- Swipe down from the top of the Garmin watch screen to reveal the notifications tray.
- Scroll through the list of notifications.
- Tap on a notification to expand it and view more details.
- Swipe left/right to clear a notification.
- Press the bottom button to return to the main watch screen.
The notifications tray displays up to 10 recent notifications. Once cleared from the watch, notifications also disappear from the phone.
Can I respond to iPhone notifications on my Garmin watch?
Garmin smartwatches do not allow responding directly to iPhone notifications or messages from your wrist. You can only view the notifications and clear them.
However, some Garmin watches let you respond to text messages and emails from the watch itself using canned quick replies. But these responses are not tied to the iPhone notifications.
Do all Garmin watches support iPhone notifications?
Here are some popular Garmin watches that can display iPhone notifications:
- Garmin Vivoactive series
- Garmin Forerunner series
- Garmin Venu series
- Garmin Fenix series
- Garmin Lily
- Garmin Vivomove series
In general, most modern mid-range and premium Garmin smartwatches support iPhone notifications except for some basic fitness trackers. You can check your specific Garmin watch’s specifications to confirm compatibility.
Why am I not getting iPhone notifications on my Garmin watch?
If you have paired your iPhone but are not seeing notifications on your compatible Garmin watch, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Ensure notifications are enabled for your Garmin watch in the Garmin Connect app settings on iPhone.
- Check that notifications are allowed for the desired apps in the Garmin Connect settings.
- Make sure your Garmin watch is in range of your iPhone and connected via Bluetooth.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications and confirm badges app icons and banner notifications are enabled.
- Force quit and re-launch the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone.
- On the watch, open the Garmin Connect app, hold the settings button, and select Phone > Pair Phone to re-pair with your iPhone.
Conclusion
Getting iPhone notifications on your Garmin smartwatch helps you stay on top of alerts without having to pull out your phone. Just make sure to enable notifications access in the Garmin Connect app settings after pairing your devices via Bluetooth. Customize which apps can send notifications to avoid disturbance from unimportant alerts. Swipe down on your Garmin watch to conveniently access the notifications tray. This useful feature works with most modern Garmin smartwatches, transforming them into an extension of your iPhone on your wrist.