Why Does My Apple Watch Ring But My iPhone Doesn't?

by Jenefey Aaron   Updated on 2024-10-18 / Update for  Apple Watch

Apple Watch is designed to work seamlessly with your iPhone, but sometimes, unexpected issues arise. One of the common problems users encounter is when their Apple Watch rings for incoming calls, but their iPhone remains silent. If you’re wondering “why my Apple watch rings but my iPhone doesn’t”, you’re not alone. This issue is continuously being reported on different forums and it’s really frustrating. Getting a notification on your watch but not on your iPhone, is really disturbing to experience since you can’t keep things on track when you’re expecting an important call or meeting invite.

In this blog, we’ll help you fix this issue of ‘Apple watch not ringing but phone is’. But before that, let’s see why this issue arises.

Part 1: Why Does My Apple Watch Ring But My iPhone Doesn’t?

There are several factors that could be causing this issue of ‘silence iPhone when wearing Apple watch’. Here are some common reasons:

  • Software Glitch or Bug: It is possible that your iPhone is undergoing an unknown software issue due to which you’re not able to receive any call or notification, but you do receive it on your Apple watch. We’ll discuss it later in the next section, let’s discuss some of the other common issues that might cause this problem to occur.
  • Do Not Disturb Mode on iPhone: If your iPhone’s "Do Not Disturb" mode is on, calls will bypass your phone and go directly to your Apple Watch, which isn't on "Do Not Disturb."
  • Sound Settings Misconfiguration: Sometimes, the sound settings on your iPhone might be set to vibrate only, or the ringer volume could be too low, leading to your phone not ringing audibly.
  • iPhone and Apple Watch Call Mirroring: When call mirroring is enabled, the behavior of incoming calls is shared between your iPhone and Apple Watch, which can sometimes lead to only the Watch ringing.
  • Connection Issues Between Devices: Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity issues between your Apple Watch and iPhone could lead to miscommunication, where your iPhone doesn't ring as expected.
  • AirPods or Bluetooth Accessories Connected: If you have connected your iPhone to AirPods or another Bluetooth device, the call may ring on those instead of your phone.

Part 2: How to Fix My Apple Watch Rings But My iPhone Doesn't!

There are several ways to fix the issue of your Apple watch ringing but not iPhone. Here are some simple and most effective solutions on how to get sound notifications on both iPhone and Apple watch.

Method 1: Turn Off Do Not Disturb Mode on iPhone

The simplest fix might be checking if "Do Not Disturb" is on. Here's how you turn it off on your iPhone.

  • Open Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen.
  • Look for the Do Not Disturb button and turn it off.
  • turn off do not disturb

Method 2: Adjust iPhone Sound Settings

This simple solution might seem too easy, but it often resolves the problem. Here’s how you adjust your iPhone sound settings.

  • Go to Settings >> Sounds & Haptics.
  • Adjust the Ringer and Alerts volume slider to a higher level.

Method 3: Disable Call Mirroring on Apple Watch

To prevent your Watch from taking over call notifications, try this:

    • On your iPhone, go to your Apple watch app.
    • Tap on Notifications.
    • Scroll down and find Phone.
    • If the Mirror my iPhone option is checked, tap on Custom.
    • disable call mirroring on phone
    • Now, if you don’t want to receive your call notifications on your Apple watch, simply tap Notification Off.

Method 4: Reconnect Devices

Reconnecting your Apple watch with your iPhone may solve the problem. Also, try reconnecting your other bluetooth devices like your AirPods too. Moreover, you can also try restarting your both devices to give them a fresh start, and see if it fixes the problem.

Method 5: [100% Fix] How to Solve My Apple Watch Rings But My iPhone Doesn’t

Are you tired of trying simple fixes and you still don’t get any call notification on your iPhone? Well, don’t worry, we got your back with a powerful tool; Tenorshare ReiBoot. It’s the best iOS system repair tool available on the internet to fix unknown software glitches. You can repair over 150 iOS related issues with ReiBoot without losing your data. It works seamlessly with iOS 18, fixing almost every common issue, like your Apple watch ringing, but not your iPhone.

Here’s how to use Tenorshare ReiBoot to help you answer: “why is my Apple watch ringing but not my iPhone”.

  • Download, install, and run Tenorshare ReiBoot on your computer. Connect your iPhone with your computer via a compatible cable. Start the repair by clicking on the Start Repair button.
  • launch reiboot
  • Click on the Standard Repair option, and confirm your selection by clicking on the Standard Repair button.
  • fix with reiboot
  • Once your iPhone model is detected, choose the suitable firmware package for your iPhone. Click on the Download button to initiate the download.
  • fix with reiboot
  • Once the package is downloaded, click Start Standard Repair to initiate the repair process.
  • fix with reiboot
  • Once the progress bar completes, you’ll have your iPhone fixed and there will be no unknown software bugs or glitches. Try connecting your Apple watch with your iPhone and test it by making a call.
  • repair successfully

Conclusion

In this blog, we learnt how to make Apple watch and iPhone ring at the same time. There might be so many common reasons behind this issue, but the most common one is the unknown glitch in the recent update. You can simply fix it with Tenorshare ReiBoot - a powerful tool that fixes your iPhone with a 100% efficiency.