Are you wondering why the WhatsApp app is not showing up on your Apple Watch and looking to enable WhatsApp notifications?
Even though there is no official WhatsApp app for Apple Watch, you can receive Whatsapp notifications. If notifications aren’t showing on your Watch, make sure to enable WhatsApp notifications from the iPhone Settings, in your WhatsApp app, and in the Watch app.
Some Apple Watch users complain they still don’t get WhatsApp notifications despite having enabled them for WhatsApp. Read along to see the possible solutions for making WhatsApp notifications appear on your Apple Watch.
- How to fix WhatsApp not showing on my Apple Watch?
- What does disabling wrist detection do?
- How to set up your Whatsapp on Apple Watch?
- How to uninstall and reinstall Whatsapp on Apple Watch?
- Why does Whatsapp not appear in the Watch app on my iPhone?
- How to get WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch 6 or 5?
- What is the best WhatsApp app for Apple Watch?
See also: Can I Get And Make WhatsApp Calls On Apple Watch?
How to fix WhatsApp not showing on my Apple Watch?
If notifications are not showing on your Watch, make sure to enable:
- WhatsApp app notifications from iPhone Settings
- WhatsApp notifications from your Watch app
- Alerts in the Notifications Center & “Lock Screen” from the Notifications settings
For most users, turning on WhatsApp notifications from the Settings of iPhone and Apple Watch will make the notifications appear on the Apple Watch.
If this doesn’t work, here are a things you can try to fix this issue:
Update your WhatsApp Version
Notifications may not show up on your Apple Watch If you don’t have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your device. . Here is how to update your WhatsApp app:
- Go to App Store > Search for WhatsApp
- Tap Update (if available)

Disable wrist detection
Wrist detection is an Apple Watch exclusive feature that automatically locks your Watch if it is not worn on the wrist.
You can try disabling this feature if you are having issues receiving WhatsApp notifications even though they are enabled on your Apple Watch.
Follow these steps to disable wrist detection:
- On your iPhone, open the Watch app
- If you are not wearing your Apple Watch, tap on “Passcode” to unlock it
- Toggle off “Wrist Detection”


Turn on WhatsApp notifications in the Watch app
Enabling WhatsApp notifications in your Watch app is crucial for receiving alerts on your Apple Watch. Steps for turning on WhatsApp notifications in the Watch app are as follows:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone
- Tap on “Notifications” > Toggle on “WhatsApp”


See the section “How to set up your WhatsApp on Apple Watch” below for how to turn on WhatsApp notifications from your iPhone Settings.
What does disabling wrist detection do?
Wrist detection is a sensor feature on the Apple watch that detects whether you have an Apple Watch on your wrist.
When you wear an Apple Watch, the watch asks for a passcode (assuming you have set up a passcode for it) and stays unlocked until you remove it from your wrist.
If you have wrist detection on, the moment you remove your Apple Watch from the wrist, the Watch gets locked and requires a passcode.
If you disable the wrist detection feature, your Watch will no longer require a passcode when it is removed from the wrist. You’ll have to manually lock your Apple Watch yourself if desired.
Disabling wrist detection also turns off some other features including:
- Heart rate tracking
- High heart rate alerts
- Sleep tracking
- Noise measurements
- Background blood oxygen measurements
How to set up your Whatsapp on Apple Watch?
If your Whatsapp notifications are turned on on your device (e.g. iPhone) and on Apple Watch, you should receive notifications (text messages, media, audio messages) on your Apple Watch.
Here’s how to set up your WhatsApp on your Apple Watch:
- On your iPhone, Launch the “Settings” app
- Tap on “Notification” > scroll down and choose “WhatsApp”
- Toggle on “Allow Notifications” > enable “Lock Screen,” “Notification Center”, “Banners”



After enabling WhatsApp notifications on the iPhone, you need to activate Whatsapp notifications on your Apple Watch.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone
- Tap on “Notifications” > Toggle on “WhatsApp”


After doing this, you should start receiving your WhatApp notifications on your Apple Watch.
Note that there are limitations when it comes to replying to the Whatsapp notifications you receive on your Apple Watch.
For example, on older models, you can only reply with predefined text when you receive a WhatsApp notification on your Apple Watch::
- Hello
- What’s Up?
- OK
- On my way
However, you can download a third-party app WatchChat2 to access and reply to all your WhatsApp chats.
Recent versions of the Apple Watch allow you to send custom text as well.
Activate WatchChat2 on your Apple Watch
Follow these steps to download WatchChat2 to access and reply to all your WhatsApp messages:
- Press the digital crown on your Apple Watch and tap on “App Store”
- Search for “WatchChat2” > Tap “Get”
- Type your Watch passcode. If you haven’t set one yet, you will be required to do so
- After installing the app, open it. and a QR code is displayed
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone > go to “Settings”
- Tap on “Linked Devices” > Link a Device
- Scan the QR displayed in the WatchChat2 app on your Apple Watch from your iPhone
- You are now ready to use WhatsApp on your Apple Watch





How to uninstall and reinstall Whatsapp on Apple Watch?

Although you can receive WhatsApp notifications, the Apple Watch does not display the WhatsApp app. So you can’t simply uninstall the Whatsapp original app from your Apple Watch.
That said, you can use a third-party WhatsApp app like WatchChat2. See the preceding section for how to do that.
If you’ve installed WatchChat2 and wish to uninstall it, here is how:
- Press the digital crown on your Apple Watch to see all the Apple Watch apps
- Locate the “WatchChat2” app and tap and hold it until the app starts jiggling or the view options screen appears
- If the app starts jiggling, tap on the “x” at the left top of the app to delete it
- If the view options screen appears, tap on “Edit App” and then tap on “x” to delete the app
You can also try uninstalling then reinstalling WhatsApp on your iPhone to fix the notification issue.
Make sure to first backup your WhatsApp before deleting the app to keep your chats (keep reading for how to do so).
Backup WhatsApp
Backing up WhatsApp is good practice to keep all your chats, media and other files shared through WhatsApp safe and secure on the cloud. Here’s how to make a WhatsApp backup:
- Open WhatsApp > Go to “Settings”
- Tap on “Chats” > Chat Backup
- Tap on “Back Up Now”
Note that your backup time may vary depending on how much data you have in your WhatsApp application. You can also exclude media files such as videos and pictures from the backup if you want to speed up the backup time.



Uninstall and Reinstall the WhatsApp from your iPhone
After making the backup, follow these steps to uninstall WhatsApp from your iPhone:
- Locate the WhatsApp app in your app drawer or App Library
- Tap and hold the Music app > Remove App
- Tap on “Delete App”


Now to reinstall WhatsApp:
- Go to App Store > Search for WhatsApp
- Tap on the download button at the right corner
Why does Whatsapp not appear in the Watch app on my iPhone?
WhatsApp will not appear in your Apple Watch app if you haven’t selected the “Lock Screen” & “Banners” options from the WhatsApp notifications settings on your iPhone.
To make the WhatsApp icon appear on your Watch app, follow these steps:
- Open the “Settings” app
- Tap on “Notification” > scroll down and select “WhatsApp”
- Toggle on “Allow Notifications” > Select “Lock Screen,” & “Banners”



How to get WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch 6 or 5?
Whether you have an Apple Watch 6, 5, or even series 3, the process of enabling WhatsApp notifications is similar.
To get WhatsApp notifications on your Apple Watch, you need to first enable notifications for WhatsApp from the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Then you need to enable WhatsApp notifications from the Watch app separately.
The process of activating WhatsApp notifications is explained in the section, “How to set up your WhatsApp on your Apple Watch?”.
How to get WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch 5
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Visit the section “How to set up your WhatsApp on your Apple Watch?” to understand how to get WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch 5.
What is the best WhatsApp app for Apple Watch?
Although there are several WhatsApp apps for Apple Watch, WatchChat2 is by far the most reliable and fastest WhatsApp app out there.
The developers of WatchChat2 frequently release updates for the apps so that it remains compatible with all the Apple Watch series/models.
Also, when it comes to user ratings, WatchChat is the best rated app for WhatsApp.
Here are some of the notable features of WatchChat2 for WhatsApp:
- Access all your conversations, including group chats, on your Apple Watch
- Watch videos and send voice messages
- Send text messages using a keyboard, diction, scribble, and quick replies
- See status updates and pictures


