No Notifications in Car While on Bluetooth

[davpel24]

I always listen to podcasts and music over BT while driving. Since the first Watch update, I no longer receive text, email and other notifications on the watch while in the car using BT. I hear my iPhone beep and sure enough there are new messages, but nothing on the watch. Has anyone else had this issue or know how to fix it?

 

[GrumpyJarhead]

Sounds like exactly how it should work. If you're actively using your phone, including listening to podcasts/audiobooks/music, etc, the notifications should go to the phone, not the watch. The exception in my experience seems to be navigation directions, which go to both the phone and the watch, and of course, phone calls, which ring on the phone, watch, and in-car system simultaneously.

 

[davpel24]

Thanks for the reply, but I disagree that this is how it should work.

When you are driving, you aren't (or shouldn't be) actively using your phone. I would describe listening to audio or BT as passive use (after all, the screen is off) and I would certainly like to receive my notifications on my watch rather than having to pull out, open and look at my phone while driving. That's how it worked prior to the first update and FWIW how it works on Android Wear.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I haven't experienced this problem. I use bluetooth in my car as well and notifications go to my watch.

 

[BlueMoon63]

I always listen to podcasts and music over BT while driving. Since the first Watch update, I no longer receive text, email and other notifications on the watch while in the car using BT. I hear my iPhone beep and sure enough there are new messages, but nothing on the watch. Has anyone else had this issue or know how to fix it?

Ok, this is one post that has helped me and it is after the Apple Watch 1.0.1 update... I will try to explain why I agree with the OP.

First, an example. For about a year, I wore the Jawbone UP24 and always drove my car with my iPhone connected to the built-in Bluetooth and would listen to music and pod-casts and audio books without a problem. If I received a called, it would started dropping blue-tooth to my phone over and over again. It would connected back to blue-tooth and then drop continuously to the point where I would have to switch my phone to speaker in order to hear the person. I would leave the UP24 at home and it still happened. It was the App... it was constantly trying to connect to the UP24 and didn't bother listening to music, etc. I could wear the band but had to uninstall the app in order for it to work. Why the app was to blame and why it would constantly mess with blue-tooth even if I had the band on is beyond me.

Since I did the Watch upgrade, and now my car is doing the same thing. Music and everything else is fine until I get a phone call and it starts dropping blue-tooth over and over and my alerts and notifications go away. I thought I was missing everything but as soon as I got out of the car they came back. I blamed it on me...

So, something has changed and I have to figured out if it is the watch, or, like the UP24, it has something to with the App somehow?

 

[mrboba1]

Is your phone screen on? If you "turn it off" and still play music, you should receive your notifications on your watch.

It does for me. (1.0.1)

 

[davpel24]

Is your phone screen on? If you "turn it off" and still play music, you should receive your notifications on your watch.

It does for me. (1.0.1)

Thanks. I'll have to double-check whether the iPhone screen is staying on. I am typically plugged in for power when in the car and sometimes the screen will stay on in that scenario.

 

[The Tuck]

At some point during an iOS 6 update, the screen started not auto-locking if the iPhone is playing audio and has power. It will go into that "dim mode" just before locking the screen but won't ever turn it completely off. My guess is that you're playing something with the phone plugged in and it's not ever turning off.

I consider this a bug, actually. Why would you want your phone screen to behave any differently when it's plugged in? Especially if it means that you're not going to receive Watch notifications.

Tuck

 

[menace3]

Same here...I haven't experienced this problem. I use bluetooth in my car as well and notifications go to my watch.