Notify when left behind notifications not working or showing up on iPhone or Apple Watch?

This situation happens way too often than I care to admit: I leave my home or workplace, forgetting that my iPhone or AirPods are sitting on the charger or next to my bed on the nightstand. And, of course, I don’t even realize it until I am too far away to turn around and pick it up.

If only my Apple Watch alerted me that my iPhone or AirPods weren’t nearby before I was miles away! 

The good news is that with iOS 15 and watchOS 8 and above, Apple offers a Notify When Left Behind feature that does just that! This feature shows a separation notification on your Apple Watch, letting you know when you are away from your iPhone, AirPods, and other Apple devices so you can quickly turn back and get it. 

And it works for other devices, like your iPad, AirPods Pro, AirPods (3rd generation,) AirPods Max, AirTag, or Find My network accessory when paired to an iPhone 12 or above. Sadly, it does not work when you forget your Apple Watch!

These separation notifications only appear when you’re more than 300+ feet away from the device you left behind. That usually means you are already on your way and need to turn around to get your device back. So, yeah, it’s not perfect.

Unfortunately, this feature does not always work or shows up as not supported. This short article helps you troubleshoot when Notify When Left Behind is either grayed out, not working, or unsupported.

For those wanting a deep dive into how to set it up, see this article instead: How to get a left behind notification when you forget your iPhone, AirTagged item, or other(s).

In a hurry?

If time is short and you don’t need a thorough step-by-step, follow these quick instructions to get Notify When Left Behind notifications working on your Apple devices and items!

• Update to at least iOS/iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and macOS Monterey, and keep updating as new software updates become available. And update the firmware for AirPods, AirTags, and other Find My network-supported items.
• Close the Find My app and restart all your devices.
• Make sure you use the same Apple ID for each device and item. Left-behind notifications do not work on devices shared in a family sharing plan that is signed in with a different family member’s Apple ID.
• Make sure Location Services is on and set to While Using in Location Settings.
• Check that you turned on Find My in your iCloud settings and that your iCloud storage is not completely used.
• Not all devices support Notify When Left Behind, especially older models. Devices with the U1 chip support these notifications consistently.
• Make sure you do not have Do Not Disturb or another Focus turned on.
• Toggle Notify When Left Behind off and on.
• Remove all locations from your list of location exceptions.

Related reading

• How to use the Find Items app on Apple Watch
• How to get a left behind notification when you forget your iPhone, AirTagged item, or other(s)
• Sleep mode vs Silent Mode vs Do Not Disturb vs Theater mode on your smartwatch

Use the same Apple ID on your devices

You must sign in with the same Apple ID to get Notify When Left Behind notifications for Apple AirTagged items and Apple devices.

At this time, you cannot turn on Notify When Left Behind notifications for devices that are part of your family but signed in under another family member’s Apple ID.

Find your device list in your iPhone’s Settings > Apple ID.

Scroll down to see all devices associated with your Apple ID.

Allow location access and sharing

Check that Location Services is on and set to While Using in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services for the Find My app, and if you use an Apple Watch, the Find Devices.

We also recommend toggling on Precise Location for both the Find My app and Apple Watch Find Devices.

Then, open your iPhone’s Find My app and turn on Share My Location.

• Open Find My app.
• Tap the Me tab at the bottom of the screen.
• Toggle on Share My Location.
  • If it’s already on, toggle it off, wait a few seconds, and toggle it back on.

Check iCloud’s Find My sync setting and storage capacity

If you use multiple Apple devices, check your iCloud settings on each device to make sure that you toggled on Find My. Your iCloud storage should also not be completely full (used.) Make sure you have some iCloud storage available.

1. In your device’s Apple ID settings, tap iCloud.
2. Scroll down to Find My app and toggle it on if it’s off. If it’s already on, toggle it off and wait for 10-20 seconds. Then, toggle it back on.

Check that your device supports Notify When Left Behind notifications

Devices that have Apple’s Ultra Wideband chip (U1) consistently support these notifications. That includes AirTags, iPhones 11 and above, and the Apple Watch Ultra or Series 6 and above.

To get these separation alerts for AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and AirPods (3rd generation+), you need an iPhone 12 or later. 

Devices that don’t include the U1 chip inconsistency support left behind notifications.

We found that we are more likely to turn on these separation notifications on newer iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. For example, I could enable Notify When Left Behind on my iPhone 12 and iPad Pro (2022) but not on my older iPad or iPhone.

Also, I couldn’t get notifications consistently on my Apple Watch Series 3. But when I upgraded that Apple Watch Series 3 to an Apple Watch Series 7, left-behind notifications worked a lot better.

Although you cannot enable Notify When Left Behind notifications for devices that don’t include the U1 chip, you can still receive left behind notifications on those devices.

Okay, that’s confusing, so let me break it down.

I can toggle on Notify When Left Behind notifications for my iPhone 12, but I cannot toggle it on for my old Apple Watch Series 3–it shows up as “not supported.” Even though I can’t turn it on for the old watch 3, I still get notifications on my watch if I leave my iPhone 12 behind and my AirTagged items.

Verify your operating system supports Notify When Left Behind notifications and update, if available

This feature requires that you run WatchOS 8 and above on your Apple Watch, iOS 15, or iPadOS 15 and later for your iPhone and iPad and that your Mac runs macOS Monterey and higher.

So first, check if there is an update for your devices:

• For Apple Watch, open Settings > General > Software Update. Using the iPhone’s Watch app, you can also update your watch via My Watch tab > General > Software Update.
• For iPhone and iPad, open Settings > General > Software Update.
• For Macs, go to System Preferences > Software Update.

If an update is available, back up your device and then update its software. Backing up ensures that your data is safely stored, just in case there are any problems with the update.

At this time, the only way to back up your Apple Watch is to unpair it, which automatically creates a backup, and then re-pair it and restore it from that most recent backup.

For AirPods and AirTags, check if they run the latest firmware

First, Apple only supports left-behind notifications for folks that use an iPhone 12 or above. So if you use an older model iPhone, you won’t get these notifications for AirPods (regardless of their model.)

For AirPods Pro, AirPods (3rd generation and higher,) and AirPods Max:

Charge your AirPods in their case and close the case, then place them near your iPhone or iPad, and Apple should download and install the firmware update.

You cannot manually update your AirPods’ firmware. It may take some time for the firmware to update. Do not open the case until the firmware updates–check in Setting > Bluetooth > AirPods and tap the information button to confirm the firmware version is at least 4A400.

For AirTags:

• Open Find My and choose the Items tab.
• Then, choose your AirTagged item. Then, tap on the blank space next to the AirTag’s name to review its firmware version.
• You cannot manually update this firmware. Place your AirTag near your iPhone, and if an update is available, it should automatically update.

Although you can still use older operating systems on your devices, only those devices you update to the versions listed above allow you to activate Notify When Left Behind.

When you use an older device that runs an older operating system, the Notify When Left Behind setting is off, grayed out, and may also list the device as “not supported.”

Check your Focus (do not disturb) settings

It’s always a good idea to make sure that you receive notifications and verify that you don’t have Do Not Disturb or another Focus like Sleep active.

For iPhones and iPads

• For Focus settings, swipe down Control Center and tap Focus. It might list as Sleep, Do Not Disturb, Driving, Work, Personal, Fitness, or another custom setting. If any Focus is on, tap it once to turn it off.

For Apple Watch

• For Focus settings, swipe up Control Center and check that you didn’t activate any Focus, including Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Driving, or another custom setting. If any Focus is on, tap it once to turn it off.

For Mac

• For Focus settings, open Control Center and verify that you do not have a Focus active. If any Focus is on, tap it once to turn it off.

Toggle Notify When Left Behind notifications off and on

Sometimes all you need to do is refresh your setting by turning the feature off, waiting for a few seconds, and turning it back on.

This tip particularly works when you recently updated your device’s operating system (watchOS, iOS/iPadOS, or macOS) and the feature stopped working.

How to refresh Notify When Left Behind notifications

For iPhone and iPad, open the Find My app. 

1. Choose the Devices (for watches, iPhones, Macs, or iPad) or Items (for AirTags and Find My Network supported products) tab at the bottom.
2. Select the device or item that you aren’t getting left behind notifications for.
3. Scroll down and tap Notify When Left Behind.
4. Toggle Notify When Left Behind off. 
5. Wait 10-20 seconds, then toggle it back on.

For Apple Watch, open the Find Devices or Find Items app.

1. Select the device or item that you aren’t getting left behind notifications for.
2. Scroll down using your finger or the watch’s Digital Crown and tap Notify When Left Behind.
3. Toggle Notify When Left Behind off.
4. Wait 10-20 seconds, then toggle it back on.

For Macs, open the Find My app.

1. Choose the Devices tab (for watches, iPhones, Macs, or iPad) or Items tab (for AirTags and Find My Network supported products).
2. Select the device or item that you aren’t getting left behind notifications for.
3. Tap on the “i” information button next to the device’s or item’s name on the Map.
4. In the details window, scroll down and choose Notify When Left Behind.
5. Toggle Notify When Left Behind off.
6. Wait 10-20 seconds, then toggle it back on.

Remove known and trusted locations from Notify When Left Behind notifications settings

You may have unintentionally added a location to your list of exceptions, and that’s the reason you aren’t getting any left behind notifications. So, let’s remove them and see if they start working.

Delete known locations from Notify When Left Behind Find My settings

1. On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, open the Find My app. Tap on the Devices or Items tab.
2. For Apple Watch, open the Find Devices or Find Items app.
3. Choose the device or item where left behind notifications aren’t showing up.
4. Tap Notify When Left Behind.
5. Scroll down to the listed locations under NOTIFY ME, EXCEPT AT.
   1. For iPhones and iPad, tap the red minus symbol next to each address listed to remove it and confirm you wish to remove it.
   2. For Apple Watch, tap the listed address, scroll down, and tap Remove, then confirm.
6. Repeat for all listed addresses.
7. Once you delete all the listed locations, press Done to save.

Now, test and see if you receive your left-behind notifications. If so, return to the Find My app and enter your known and trusted addresses again. Then test to see if the left-behind notifications still works.

Notify When Left Behind still not working for AirPods Pro or Max?

For AirPods Pro, 3rd generation+, and Max, make sure you connect to them and listen to something for a minute or so. Then, check if you can turn on left-behind notifications.

Go to Settings > Bluetooth, then tap the “i” button next to your AirPods. And turn on Find My Network. If it’s already on, toggle it off and on.

If it’s still not showing up or is listed as not supported, try restarting them if you didn’t try that already.

• Restart AirPods Max: Press and hold the Digital Crown and the noise control button on the right AirPod simultaneously. Keep holding these two buttons until the status light next to the charging port flashes amber, then release both buttons.
  • If you press the buttons until the status light flashes white, your AirPods Max returns to its factory settings.
• AirPods Pro and 3rd generation: Put the AirPods in their case and close the lid for at least 10 seconds.

If restarting your AirPods didn’t work, try resetting them.

Wrap up

When left behind notifications work, they are awesome, especially for those of us that often leave behind our iPhones, AirPods, or other Apple devices at home, work, or when visiting others. 

If this feature isn’t working for you, hopefully, these tips got it working so you never inadvertently forget an Apple device or item again!

And if something else worked for you, please let us know in the comments so we can pay it forward with all of our readers.