Are your Apple Watch Facebook Messenger notifications not working for you? Like Apple’s native Messages App, many of us use Facebook Messenger daily (even hourly) for real-time chatting and sharing updates. And using it on our Apple Watches, right on our right or left wrist, is even more convenient. But lately, when I try to open my FB Messenger app on my watch, all I see is a loading screen! And my FB Messenger messages never show up. It just seems to get stuck on that loading screen. So what gives? How do I get Facebook Messenger on Apple Watch to work???
Contents
- 1 Quick Tips
- 2 High Hopes for Apple Watch
- 3 Notifications Rule on Apple Watch!
- 4 Try an Update When Apple Watch can’t open Facebook Messenger!
- 5 Turn on Bluetooth!
- 6 Restart your Apple Watch
- 7 Try AirPlane Mode
- 8 Turn on Background App Refresh
- 9 Change A Default Reply on Facebook Messenger
- 10 Uninstall and reinstall FB messenger on your iPhone
- 11 Uninstall the Watch App and then Reinstall
- 12 Play a Song!
- 13 Delete Music (Temporarily)
- 14 Submit a Report to Facebook via iPhone or iPad
- 15 Factory Reset Your iPhone
- 16 Reader Tips
Quick Tips 
Try These Quick Tips to Get Facebook Messenger Working on Your Paired Apple Watch
- Update your iOS and watchOS if there’s a new version available
- Turn Bluetooth on
- Restart the Apple Watch
- Use Airplane mode
- Turn on Background App Refresh for Facebook and FB Messenger
- Change one or more of your default replies
- Uninstall and reinstall the FB Messenger app on your Watch and iPhone
- Remove the Watch App and reinstall it
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High Hopes for Apple Watch
When Apple announced the Apple Watch, it was Apple’s first new product category after the iPad and first to be credited to Tim Cook. Expectations were sky high but whether or not Apple has delivered in this category is still a question unanswered. Nobody knows the exact number when it comes to sales of the Apple Watch (all series) to date. So, we still have to wait to figure out if this new product is a success or not…
People are still excited about Apple Watch, especially those buying it for the first time. And LTE support with the Apple Watch Series 3 just might be the game-changer Apple needs for the Apple Watch to be a breakout hit! The gadget is no doubt a cool one and the design, well – what do we expect from Apple? It is elegant! 
Notifications Rule on Apple Watch!
According to many wearers of the watch, what excites them is the ability to check notifications, use certain apps – all on the go! The idea of using your favorite app right from a cool-looking gadget on your wrist is a good one. Almost every app on Apple Watch works and syncs seamlessly but recently many users, including me, have complained about the Facebook messenger app misbehaving a little. 
If your Facebook messenger app on Apple Watch is taking an eternity to load or just plain isn’t working, then please follow the methods given below. Follow them in order as the first one is comparatively simpler and takes hardly a minute…
Try an Update When Apple Watch can’t open Facebook Messenger!
Often, updating your watchOS and your iOS fixes these types of problems so be sure to check if an update is out there. IF so, remember to always backup via iTunes or iCloud before you update your iPhone or Apple Watch (or both!)
We highly recommend upgrading your iPhone via iTunes if possible. iTunes updates tend to be a lot more stable than Over-The-Air updates done via Settings > General > Software Update.
And don’t forget to check for a watch update! First, place your Apple Watch on its charger while you update–keep it on the charger throughout the updating process. Go to the Watch App on your paired iPhone and tap the My Watch tab. Then, select General > Software Update. Always update your iPhone BEFORE you update your Apple Watch!
If the update won’t start, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap General > Usage > Software Update, then delete the update file. After you remove the file, try to download and install watchOS again.
Turn on Bluetooth! 
If Facebook Messenger isn’t loading correctly, make sure your phone has Bluetooth enabled. To check, go to Settings > Bluetooth > ON. If you see it’s not on, tap it and toggle it ON.
Restart your Apple Watch 
- Take your Apple Watch off the charger first
- When your watch is charging, you can’t restart it
- Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider
- Drag the slider to turn off your device
- After your watch turns off, press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo
Force Restart Your Watch 
- If a regular restart didn’t help, try a forced reboot
- First, take your Apple Watch off the charger. Then, to force restart your Apple Watch, press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for 10 seconds or more, when you see the Apple logo on your Apple Watch’s screen, release the buttons
Try AirPlane Mode
Sometimes the simplest of things work! Try toggling AirPlane mode on from your Apple Watch. Wait 20-30 seconds, then toggle it off. Again, make sure you do this via your watch, not your paired iPhone!
Turn on Background App Refresh
Another quick tip is turning on background app refresh for Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle it ON choosing the Wi-Fi & Cellular Data option. Then scroll down your list of apps and toggle both Facebook and Messenger on.
Change A Default Reply on Facebook Messenger
- Try to open the messenger app on your watch. It probably shows loading and will not open normally
- On your iPhone, open the Facebook Messenger App
- Tap your avatar (profile picture in the left top corner) and select Apple Watch
- Tap on one of the Default Replies and type a new reply
- You may need to change more than one of the default replies for this to work (see reader tip below)
- Soem readers ended up changing ALL their default replies to get this working
- Next, tap on the upper-left <Me button to save your new default reply
- Close Messenger by double tapping Home or swiping up the Home Gesture Bar and closing the Messenger App Preview (swipe it up, off the screen)
- Return to your watch and see if Facebook Messenger works
- If that didn’t work, after step 6 (closing Messenger) delete that custom reply and close the app again
Awesome Reader Tip!
Reader Ashtyn found that he needed to change multiple default replies to get Facebook Messenger working on his Apple Watch. He replaced 3 of those replies, and it worked! So give Ashtyn’s tip a try.
If you are still having problems, proceed to the next method…
Uninstall and reinstall FB messenger on your iPhone
For some users, this did the trick! Delete the app by pressing and holding the FB Messenger app until it wiggles and tap the “x.” Or for folks using iOS 11, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage >Messenger and delete or offload the app that way.
Deleting the App removes all the documents and data while offloading preserves your Watches documents and data. We recommend trying offload first and if the problem persists, then delete the app.
After you reinstall FB Messenger App, on your iPhone go to Watch App and install Messenger app, if needed. Once installed, tap on Messenger and make sure Show App on Apple Watch is toggle on.
Follow This Order to Uninstall & Reinstall Facebook Messenger
1) Uninstall FB Messenger on your iPhone
2) Download and reinstall Messenger on your iPhone. Once installed on phone, open My Watch App and install onto your watch
3) Reboot both your iPhone AND Apple Watch
4) First, open Messenger on the iPhone, keep open it and then open Messenger on your watch
Uninstall the Watch App and then Reinstall
First, unpair your Apple Watch. Then delete the Watch App by pressing and holding the app until it wiggles and tapping the “x.” Or remove the app with our preferred method using your Settings app. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Watch and press either Delete App or Offload App (using iOS 11.)
Play a Song!
First, put your Apple Watch on the charger and plug into a wall outlet. Do the same for your paired iPhone. On your iPhone, open the Music app and play any song. While the song is playing, open the Watch app, choose the My Watch tab and tap on Facebook Messenger to open its settings. Then toggle off Show App on Apple Watch, wait 20-30 seconds, and toggle it back on.
Now check if FB Messenger works on your Watch.
Delete Music (Temporarily)
Some users report that deleting their music and then adding it back later fixed the issue for them. But this is a pretty extreme workaround
- Backup your iPhone via iTunes if possible then delete all music from your iPhone (only do this if you are sure you can recover all your music)
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music > Edit > Delete All Songs
- Restart your Phone, then restart your Watch
- See if your FB Messenger App works on both your Watch and Phone
- Once it works, add your Music back
We are sure that following the steps above can stabilize many apps on your watch. Once you have solved the issue, you can always add back the music from the backup.
Submit a Report to Facebook via iPhone or iPad
- From Home, tap your profile picture in the top left corner
- Scroll down and tap Report a Problem
- Select Something Isn’t Working
- Describe the problem in detail in the text box, including any troubleshooting steps you already tried
- Tap Send
- The report also automatically includes information about your device, iOS version, and your FB account
Sending this information won’t remedy your immediate problem, but hopefully brings attention to the issue and the need for a permanent fix. The more users submit reports, the better chance of Facebook actually looking into the issue.
Factory Reset Your iPhone
No one wants to hear this, but quite a few readers report it fixed their Facebook Messenger on Apple Watch problems. Perform a factory reset on your paired iPhone using iTunes (if possible) and then restore your phone from a backup. If possible, use an older backup from a time when your Messenger app worked. If you don’t know or if it never worked, use a recent backup or consider restoring as new.
Be patient! This process takes time–as long as 4-6 hours–so plan ahead. After restoring your iPhone, re-pair your Apple Watch and set it up as a new one to fix this FB Messenger issue. 
Reset Your Apple Watch and iPhone Back to Factory
- Open iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC and connect your device
- First, backup your iPhone using iTunes command Backup Now (do not use iCloud)
- Next, select Restore iPhone and choose to Erase All Content and Settings
- Your iPhone wipes out everything, installs the latest iOS, and starts a brand new setup
- Perform the same Erase All Content and Settings on your Apple Watch
- On the Watch: Go to General > Settings >Reset > Erase All Content and Settings
- Restore your iPhone from backup using iTunes. Do not use your iCloud backup!!!
- Use an older backup if you know when the problem started
- Pair your iPhone with your Apple Watch
- Follow all the on-screen instructions on both your Apple Watch and your iPhone
Reader Tips 
- I set-up my Apple Watch to unlock my MacBook Pro and then suddenly, the Messenger App started showing my recent messages on my Apple Watch. So give this one a try–just remember that you need to use the same Apple ID on your Phone, Watch, and Mac for it to work
- This order worked for me!
- Open the Messenger app on your phone
- Go to Settings (tap on the upper-left picture to load the Settings Menu)
- Tap on Apple Watch
- Change one of the default replies to anything and close the app (double press Home and swipe up on Messenger app preview to close)
- Open Messenger > Settings > Apple Watch again and delete that entry you just changed
- Close the app again (double press Home and swipe up on Messenger app preview to close)
- Now, open Facebook Messenger on your Apple Watch and see if your messages are there
- If this doesn’t work the first time, try these steps again. Some readers report it takes a couple of tries to get FB Messenger working on your watch
- I suggest changing more than one of the default responses. It worked! I changed three at one time
- Open FB Messenger app on your watch and keep it open. When it shows the loading icon (spinning wheel), open FB Messenger on your phone and get to the Settings Menu ((tap on the upper-left picture to load the Settings Menu.) Select the Apple Watch tab and change the text in replies (like above). Finally, check your watch and see if it shows your messages!
- I eventually got Messenger to work by modifying EVERY Default Reply, then exiting out of Messenger on the iPhone, opening Messenger a second time, then finally my Apple Watch S3 connected to FB Messenger and began to load my messages on-screen.