iPhone Notifications Not Working on New Mac? Here’s What You Can Do

A growing number of Mac users are reporting a frustrating issue with macOS Sequoia: after using Migration Assistant or restoring from a Time Machine backup, the option to enable iPhone notifications on a new Mac is either missing or does not work as expected.

The problem typically affects users who set up a new Mac — particularly models like the M4 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro — by transferring data from an older device. While features like iPhone Mirroring and Handoff continue to work, the setting for “Allow Notifications from iPhone” often disappears from System Settings or resets itself after being toggled on. On the iPhone, the option to “Show on Mac” remains enabled, but no notifications are delivered to the Mac.

Multiple threads on Apple Support Community forums confirm that this issue persists across macOS versions 15.3, 15.4, and even 15.5, despite updates that aimed to resolve related bugs.

Did you upgrade your Mac and then run into this issue? Here is what you can do.

Note: It is easy to turn off unwanted notifications on your Mac.

Common Theme: Migration Assistant or Time Machine

Almost every user affected by this issue used Migration Assistant or a Time Machine backup to move data to their new Mac. This suggests the issue lies in something that’s being carried over from the original user account, possibly low-level configuration files or permissions.

• The “Allow Notifications from iPhone” setting can sometimes be found by searching “iPhone” in System Settings. To access this setting, click the Apple menu  and go to System Settings. In the sidebar, select Notifications, then on the right, turn on Allow notifications from iPhone.
• Users are able to toggle it on temporarily, and the setting may appear under Notifications briefly.
• Once System Settings is closed, the toggle disappears and resets to off itself.
• iPhone settings appear correct, but no notifications arrive on the Mac.

Note: How to Back Up your Mac with Time Machine

Fix #1: Erase and Set Up as New (Most Reliable)

Many users report that setting up the Mac as a completely new device, without using Migration Assistant, resolves the issue:

• They first backed up their files manually using an external SSD or similar method.
• Then, they erased the Mac and installed macOS fresh:
  • Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and choose System Settings.
  • In the sidebar, select General.
  • On the right, scroll down and click Transfer or Reset.
  • Then click Erase All Content and Settings to begin the reset process.
• After signing into iCloud and setting up the Mac as new, the iPhone notification feature started working properly.
• Files and apps were reinstalled or copied back manually.

Fix #2: Create a New macOS User Account

Some users created a new user account on the same Mac and found that the notification features worked in the new profile. However, this workaround is not ideal for long-term use, as it requires switching accounts or migrating everything over manually, which can introduce other complications.

To add a new user account, go to the Apple menu  and select System Settings. In the sidebar, click Users & Groups, then choose Add User.

Fix #3: Sign Out of iCloud / Re-pair Devices

Many users attempted to fix the issue by:

• Signing out of iCloud on both Mac and iPhone.
• Removing the iPhone from Bluetooth and restarting both devices.
• Re-enabling iPhone Mirroring and Handoff.

Unfortunately, this approach has not consistently worked for affected users.

Note: If you’re wondering what happens when you sign out of iCloud, check out this article.