Apple Text Messages Notification Nightmare

I have been a longtime user of Apple devices from an original Macintosh SE to waiting in line for the very first iPhone, having the first iPad, Apple Watch and the first MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon. Recently with iOS 15 and 16, WatchOS 8 and 9, iPadOS 15, and MacOS 12 Alerts have become a nightmare and the basic functionality of text messages on a phone has become a confusing set of overlapping configurations. This has resulted in multiple missed message notifications including the complete inability to receive any notifications for a short time on iOS 16.0.1 and having to update to iOS 16.0.2. It seems even apple is confused about the settings. In my testing, I think there are still bugs where a message from a contact with Emergency Bypass still on won’t display a notification on any device. The only thing that guarantees message notifications on an iPhone:

1. Configure notifications on the iPhone Messages app correctly
2. Don’t have any other Apple devices signed into the same messages account
3. Don’t use Focus modes

My testing and research found the following

Devices: MacBook Pro 15 / MacOS 12.6, iPhone 13 Mini / iOS 16.0.2, Apple Watch Series 7 / Watch OS 9

Some Global Rules for Messages notifications with Multiple devices

Apple Watch and Messages Notifications

• Notifications?appear on your Apple Watch or iPhone, but not both.
• If your iPhone is unlocked, you get notifications on your iPhone instead of your Apple Watch.
• If your iPhone is locked or asleep, you get notifications on your Apple Watch, unless your Apple Watch is locked.
• When you read or dismiss notifications on your Apple Watch, they’re also dismissed from your iPhone.
• Mirror iPhone notifications or custom notifications

Sound and Haptic settings on the Apple Watch

• You cannot change the Chime that the apple watch makes to notify you of a message
• If the ringer is off on the Apple Watch there is no chime even with Emergency Bypass turned on for the contact, and no notification on the iPhone

MacOS Messages Notifications dependencies

• Allow notifications on MacOS “System Preferences -> Notifications -> Messages”
• Messages App focus on MacOS
• Computer Sleep or display sleep
• If you get a message notification on MacOS, you don’t get the notification on the iPhone or Apple Watch when you are nearby your computer (Bluetooth proximity?) but this is not documented by apple as far as I can find. This is similar to how notifications on the watch work where you get a notification on the watch but not the iphone. The computer overrules both the iPhone and Watch (and iPad?)

Contact Emergency Bypass (as set when editing a contact on iOS)

• On or off, only shown when set to On or in contact Edit mode on iOS only. Hidden Feature and not available on MacOS 12.6
• Should always play a notification for the contact
• If you are near your computer that is signed into Messages and notifications in MacOS for messages turned off, you won’t get a notification regardless of this setting
• If you are near your computer that is signed into Messages with notifications on, you will only get a notification on your computer based on the notification settings on the computer
• When not near a MacOS computer signed into Messages, this setting does always present a notification and sound on the iOS device.

Focus Status

• Shared across devices, sometimes this setting prevents notifications from displaying anywhere even if the Focus isn’t set. There is a bug in this implementation seemingly confirmed by Apple.
• Do Not Disturb
• Custom
• Off

iOS Notification Settings

• How are notifications displayed
• Notifications Summary
• Show notification preview, lock or unlocked
• Grouping
• Messages Settings

I shouldn’t have to change and experiment with all of these settings just to get text messages from my important contacts. As it stands now.

I sometimes get messages on my MacOS 12.6 Computer when it is nearby. Sometimes I also get a notification on my Apple watch but I cannot duplicate consistently getting a notification on the computer and watch, most often it doesn’t come on the watch. With the watch on I never get notifications on my iPhone with my watch on which is expected.?