Why won’t my existing Apple Watch pair to my new phone?

Answered by Jeremy Urbaniak

I recently experienced an issue where my existing Apple Watch wouldn’t pair with my new phone. It was quite frustrating, as I was excited to use my watch with the new phone’s features. After some troubleshooting, I managed to resolve the problem, and I’d like to share the steps I took with you.

Firstly, I made sure that both my Apple Watch and iPhone were running the latest software versions. This is crucial because sometimes compatibility issues can arise if either device is not up to date. So, I went to the settings on both my watch and iPhone and checked for any available updates. Fortunately, there were updates available for both devices, so I proceeded to install them.

Once the software updates were installed, I attempted to pair my Apple Watch with my iPhone again. However, it seemed to be stuck in the pairing process, and I couldn’t get past a certain point. This is when I decided to try a hard reset on my watch.

To perform a hard reset on the Apple Watch, I held down both the Digital Crown and the side button simultaneously for about 10 seconds. After doing this, my watch restarted, and I was prompted to select my language and region again. This was a good sign, as it indicated that the hard reset had been successful.

After the restart, I firmly pressed the screen or held down the Digital Crown to access the home screen. From there, I tapped on the “Settings” app.

Within the Settings app, I scrolled down and tapped on “General,” followed by “Reset.” Here, I selected the option to “Erase All Content and Settings.” This essentially wiped my watch clean and restored it to its factory settings.

Once my watch had been reset, I was able to pair it with my iPhone without any issues. This time, the pairing process went smoothly, and all my data and settings were synced seamlessly.

It’s worth noting that performing a reset will erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch, so make sure to back up any important data beforehand. Additionally, if you have any saved workouts or activity data on your watch, it will be lost during the reset process.

If your existing Apple Watch is not pairing with your new phone, try updating the software on both devices first. If the issue persists, a hard reset and subsequent reset on the watch should resolve the problem. Just be sure to back up any important data and understand that a reset will erase all content and settings on the watch. Good luck, and I hope this solution works for you!