How to unpair and pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone

❘ Published: 2023-08-11T15:28:27

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Someone using Apple Watch

Looking for how to pair or unpair your Apple Watch to your iPhone? We explain all so you aren’t left wondering how to get the accessory to connect or disconnect.

Unpairing or pairing your Apple Watch for the first time can be a challenging process. While getting them to talk to each other is rather straightforward, getting them unpaired from each other is slightly trickier. We walk you through the entire process so you’re not left scratching your head.

How to unpair Apple Watch without an iPhone

If you lost your iPhone or do not have access to it anymore, you can unpair the two devices from the Apple Watch itself. This process requires you to reset the Apple Watch. Here’s how to do it:

Go to the settings app on your Apple Watch
Locate “General,” tap it
Scroll down and locate Reset and press it
Tap “Erase All Content and Settings”
Enter your password
Tap “Erase All”

However, this process deletes everything from your Apple Watch’s onboard storage, so if you do not want to lose your fitness data or photos, back up all the essential data to iCloud.

How to unpair Apple Watch from your iPhone

You can unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone as well. To do this, you must ensure that both devices are running the latest operating systems and placed close to each other. You cannot perform an unpair request remotely.

Open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone and then follow the below steps:
Tap My Watch
Tap All Watches
Tap the info button next to the name of the watch that you plan to unpair
Tap “Unpair Apple Watch”
Tap “Unpair Apple “Watch” again
Enter your Apple ID and Password
Tap “Unpair” on the top right

When you unpair an Apple Watch using an iPhone, the phone automatically creates a new backup of the Apple Watch’s data. This data comes in handy when pairing a new watch, which allows you to continue from where you left off.

How to pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone

Pairing an Apple Watch and an iPhone is a simple process. This process is required only once, and since it takes some time to complete, make sure both devices have enough charge. Ensuring the iPhone runs the latest software is also a good idea.

Follow the below process to pair the Apple Watch to an iPhone.
Turn on the watch and bring it close to the iPhone
When the iPhone automatically recognizes a new Apple Watch in the vicinity, click continue
Tap “Setup for Myself” if you set this watch for yourself. Select the second option if you’re doing it for a family member
Scan the pairing animation on Apple Watch’s display using the iPhone’s camera
In case you’re unable to use your phone’s camera, you can tap on “Pair Manually” at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions to pair the watch manually
Wait for the pairing to complete

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