How To Pair Apple Watch To New Phone?

iPhone 16, is now available in Apple Stores near you from September 20, 2024, and many iPhone enthusiasts are queuing to lay their hands on the new model. Once you have the new phone, you may need to pair all your other accessories such as your Apple watch to it.

Though the process of unpairing your previous device and connecting to the new one has been a bit complicated in the past, the process has become more and more seamless over the years. 

In this article, we will look at the process involved in pairing the Apple watch with a new phone. If you are having difficulty pairing your device with the new phone, you can use the step-by-step process given in the article and easily use your old watch with the new iPhone. 

Backup your Apple Watch 

If you have been using the Apple watch with an older phone and need to back up the data before pairing it with the new phone. To back up your Apple Watch data, you need to first update it to the newest version. Look for software updates on your old iPhone and Apple watch.

If an update is available, proceed with the updation which may take from several minutes to an hour. After updating your device, check if the “Health” option on your iCloud is on. If you prefer, you may also back up your device using your computer and bypass these steps. 

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Set Up Your New iPhone

After you have backed up both your old iPhones, it is time to set up the new one you got. Turn on the phone and proceed with the setup process and when it asks for the iCloud or iTunes backup, choose your most recent backup, which will automatically transfer all your data from your previous device to the new one. 

Pair Your Apple Watch 

When the iPhone you are setting up asks if you want to connect your Apple Watch, wear the watch on your wrist and make sure it is unlocked, then tap continue. You may also manually connect the watch in the next step. 

Open the Apple Watch App

After setting up the new iPhone, keep the unlocked Apple Watch on your wrist and open the Apple Watch app on it. Confirm that you want to use your watch, complete the steps on the screen to finish the setup, and start using the Apple Watch with your new phone. 

Pair Apple Watch with New iPhone Without Backing Up

You can also pair your Apple Watch to the new iPhone without backing up the settings and data. It needs you to manually unpair your watch from the old phone. Be informed that unpairing the Apple Watch will restore its factory settings. 

Here is a step-by-step guide you can follow: 

1. Keep both the old iPhone and Watch closer together 

2. Open the Apple Watch app and go to the My Watch tab to select the Watch you want to unpair 

3. Tap on the option that says unpair the Apple Watch

4. Confirm your selection by tapping on Unpair [your Apple Watch name]

5. Type your Apple ID password, and then tap unpair to disable the activation lock

6. Hold the watch closer to the new iPhone 

7. Open the Apple Watch app on the new phone and in the All Watches tab, tap on Add Watch 

8. Position the Apple watch in front of your camera as prompted 

9. Wait till the Apple Watch is paired with the new iPhone

How to Troubleshoot if Apple Watch is Stuck While Pairing?

In some cases, the Apple Watch may get stuck at the block screen that shows the apple logo. If you run into such an instance follow the below steps: 

1. Restart the Apple Watch by holding down the Digital Crown (dial) and the side button at the same time. 
2. After the watch restarts, press and hold on the screen or the digital crown
3. In the prompt that pops up, tap Reset. 
4. After resetting the watch, follow the above instructions from Step 6

How to Unpair Apple Watch Without Old Phone?

In the above section, we have described how you can unpair your Apple Watch if you have your old phone with you. But what if that is not the case? Well, you can still unpair the Apple Watch using the watch itself. Here is how you can do it: 

1. Go to the settings on your Apple Watch, tap General 
2. Select Reset and tap on Erase All Content and Settings
3. You may required to type the password
4. In the case of GPS + Cellular models, choose to keep or remove the mobile plan 
5. Tap on the option that says Erase All to continue unpairing the Apple Watch and resetting it to the factory settings

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Conclusion

Pairing Apple Watches with the new iPhone involves several steps including backing up the existing data to the iCloud or using other methods, setting up the new phone, and finally pairing the watch to the new phone. You can also choose to pair the Watch with the new phone without backing up the data. We have explored both ways in detail in this guide.