How To Pair Apple Watch 3 With Iphone 6

This article shows you how to pair your Apple watch with Android, iPhone, iPad, re-pair, un-pair, reset, set up and connect the Apple watch.

Pair your Apple Watch with a new iPhone
Initial set up of the Apple Watch
Pair your Apple Watch without your old iPhone
Pair your Apple Watch using your old phone
Apple Watch stuck or frozen while pairing
If your iPhone doesn't ask to use your Apple Watch
If you forgot your Apple Watch passcode
How to unpair and erase your Apple Watch
Erase your Apple Watch without your iPhone
Reset Apple Watch with your iPhone
How to restart your Apple Watch
If you can't find the I icon on your phone or watch
Setup and pair your Apple watch with your iPhone
Too many passcode attempts, reset and pair your Apple Watch again error
How to update your Apple Watch

How to pair your Apple Watch with a new iPhone

Ready to get a new iPhone? Learn how to transfer your Apple Watch from your old iPhone to your new one.

Here's what you need

Your Apple ID and password (so you can turn off Activation Lock)
Your old and new iPhone both need to be connected to Wi-Fi
Your Apple Watch and iPhone both need to be at least 50 per cent charged
Your Apple Watch passcode

If you have your old iPhone

Use these steps to back up your Apple Watch before pairing with your new iPhone.

Update your old iPhone

Before you switch your Apple Watch to a new iPhone, update your old iPhone and update your Apple Watch. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete. You might want to update overnight or wait until you have time and make sure that both of your devices are charged.

Check your Health and Activity settings

If you back up using iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and make sure that Health is on.

If you back up using your computer, encrypt your backup to save your Health and Activity content.

Check activity setting when pairing Apple Watch.

Back up your old iPhone

Use these steps to back up your old iPhone in iCloud or on your computer. Your iPhone also backs up your Apple Watch.

Set up your new iPhone

Set up your new iPhone. When asked if you have an iCloud or iTunes backup, choose your most recent backup to restore your data from your old device to your new device. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date; if they aren't, you might not see your backup in the list.

If your iPhone asks if you want to use your Apple Watch, tap Continue. If it doesn't ask, you can still set up your Apple Watch manually in the next step.

Open the Apple Watch app on your new iPhone

Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

If your iPhone asks you to confirm that you want to use your watch, follow the onscreen steps to finish setting up.

If your iPhone asks you to Start Pairing, unpair your Apple Watch so that you can set it up.

After setup, you can start using your Apple Watch with your new iPhone.

Initial Set-Up of Apple Watch

Turn on your Apple Watch and put it on.

To turn on your Apple Watch, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo. This may take a few minutes.

Hold your Apple Watch close to your iPhone.

Wait for the "Use your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch" message to appear on your iPhone, then tap Continue. If you don't see this message, open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap All Watches, then Tap Pair New Watch.

If this is your Apple Watch, tap Set Up for Myself. Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together until you complete these steps.

Hold your iPhone over the animation.

Center the watch face in the viewfinder on your iPhone. Wait for a message to say that your Apple Watch is paired.

If you can't use the camera, or you don't see the pairing animation or your iPhone can't read it, tap Pair Apple Watch Manually, then follow the steps that appear.

Automatically pairing iPhone to Apple Watch.

Set up as new or restore from a backup

If this is your first Apple Watch, tap Set Up as New Apple Watch. Otherwise, tap Restore from Backup. If asked, update your Apple Watch to the latest version of watchOS.

Read the Terms and Conditions and tap Agree, then tap Agree again to continue.

Sign in with your Apple ID

If asked, enter your Apple ID password. If you aren't asked, you can sign in later from the Apple Watch app: Tap General > Apple ID, then sign in. Certain features that require a cellular phone number won't work on cellular models of the Apple Watch unless you sign in to iCloud.

If Find My isn't set up on your iPhone, you'll be asked to turn on Activation Lock. If you see an Activation Lock screen, your Apple Watch is already linked to an Apple ID. You need to enter the email address and password for that Apple ID to continue set up. If your Apple Watch was previously owned, you might need to contact the previous owner to remove the Activation Lock.

Choose your settings

Your Apple Watch shows you which settings it shares with your iPhone. If you turned on features such as Find My, Location Services, Wi-Fi Calling, and Diagnostics for your iPhone, these settings automatically turn on for your Apple Watch.

Next, you can choose to use other settings, like Route Tracking and Siri. If Siri isn't already set up on your iPhone, it will turn on after you choose this option. You can also choose the text size for your watch.

Create a passcode

You can skip creating a passcode, but you need one for features like Apple Pay.

On your iPhone, tap Create a Passcode or Add a Long Passcode, then switch to your Apple Watch to enter your new code. To skip, tap Don't Add Passcode.

Create passcode after pairing Apple Watch.

Choose features and apps

Next, you'll also be asked to set up Apple Pay by adding a card. Then we'll walk you through setting up features like automatic watchOS updates, SOS, and Activity. On cellular models of the Apple Watch, you can also set up cellular.

Finally, you can install your apps compatible with Apple Watch or choose to install apps individually later.

Wait for your devices to sync

Depending on how much data you have, syncing might take some time. While you wait for your watch to sync, try Apple Watch Basics to learn a little about how to use your watch.

Keep your devices close together until you hear a chime and feel a gentle tap from your Apple Watch, then press the Digital Crown.

If you don't have your old iPhone or you erased it

Your Apple Watch might still be paired with your old iPhone. Use the steps below to unpair:

Erase your Apple Watch.
Set up your new iPhone and sign in to iCloud. If you've already set up and signed in, skip this step.
Open the Apple Watch app on your new iPhone, then pair your watch with your new iPhone.
Try to restore from a backup. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date; if they're not, you might not see your backup in the list. You will lose Activity, Workouts, or settings on your watch that changed between the last backup and now. If you use iCloud in iOS 11 and later, Health and Activity data is stored in iCloud and automatically kept up to date on devices where you're signed in with the same Apple ID.
- If you're asked to restore from a watch backup, select the most recent backup.
- If you don't have a backup, you need to set up your Apple Watch as new.
Follow the onscreen steps to finish setting up.
Start using your Apple Watch with your new iPhone. You might need to wait a few days for all your iCloud data to appear.

If you have your old iPhone and you didn't erase it

Unpair your Apple Watch from your old iPhone. Then choose one of these options depending on when you set up your new iPhone:

If you just restored your new iPhone from a recent backup, pair your devices. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date, otherwise, you might not see your backup in the list. When you're asked, restore from a watch backup. Your recent Activity, Workouts, or settings content might be lost depending on how old the backup is.
If your iPhone backup is several days or weeks old and you want to preserve as much content as possible, erase your new iPhone. Then transfer the content from your old iPhone to your new iPhone. You might lose some of the content on your new iPhone. Remember to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.

If your Apple Watch is stuck while pairing

If your Apple Watch gets stuck at the black screen that shows the white Apple logo, follow these steps:

Press and hold the Digital Crown and the side button at the same time until your watch restarts. Then release the Digital Crown and side button.

After your watch restarts, firmly press the screen or press and hold the Digital Crown.
Tap Reset.
After your watch resets, you can pair it with your iPhone. First, bring your iPhone near your watch, then follow the on-screen instructions.

If your iPhone doesn't ask if you want to use your Apple Watch during setup

Unpair your Apple Watch from your old iPhone, then pair it with your new iPhone. When asked, restore your Apple Watch from a backup. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date; if they're not, you might not see your backup in the list.

If you transferred your content to your new iPhone using your computer, but Health and Activity content is missing

If you use iCloud to keep Health up to date on your old iPhone, your data will automatically update on your new iPhone whenever you're connected to Wi-Fi and signed in to iCloud. On your old iPhone and your new one, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and make sure that Health is on.

If you don't use iCloud, you can try to restore from a computer backup of your old iPhone. If you have your old iPhone and didn't erase it, make a new iCloud backup or encrypted computer backup. Then erase your new iPhone and restore it from the new backup. Remember to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again. If you use a computer, make sure that you encrypt your backup.

If you don't have your old iPhone or you can't back it up, you can't recover your Health and Activity content.

If you forgot your Apple Watch Passcode

If you forgot the passcode to your Apple Watch, you'll need to reset the watch and set it up again.

How to reset your Apple Watch if you forgot your passcode

Put your watch on its charger and keep it there until you complete these steps.
Press and hold the side button until you see Power Off.
Press and hold the Digital Crown until you see Erase all content and settings.
Tap Reset, then tap Reset again to confirm.
Wait for the process to finish, then set up your Apple Watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

Erasing all content and settings erases all media, data, and settings from your Apple Watch, but it does not remove Activation Lock. To remove Activation Lock, unpair the watch first. Before your watch is erased, a backup of its contents is created on your iPhone.

Unpair and erase your Apple Watch

Unpairing your Apple Watch restores it to its factory settings.

If you're using your Apple Watch with a transit card in the Wallet app, remove your transit card from your Apple Watch before you unpair.

How to unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone

Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together as you unpair them.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Go to the My Watch tab and tap All Watches.
Tap the info button next to the watch that you want to unpair.

Select your watch when pairing your Apple watch.

Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

For GPS + Cellular models, choose to keep or remove your cellular plan.
- If you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan.
- If you don't want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, remove your plan. If you aren't going to pair it with a different watch or iPhone, you might need to contact your carrier to cancel your cellular subscription.
Tap again to confirm. You might need to enter your Apple ID password to disable Activation Lock. Before erasing all content and settings on your Apple Watch, your iPhone creates a new backup of your Apple Watch. You can use the backup to restore a new Apple Watch. After your Apple Watch unpairs, you'll see the Start Pairing message.
Set up your Apple Watch again.

How to erase your Apple Watch if you don't have your iPhone

On your Apple Watch, tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Type your password if prompted.
For GPS + Cellular models, choose to keep or remove your cellular plan.
- If you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan.
- If you don't want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, remove your plan. If you aren't going to pair it with a different watch or iPhone, you might need to contact your carrier to cancel your cellular subscription.
Tap Erase All to confirm. This resets your Apple Watch to the factory settings.

How to reset your Apple Watch using your paired iPhone

Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together until you complete these steps.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone, then tap the My Watch tab.
Tap General > Reset.
Tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings, then tap it again at the bottom of the screen to confirm. You might need to enter your Apple ID password.
For Apple Watch models with GPS + Cellular, choose to keep or remove your cellular plan: If you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan.

Erasing Apple watch content and settings when pairing.

If you don't want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, remove your plan. If you aren't going to pair it with a different watch or iPhone, you might need to contact your carrier to cancel your cellular subscription.
Wait for the process to finish, then set up your Apple Watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

How to restart your Apple Watch

Learn how to turn your Apple Watch on and off, even if it isn't responding.

Restart your Apple Watch

Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider.
Drag the Power Off slider.
After your watch turns off, press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo.

If your Apple Watch is charging, take it off the charger first. When your watch is charging, you can't restart it.

Force a Restart of Your Apple Watch

Don't force restart your Apple Watch if you're updating watchOS. Instead, after you see the Apple logo and progress wheel on your Apple Watch, leave your Apple Watch alone and on its charger until the update finishes.

You should force restart your device as a last resort and only if it's not responding. To force restart your Apple Watch, press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, then release both buttons when you see the Apple logo.

If you can't find the 'i' icon on your Apple Watch

When you pair an Apple Watch manually, you're asked to tap the "i" icon. If you don't see the "i" icon, you might need to unpair or erase the watch first.

Make sure the watch isn't already paired

You can pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone only if it isn't already paired. If you still see the time, lock screen, or apps on your Apple Watch, your watch might still be paired with an iPhone.

Before you can pair again, you need to unpair the watch from your iPhone, or erase the watch. You can use either of the following methods:

Use your iPhone to unpair

Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.
Tap the "i" icon next to the watch that you want to unpair, then tap Unpair Apple Watch.
Tap again to confirm, then wait for your watch to unpair.
After your Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again.

Erase your Apple Watch

Open the Settings app on your watch, then tap General > Reset.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then tap again to confirm.
Wait for your watch to unpair.
After your Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again.

If the pairing process stalls

If it seems like the Apple Watch pairing process has stalled — for example, the pairing animation remains on the screen for several minutes — resetting the watch might help:

Press and hold the Digital Crown while your Apple Watch is in pairing mode.
Tap Reset when it appears on your watch.
After your watch resets, you can pair again.

How to find the "i" icon

If you've unpaired or erased your Apple Watch and you're setting it up manually, find the "i" icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. To see the name of your watch and pair manually, tap the "i" icon.

If your Apple Watch isn't connected or paired with your iPhone

If you see a red iPhone icon on your Apple Watch, or you're trying to pair and can't find the "i" icon, try to connect your devices again.

Check your Apple Watch connection

If you don't get notifications, messages, or calls on your Apple Watch, your Apple Watch and iPhone might not be connected. When your devices disconnect, the red iPhone icon or the red X icon appears on your watch face. You can also check your connection in Control Center. When your Apple Watch connects again, the green iPhone icon appears.

First, bring your Apple Watch and paired iPhone close together. If you still see that the devices are disconnected and need help, try the steps below. After each step, see if your devices can connect.

Try to connect your Apple Watch and iPhone again

Keep your Apple Watch and paired iPhone close together to make sure that they're in range.
On your iPhone, make sure that Airplane Mode is off and that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on. To check, open Control Center.

Pair your watch after getting a connection.

If you see the Airplane Mode icon on your watch face, Airplane Mode is on. Open Control Center, then turn off Airplane Mode.
Restart your Apple Watch and iPhone.

Unpair your devices, then pair them again

If your Apple Watch still can't connect, unpair it from your iPhone, then pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.

Set up and pair your Apple Watch with iPhone

To use your Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7, you need to pair your Apple Watch with an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later. Setup assistants on your iPhone and Apple Watch work together to help you pair and set up your Apple Watch.

Turn on, pair, and set up your Apple Watch

Put your Apple Watch on your wrist. Adjust the band or choose a band size so your Apple Watch fits closely but comfortably on your wrist. For information about changing the band on your Apple Watch, see Remove, change, and fasten Apple Watch bands.
To turn on your Apple Watch, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Bring your iPhone near your Apple Watch, wait for the Apple Watch pairing screen to appear on your iPhone, then tap Continue. Or open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then tap Pair New Watch.

When prompted, position your iPhone so that your Apple Watch appears in the viewfinder in the Apple Watch app. This pairs the two devices.
Tap Set Up for Myself. Follow the instructions on your iPhone and Apple Watch to finish the setup.

Tip:If you have difficulty seeing your Apple Watch or iPhone, VoiceOver or Zoom can help—even during setup. See Set up Apple Watch using VoiceOver or Use Zoom on Apple Watch.

While it's pairing with your iPhone, your Apple Watch provides tips on how to interact with it. Tap Display, Digital Crown, and Side Button to learn more.

You can activate cellular service on your Apple Watch during setup. If you don't wish to, you can activate it later in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. See Use Apple Watch with a cellular network.

Your iPhone and Apple Watch must use the same cellular carrier. However, if you set up an Apple Watch for someone in your Family Sharing group, you may use a cellular carrier different from the one used on the iPhone you manage it with.

Pair more than one Apple Watch

You can pair another Apple Watch in the same way you paired your first one. Bring your iPhone near your Apple Watch, wait for the Apple Watch pairing screen to appear on your iPhone, then tap Pair. Or follow these steps:

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap My Watch, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.
Tap Pair New Watch, then follow the onscreen instructions.

See the Apple Support article Use more than one Apple Watch with your iPhone.

To learn how to set up a watch for someone in your Family Sharing group, see Set up Apple Watch for a family member.

Quickly switch to a different Apple Watch

Your iPhone detects the paired Apple Watch you're wearing and automatically connects to it. Just put on a different Apple Watch and raise your wrist.

You can also choose an Apple Watch manually:

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap My Watch, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.
Turn off Auto Switch.

To see if your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone, touch and hold the bottom of the watch screen, swipe up to open Control Center, then look for the Connected status icon .

Transfer an existing cellular plan to a new Apple Watch

You can transfer your existing cellular plan from your Apple Watch with cellular to another Apple Watch with cellular by following these steps:

While wearing your Apple Watch, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap My Watch, tap Cellular, then tap next to your cellular plan.
Tap Remove [name of carrier] Plan, then confirm your choice. You may need to contact your carrier to remove this Apple Watch from your cellular plan.
Remove your old watch, put on your other Apple Watch with cellular, tap My Watch, then tap Cellular. Follow the instructions to activate your watch for cellular.

Too Many Passcode Attempts Reset Apple Watch and Pair Again

Use your paired iPhone

If you have your iPhone, you can use the Apple Watch app to remove the passcode from your Apple Watch. After you remove the passcode, you need to set up your Apple Watch again and restore from a backup.

Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together until you complete these steps.
Open the Apple Watch app and tap the My Watch tab.
Tap General > Reset.
Tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings, then tap again to confirm. You might need to enter your Apple ID password.

Erase settings when too many passcode attempts error.

Wait for the process to finish, then set up your Apple Watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

Reset Apple Watch after too many passcode attempts.

Use your Apple Watch

If you don't have your paired iPhone, you can still remove the passcode from your Apple Watch.

Keep your watch on its charger until you complete these steps.
Press and hold the side button until you see Power Off.
Firmly press the Power Off slider, then lift your finger.
Tap Erase all content and settings.
Wait for the process to finish, then set up your Apple Watch again. When asked, restore from a backup.

Update your Apple Watch

Use your iPhone to update your Apple Watch software, or update directly on your Apple Watch.

If your iPhone says 'Update Apple Watch'

When you see an alert on your iPhone that says "Your Apple Watch software is out of date," you should update to the latest version of watchOS so that your data, including Activity Data, continues to sync to your iPhone.

Get ready to update

First, make sure that your Apple Watch is compatible with the latest software: watchOS 7 is compatible with Apple Watch Series 3 and later and Apple Watch SE. Upgrading to watchOS 7 requires an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14 or later. Find your Apple Watch model.

Next, check these things:

Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
Make sure that your Apple Watch is at least 50 percent charged.
Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi.
Keep your iPhone next to your Apple Watch, so that they're in range.

It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete. You might want to update overnight or wait until you have time.

Update your Apple Watch using your iPhone

When a new update is available, your Apple Watch notifies you. Tap Update Tonight in the notification, then go to your iPhone to confirm that you want to update overnight. At the end of the day, leave your Apple Watch and iPhone charging overnight so the update can complete.

To check for updates manually, use these steps:

Keep your Apple Watch on its charger until the update completes.
On your iPhone, open the Watch app, then tap the My Watch tab.
Tap General > Software Update.

Download the update. If asked for your iPhone passcode or Apple Watch passcode, enter it.
Wait for the progress wheel to appear on your Apple Watch. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete.

Or update directly on your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has watchOS 6 or later, you can install subsequent updates without your iPhone:

Make sure that your watch is connected to Wi-Fi.
On your watch, open the Settings app.
Tap General > Software Update.
Tap Install if a software update is available, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Leave your Apple Watch on its charger while the update completes. Don't restart your Apple Watch, and don't quit the Watch app. When the update completes, your Apple Watch restarts on its own.

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