Unpairing your Apple Watch from your iPhone is necessary for a number of reasons, including but not limited to selling your iPhone or Apple Watch or upgrading to a newer model. But even if you no longer have access to the iPhone or Apple Watch that was previously linked with it, you can still unpair the two devices. In simple terms, you can unpair your Apple watch without the phone that was originally connected to it.
But how did you go about this? Don’t worry the steps in this article will help you unpair an Apple Watch without a phone or an old iPhone that will not power up.
So without further ado, let’s get into it…
How To Unpair Apple Watch Without Old Phone
#1. Ensure both the Apple Watch and the previous Phone are turned off
Begin by ensuring that both the Apple Watch and the old Phone are turned off to prevent any syncing or notifications that could cause complications during the unpairing procedure. Hold the iPhone’s side button until the “slide to power off” option appears, and then swipe it. Press and hold the side button, then slide to “Power Off” to turn off the Apple Watch.
#2. Press and Hold the Apple Watch side button
Press and hold the side button on the Apple Watch until the power options display, then release the button. This action prepares the watch for its reset.
#3. Force Touch the ‘Power Off’ slider with force
Instead of sliding the “Power Off” slider, press down hard on the slider until you feel a vibration; this is called “Force Touch.” This action displays the option to “Erase all content and settings” on the Apple Watch.
#4. Select “Erase all data and configurations.”
Tap “Erase all content and settings” and then confirm you wish to reset the watch. This action will delete all information from the watch and de-pair it from the old iPhone.
#5. Wait the Apple Watch’s Reset
Wait for the Apple Watch to complete the process of resetting. During the process, the watch may restart and display a progress ring. To prepare the watch for pairing with a new device, it is necessary to complete this step.
#6. Pair a new iPhone with the Apple Watch
Activate your new iPhone and verify that it has been configured. Open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, tap “Start Pairing,” and follow the on-screen prompts to pair the watch with the new device. Typically, the procedure involves using the iPhone’s camera to scan a pattern displayed on the Apple Watch.
#7. Restore the Apple Watch or configure it as a new device.
During the pairing process, you will have the option to either restore Apple Watch data from a previous backup or set up the watch as a new device. Follow the remaining setup steps after selecting the desired option.
Once the setup is complete, your Apple Watch will be unpaired from the previous iPhone and paired with the new one, with all data either restored or set up anew, depending on the option you selected.
How to Unpair an Apple Watch Without an iPhone Through iCloud
If you no longer have the phone that your watch is paired with and you need to unpair, you will need to remove Activation Lock using your iCloud account in order to pair it with a new iPhone.
- Visit iCloud.com on a computer and enter your Apple ID and password to sign in.
- Choose iPhone Find.
- Select your Apple Watch by clicking All Devices.
- Choose the info button adjacent to the device.
- Select Remove Apple Watch to disable the Activation Lock and enable pairing with a new phone.
How to Erase/Unpair an Apple Watch Without Using Your Phone
Besides the method above, you can also erase or unpair your Apple Watch without a phone by following the steps below. Neither method will remove the Activation Lock, and you can always re-pair it with your iPhone.
- Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on your Apple Watch.
- Enter your password here.
- If you have a cellular model, you must decide whether to keep or cancel your cellular plan (as previously discussed).
- To return your watch to factory settings, select Erase All.
How to Unpair Your Apple Watch Using the iPhone Watch App
- Place your Apple Watch and iPhone on their chargers OR make sure they each have 50% battery capacity.
- Place your Apple Watch and iPhone close together. Instead of feet/meters, we recommend inches or centimeters.
- Open the Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone.
- Tap All Watches at the top of the screen after selecting the My Watch tab.
- Tap the “i” info button next to the name of the watch you want to unpair.
- Unpair your Apple Watch
- Choose whether to keep or cancel your cellular plan for Apple Watches with GPS and Cellular services.
- Keep your plan if you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.
- Remove your plan if you don’t want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again. When unpairing the Apple Watch from the iPhone, there are several cellular plan options.
- Tap again to confirm that you want to unpair.
- Enter your Apple ID password if prompted to disable your watch’s iCloud Activation Lock.
Apple automatically creates a backup of your watch during the unpairing process. If necessary, you can use this backup to restore your data. You have the option of starting over and not restoring the backup.
The Start Pairing message appears on your Apple Watch after it unpairs.
What Happens When You Unpair the Apple Watch?
When you disconnect your Apple Watch from its paired iPhone, it resets to factory settings.
That is, unpairing deletes all data from your Apple Watch.
When you unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, Apple creates a backup of the data on your Apple Watch before removing it. You can restore your Apple Watch’s data using this backup or any previous backup.
When you back up your iPhone to iCloud, iTunes, or Finder your iPhone, your Apple Watch backup is included.
If you unpair your Apple Watch while it is disconnected from your iPhone or out of range of your iPhone, your Apple Watch backup may not contain the most recent data.
Is It True That Unpairing the Apple Watch Erases It and Deletes All of My Data?
Unpairing your Apple Watch erases all data–but not forever!
While unpairing your Apple Watch does indeed erase everything on it, a backup of all that data is created automatically when you use the Watch app on your iPhone to unpair your Apple Watch.
You can then restore that backup by pairing a new Apple Watch or that same Apple Watch again.
So, yes, the device has been erased. However, if you use the Watch app on your iPhone, you will not lose any data because it creates a complete backup of all your data.
If you unpair your Apple Watch while not carrying your iPhone or are out of range, Apple will no longer be able to back up your Watch to your iPhone. As a result, any data created after you last backed up your watch is lost.
When You Unpair an Apple Watch, Does It Also Delete Your Text Messages?
When you unpair your Apple Watch, it deletes everything from it, including any messages–but only from the Apple Watch.
On the other hand, it does not erase, delete, or remove ANY of the messages stored on your iPhone, iCloud, or any other device that shares your Apple ID.
How Do I Unpair an Apple Watch From a Lost or Stolen iPhone?
Before you begin, go to Apple’s iCloud website and use Find My to mark your iPhone as Lost or remotely erase it.
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings > Erase All on your Apple Watch. Tap Erase All to return your Apple Watch to its factory settings.
After that, connect your Apple Watch to your replacement iPhone.
You can also remotely erase your watch by visiting the iCloud website or using the Find My app.
You cannot make a backup of your most recent watch settings and data because you did not unpair your Apple Watch using the Watch app. Look for older available backups to restore or reset your watch to factory settings.
Conclusion
You can easily unpair your Apple Watch from an old iPhone and pair it with a new one by following these steps. The procedure is simple and requires only a basic understanding of the device’s settings. To avoid interference or issues during setup, make sure both devices are turned off before beginning the unpairing process. Following that, simply follow each step carefully until you’ve successfully paired your watch with the new phone – either by restoring data from a previous backup or by setting it up as a brand-new device.
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