How to Unpair Apple Watch and Pair to New Phone

how to unpair apple watch and pair to new phone
Credit: BeeBom

Throughout history, pairing an Apple Watch with an iPhone has become completely intuitive. Apple has designed its products to quickly recognize one another to provide users with a more streamlined and enjoyable experience. The process of unpairing an Apple Watch, on the other hand, can be a little challenging. So in this article, we will go over the process to pair and unpair an Apple watch and phone.

How to Unpair Apple Watch and Pair to New Phone

How to Unpair an Apple Watch

If you want to switch to a new Apple Watch and reset your old one before selling or gifting it to someone else, you must unpair it from your iPhone.

If you restore your Apple Watch to factory settings without first unpairing it from your iPhone, Activation Lock will be triggered because your Apple ID and phone will still be associated with the watch (more on this in the FAQ section below). This is a pain you don’t want to deal with, and it never happened to me while exchanging an Apple Watch at Best Buy.

Step 1: Place the iPhone and Apple Watch close together.

Hold or place the two devices close together to unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone.

Step 2: Launch the Apple Watch app on your phone

To open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap on it.

Step 3: On the top left of your screen, tap All Watches.

This will give you a list of all the e Apple Watches linked to your Apple ID. Locate the one you want to unpair.

Step 4: To unpair, press the Info button next to the watch.

On your iPhone, an info button will appear to the right of the Apple Watch you want to unpair.

Step 5: Unpair Apple Watch

The last option on the Apple Watch settings page should be Unpair Apple Watch.

Step 6: Tap unpair once more to confirm.

A confirmation prompt will appear at the bottom of your screen; tap Unpair Apple Watch once more.

Step 7: Enter your Apple ID password and tap unpair once more.

To unlink your Apple Watch from it, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password at this point.

A backup of your Apple Watch data and settings will be created, which will come in handy if you want to reset your Apple Watch without losing your data, or if you’re upgrading to a new Apple Watch.

How to Pair Apple Watch

Before attempting to pair your Apple Watch, make sure your iPhone’s iOS version is up to date by checking your settings. After that, make sure Bluetooth is turned on and you’re connected to a network, either Wi-Fi or cellular.

Step 1: Start your Apple Watch.

To turn on the Apple Watch, press and hold the side button. A screen will appear indicating that the Apple Watch is in pairing mode and instructing you to bring it close to the iPhone with which you want to pair it.

Step 2: Keep your iPhone close to your Apple Watch until it recognizes it.

When your iPhone detects the presence of an Apple Watch nearby, it will display a message. Simply press the Continue button.

Step 3: Select “Set Up for Myself.”

It is also possible to set up for someone else, such as a family member.

Step 4: Point the camera at the Apple Watch animation.

To complete the pairing process, an animation will appear on your Apple Watch that you must scan with your iPhone. If you are unable to use the camera for any reason, simply select the option to set it up manually and follow the prompts.

Step 5: Wait for the Apple Watch to pair.

When the Apple Watch and iPhone are paired, the screen shown in the following image appears. You’ll then be prompted to complete the setup, which will allow you to customize your preferences, install new apps, and start using your Apple Watch.

What exactly is Activation Lock?

The activation lock feature on your Apple Watch (and other Apple devices) prevents others from using your watch if it is lost or stolen. If you perform a factory reset on the Apple Watch, it will remain linked to your Apple ID and paired with your iPhone, so unpair it from your iPhone before resetting it.

Is it necessary to unpair my old Apple Watch before pairing a new one?

If you’re upgrading to a newer Apple Watch, you’ll need to unpair your old one from your iPhone unless you want to use both watches.

How do I unpair my Apple Watch if I don’t have my iPhone?

If you ever need to unpair your Apple Watch but don’t have your phone (for example, if it’s been lost or stolen), simply go to iCloud and log in with your Apple ID, then go to Settings and remove your Apple Watch from My Devices. This, like the in-person unpairing process described above, will prevent Activation Lock.

How to Connect Your Apple Watch to a New Device

You must back up your Apple Watch before pairing it with a new device. To do so, follow the steps outlined below.

Step 1: Update your previous iPhone.

Before upgrading to a new iPhone, you must first update your old iPhone and Apple Watch. During this process, keep both devices charged.

Step 2: Examine your health and activity levels.

Examine the health and activity settings on your Apple Watch.
If you made a backup using iCloud, go to settings, select the name you used, click iCloud, and make sure the health icon is turned on.

However, if you made your backup on a computer, you must encrypt it in order to save your health and activity content.

Please keep in mind that your activity sharing data is not saved on iCloud.

Step 3: Make a backup of your old iPhone.

Your old iPhone can be backed up on your computer or in iCloud. In addition, your iPhone serves as a backup for your Apple Watch.

Step 4: Configure your new iPhone

Have you set up your new iPhone’s iCloud or iTunes backup? When prompted, choose your most recent backup to restore your data from the previous iPhone to the new one.

If your Apple Watch and iPhone are not up to date, you may not find your backup in the list provided.

If you receive a pop-up notification on your iPhone asking if you want to use your Apple Watch, click continue. If you do not receive a notification, proceed with a manual set-up by following step 5 below.

Step 5: Launch the Apple Watch app on your new iPhone.

As you open the watch app on your iPhone, keep your iPhone and Apple Watch close by.

You may be asked to confirm ‘if you want to use your watch’ upon request. If yes, then complete the setup by following the steps that appear on your screen.

The prompt on your iPhone screen may ask you to start pairing, but first you must unpair your Apple Watch.

How to Unpair an Apple Watch Without Using an Old Phone: Step-by-Step Instructions

Turn off both the Apple Watch and the old iPhone.

Begin by turning off both the Apple Watch and the old iPhone to avoid any syncing or notifications that could cause problems during the unpairing process. Hold down the iPhone’s side button until the “slide to power off” option appears, then swipe it. To turn off the Apple Watch, press and hold the side button for a few seconds before sliding on “Power Off.”

Press and hold the Apple Watch side button for two seconds.

Press and hold the Apple Watch’s side button until the power options appear, then remove your finger from the button. This step gets the watch ready for resetting.

Squeeze the ‘Power Off’ slider.

Instead of sliding the “Power Off” slider, forcefully press down on it until you feel a vibration – this is known as “Force Touch.” This action will prompt you to “Erase all content and settings” on your Apple Watch.

Select the ‘Erase all content and settings’ option.

Tap “Erase all content and settings,” then confirm your desire to reset the watch. This action will erase all data from the watch and unpair it from the old iPhone.

Allow the Apple Watch to restart.

Allow some time for the Apple Watch to finish the reset process. During the process, the watch will display a progress ring and may restart. This step is required to prepare the watch for pairing with a new device.

Connect the Apple Watch and a new iPhone.

Check to see if your new iPhone has already been set up. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap “Start Pairing,” and then follow the on-screen instructions to pair your watch with the new device. Typically, the process entails scanning a pattern displayed on the Apple Watch with the iPhone’s camera.

Restore the Apple Watch or configure it as a new device.

During the pairing process, you’ll be given the option of restoring your Apple Watch data from a previous backup or setting up the watch as a new device. Select your preferred option and proceed with the remaining setup steps.

When the setup is finished, your Apple Watch will be unpaired from the old iPhone and paired with the new one, with all data either restored or set up from scratch, depending on your preference.

What should I do if my Apple Watch is currently paired with another phone?

Back up your Apple Watch and unpair it from your current iPhone. When you unpair, your Apple Watch is erased, turns off, and then on again. Back up your current iPhone and transfer contents to the new iPhone if you keep your watch paired to the same mobile number.

Why am I unable to unpair my Apple Watch?

If you don’t have your iPhone and are unable to unpair it, you can still delete all content and settings from your Apple Watch: Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on your Apple Watch. Choose whether to keep or cancel your cellular plan for the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular).

How to Unpair Apple Watch and Pair to New Phone: References

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