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How to Pair an Apple Watch to a New Phone (Step-By-Step!)

Whether Apple Watch Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series SE, or Series 7 pairing it to a new phone should be hard.

With us today is an article that will not only teach how to pair an Apple Watch to a new phone but also illustrate how you can manually pair Apple Watch to a new phone and how to unpair Apple Watch without the old phone. Let’s get down to business!

What to Keep in Mind When Pairing Apple Watch to an iPhone

The Apple Watch software running on Apple Watches at the time of writing this article is WatchOS 8. That means you will need an iPhone 6S or newer running on iOS version 15 and above.

Fortunately, WatchOS on Apple Watch 3, the models that come later, and the Watch SE can be upgraded to WatchOS 8.

To cut the long story, buy an Apple Watch that your iPhone meets its minimum requirement i.e. OS version.

How to Pair Apple Watch to a New Phone: Pair Your Apple Watch Automatically

  • Turn on your Apple Watch (if off).
  • Bring your iPhone to and Watch close. Once the two Apple devices are in range an Apple Watch paring screen will show on your phone.
  • Tap Continue on the Apple Watch pairing screen. If the Phone is new, you will need to download and open the Apple Watch app on your phone and select Pair New Watch.
  • Select Set Up for Myself.
  • Bring your phone to position so that the Watch becomes visible in the ViewFinder on the Apple Watch app. Once the Watch is visible to the app the two device pair.
  • Tap set up and slowly follow the easy instructions on your Apple Watch and phone to finish the setup.

How to Manually Pair Apple Watch

Use the re-pair procedure I provide below to pair Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Series 3, Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5, Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 7. Here is how you will manually pair sync your Apple Watch:

  • Long press the button next to the Crown until the Apple Watch turns on.
  • Open the Watch App icon on your phone – iPhone.
  • Tap Start Pairing on your phone. Once you tap start pairing a pair notification will display on your Apple Watch.
  • On your phone (iPhone), tap Pair Apple Watch Manually.
  • Tap the Info Icon on your Apple Watch.
  • From your phone tap the name of the Apple Watch you want to connect to.
  • Input the 6-digit code displayed on your iWatch on your phone. That’s it, you have successfully connected your Apple Watch to your phone manually.

Why Manually Pair Your Apple Watch to Phone

Sometimes the pairing screen won’t which is so frustrating. Luckily when such a thing happens you have the Apple Manual pair option.

All you need to do is install the Apple Watch app which is cost-free (in case you don’t have it on your phone).

With the Apple Watch app downloaded on your phone, observe the steps provided in the subtopic above.

How to Unpair Apple Watch from Old Phone

To unpair or disconnect your Apple Watch from an old phone is far from hard. The following is a brief procedure to help you unpair an Apple Watch from an old iPhone.

  • Launch the Apple Watch app on your old phone.
  • Tap My Watch.
  • Tap All Watches.
  • Tap the Info Icon next to the Apple Watch you want to disconnect from the old phone.
  • Tap Unpair Watch to remove the Apple Watch from the old phone. Your Apple Watch is now disconnected from your old phone ready to be paired to a new phone or re-pair to your iPhone 12.

How to Reconnect Apple Watch to iPhone

To re-pair Apple Watch to your iPhone:

  • Turn the Apple Watch on and then open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  • Bring your iPhone and iWatch close.
  • From the Apple Watch app on your iPhone tap My Watch then, All Watches.
  • Find the Apple Watch you want to reconnect to from the list of watches that show.

How to Unpair Apple Watch without Old Phone

Follow the steps below in case you lost your iPhone and had not removed the Apple Watch from it:

  • Start by removing your Apple Watch from Find My Apple Online.
  • Go to a computer and iCloud.
  • Provide your Apple ID and password to be signed into your account.
  • Open Find iPhone.
  • Choose All Devices.
  • Click Apple Watch.
  • Click Erase Apple Watch.
  • Click Next until the Watch gets erased from the old phone.

Have a Fitbit Watch? Here is an article that will help you connect it to your new iPhone!

How do I Add a Second Apple Watch to My iPhone?

Can I have 2 Apple watches paired to my phone? Indeed you can pair as many Apple Watch as you can with your iPhone. Use the same steps we have provided above to connect to multiple Apple Watches.

If the steps don’t work open the Apple Watch App on your iPhone. Then, go to My Watch, tap All Watches, and choose the Apple Watch you want to reconnect or connect to from the list of discovered Apple Watches.

This feature is handy if you have rented a watch and don’t want to erase the data of your own Apple Watch.

ALSO LEARN: How to remove wrist straps on Apple Watches.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I Pair an Already Paired Apple Watch?

To sync an Apple Watch that is already paired to an iPhone do this, long press the button on the side until the watch turns off.

Next long press the digital crown and select reset. When the Apple Watch is unpaired it disconnects from the old phone.

You can now pair the Watch to your new iPhone or iPad. You will need your previous login details when pairing the Apple Watch with your new phone.

Why won’t my Apple Watch Pair to my Phone?

The reason why your Apple Watch won’t pair with your phone is that its operating system (OS) is not compatible with your phone’s OS version.

The other reason is that the wear operating system by Google is obsolete which also makes Apple Watch drain fast and charge slowly. You can fix the problem by updating the obsolete OS -make sure your iPhone iOS 10+.

If your android and iOS versions are okay then consider turning the Bluetooth connection off and then on.

Where is the i Icon on the Apple?

The I icon at the top of your iPhone’s screen is there to help you find your Apple Watch when you want to sync.

The I icon is there to teach you how to find the Apple app on your phone (iPhone). Once you are done with the tutorial tap Start Pairing.

What is the i Button on Apple Watch?

The i icon button on your Apple Watch means information. This button is very important because it helps your re-pair and unpair Apple Watch from your iPhone.

To unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone go to Watch, then My Watch, then the i icon, and then Unpair Apple Watch.

On the other hand, to unpair your iPhone from Apple Watch go to Settings, then General, then Reset, then Erase all Content and Settings.

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