You will need to connect your Apple Watch to your phone so as to enjoy all that it has in store for you. If your Apple Watch is not connecting to your iPhone then it is greatly diminished in its capacities.
There are different reasons why your Apple Watch isn’t connecting to your iPhone. We will provide you with some of the key reasons and show you how to fix them.
3 Reasons Why Apple Watch is Not Connecting to Your Phone
1. Apple Watch and Watch are too Apart (Move Your Watch Closer to Your Watch)
The reason why your Apple Watch is not connecting is that either the smartphone is too far or the watch itself is too far.
If the watch is in the sitting room and you are in the kitchen connectivity could be an issue because the walls are blocking the Bluetooth signal.
Remember, your Apple Watch and iPhone connect through Bluetooth, which means proximity is a must.
Alleviating the issue is not hard, what you do is bring the Apple Watch and smartphone closer to each other and retry connecting.
2. The problem might be the Watch and Phone Settings
There is no way your Apple Watch and phone will pair when the Bluetooth connection on one or both devices is turned off.
If the Bluetooth connections on Apple Watch and phone are on but the devices cannot sync then consider checking if the airplane mode is switched on both on Apple Watch and smartphone.
To alleviate the problem (when connectivity is concerned) make sure the Bluetooth connections on both devices are on and the airplane mode isn’t on either as well.
3. Apple Watch Connection Problem
It is not always the iPhone at fault, the Apple Watch itself could be the way the smartphone and the watch are not establishing a connection.
Consider checking your Apple Watch’s connections, after all, checking Apple Watch’s connection is hard.
Simply swipe up the watch’s display while on the clock face to bring up the Apple Watch Control Center. Here you will find helpful shortcuts and the watch’s connection status.
Apple Watch Connection Statuses and their Meaning
Blue Wi-Fi Symbol: A blue Wi-Fi symbol means the watch is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Tap the symbol to terminate the Wi-Fi connection.
Doing so will force the Apple Watch to try to connect to the phone. Makes sure your phone and watch are in close range when this connection attempt happens.
Green iPhone Symbol: When you see a green icon resembling an iPhone on your Apple Watch it means that the Apple Watch and smartphone are connected.
If this green iPhone icon is on but the Watch and phone don’t connect it means the connectivity problem is elsewhere.
Red iPhone Symbol: If you see a red icon that resembles an iPhone on your Apple Watch it means the watch and smartphone are unpaired.
You can correct the error by bringing the two devices close to each other. The more your Apple Watch and smartphone are far the more difficult it becomes to establish a connection.
How to Fix an Apple Watch that Won’t Connect to Phone
Fortunately, in most cases, Apple Watch pairing issues can be resolved in a matter of minutes.
Provided below are some of the best ways you can address Apple Watch connection problems.
1. Update Your Phone’s OS Version (Operating System )
Always ensure your watch is running on the most recent version of the Apple Watch operating system.
You should confirm your OS version is current before carrying out troubleshoots especially those that will erase all your information.
To check/update your phone’s operating system go to Settings choose General and then tap Software Update. Tapping on that option will let you download and install a recent OS version if available.
To check the version of your Apple Watch (WatchOS) you must be connected to the smartphone. The connectivity problem must be troubleshot for WatchOS version details to be seen.
2. Try Rebooting Your Phone
Your smartphone might be having problems and that’s why it can’t connect if that’s the case it is time we tried reboot: the oldest troubleshooting step in the book.
A reboot will refresh your watch and get it back up and running. To reboot your iPhone follow the steps provided below:
- Open the Settings application.
- Select General then tap Shutdown.
- Press and hold the power button to turn the watch on. Try pairing the watch with the phone.
Alternatively, press and hold the power button until the Slide to Power Off button pops. Slide to the Slide to Power Off button to the right to power off the watch.
Let the watch rest for a minute or two and long press the power button to power the watch.
Try reconnecting the Watch to your phone. You will dive deeper into fixing steps if powering the phone on and off does not solve the issue.
3. Reset Your Apple Watch (Erase Your Apple Watch)
If after rebooting your phone a connection is still not established consider resetting the Apple Watch. This is a potential fix that can solve Apple Watch and phone connectivity issues.
Resetting your watch will wipe away all the saved fitness and health data so consider doing a backup before going ahead with the reset. Backing up ensures you don’t lose data and your favorite music.
That done it is time to reset the Apple. Resetting Apple Watch is easy and will take less than a minute. Follow the steps that follow:
- Launch Settings on your Apple Watch.
- Tap General for general settings.
- Select Reset.
- Finally, tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Once the reset is done, go to your Apple Watch app on your iPhone, select My Watch then tap the Information button beside your wearable, and then Unpair Apple Watch.
Now everything is back to the way they were when the Watch was new. You should now be able to link your Apple Watch to your phone.
4. Reset the Network Settings on Your Phone
You can fix the iPhone and Apple Watch connectivity problem by resetting the network settings on your smartphone.
The process is easy and won’t take you more than 1 minute. To reset the network settings on your smartphone follow the simple steps provided below:
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll through to General.
- Find Reset once on the General Settings page.
- Choose Reset Network Settings.
- Provide your Password to confirm you are a verified owner of the phone.
- Now try to re-pair the Watch and phone.
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