In general, your Apple Watch should connect or pair with your iPhone without any problems. However, if your Apple Watch won't connect or pair with a new iPhone, if you can't connect to your current iPhone, or if you receive an error message on your iPhone stating that you can't connect to your Apple Watch, this tutorial can help. Let's take a look at the different ways to fix your Apple Watch not connecting or pairing to your phone.
1. Restart your iPhone and Apple Watch.
To fix an Apple Watch that won't connect or pair with your phone, you should start the troubleshooting process by restarting your Apple Watch and the paired iPhone.
To restart your Apple Watch, follow these steps:
- Long press Side button On Apple Watch (And not Digital Crown until you see Power List. Click on energy icon.
- Slide the slider Power off To the right to turn off your watch.
3. Wait for 10 to 15 seconds , then turn your Apple Watch back on using the side button.
To restart your iPhone, go to Settings -> General -> Turn off To turn off your iPhone, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on.
2. Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close to each other.
If you're pairing a new Apple Watch, or if your Apple Watch keeps disconnecting from your paired iPhone, you should keep them close at hand. The further apart they are, the greater the chance they'll fail to connect or pair.
3. Chargers
Both your iPhone and Apple Watch must be charged to at least 50 percent during pairing. If either device's battery is low, you'll experience problems connecting your Apple Watch to your iPhone.
Advice: You should also try turning off Low Power Mode on Apple WatchAlso know. How to improve Apple Watch battery life.
4. Turn on Bluetooth
Bluetooth must be enabled on both your Apple Watch and iPhone; otherwise, the watch will disconnect from your phone. To ensure it's enabled on both devices, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings → Bluetooth on Apple Watch.
2. Activate the toggle next to "Bluetooth".
3. Similarly, go to "Settings ← Bluetooth" On your iPhone. Enable Bluetooth Via the switch.
5. Turn off airplane mode
You should also ensure that Airplane mode is turned off on both your Apple Watch and the connected iPhone. If Airplane mode is enabled on either device, you'll experience problems connecting your Apple Watch to your iPhone.
- On your watch, open "Settings ← Airplane mode“. Turn off the switch next to “Airplane mode".
2. Similarly, go to "Settings" Turn off the toggle next to “Airplane modeon your iPhone.
Good to know: Are you frustrated because you Not receiving notifications on Apple WatchRead our guide on how to fix it.
6. Update the Apple Watch app
An outdated version of the Apple Watch app on your iPhone may also cause connectivity issues between the two devices, due to bugs in the outdated version. Therefore, you should update the Apple Watch app to the latest version.
- Open App Store On your iPhone, search for "to watch".
- click on the button "Update" Next to the Apple Watch app.
7. Update your iPhone and Apple Watch
Likewise, you should check and update the software on both your iPhone and Apple Watch to the latest versions. If either one has an older version, it may conflict with the newer version, causing connectivity issues.
To update iOS on your iPhone, go to "Settings ← General ← upgrade software. "
to update WATCH , open an app Apple Watch On your iPhone. Go to "general ← upgrade software“. Install the update, if available.
8. Unpair your devices
If your Apple Watch still won't connect to your iPhone, you'll need to unpair it and then re-pair it.
To unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Click on "All watches“At the top, then tap Informa icon (i) Next to your watch.
3. On the next screen, click on “Unpair Apple Watch".
4. Wait for your Apple Watch to unpair.
5. Pair the watch again with your iPhone by holding the watch near your iPhone. When you see the pop-up window “Use your iPhone to set up your Apple WatchOn iPhone, tap "Continue" , then follow the instructions on the screen.
Pro Tip: You can try unpairing your Apple Watch by going to iPhone Settings → Bluetooth, tapping the information icon (i) next to your Apple Watch, and selecting Unpair.
9. Pair your Apple Watch with a new iPhone
If you purchased a new iPhone, and your Apple Watch isn't paired with the new phone, you'll need to unpair the watch from your old iPhone first.
If you have access to your old iPhone, use the steps above to unpair it from the watch, then pair it with your new iPhone.
However, if you don't have your old iPhone, you'll need to erase your Apple Watch first. Go to "Settings" On your watch, then "general -> Reset -> Erase all content and settings. "
Your Apple Watch won't pair with your old iPhone. Bring the watch near your new iPhone to pair.
Good to know: Once paired, get to know How to make custom watch faces for Apple Watch.
10. Reset network settings on iPhone
The problem of your Apple Watch not connecting or pairing to your iPhone can be resolved by resetting your iPhone's network settings. Doing so will restore all network settings, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more, to their default values, thus fixing any issues affecting the connection between your Apple Watch and iPhone.
To reset network settings on your iPhone, go to "Settings -> General -> Transfer or reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset network settings. "
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Does resetting your Apple Watch reset your iPhone?
answer. Resetting your Apple Watch will not reset your iPhone to factory settings or delete anything from the phone.
Q2. How many phones can you pair Apple Watch with?
answer. You can pair your Apple Watch with only one iPhone. However, you can pair multiple watches with the same iPhone.
