- If your Apple Watch isn't pairing, you'll see a red iPhone icon or red X on your watch face.
- Moving your devices closer together or restarting them can resolve your issue.
- If all else fails, reset your Apple Watch and try re-pairing it to your iPhone.
When your Apple Watch isn't paired to your iPhone, the number of features it has decreases dramatically.
Sure, you can still record a workout and check the time, but you won't get any notifications, messages, or calls on your watch.
The good news is that — in most cases — Apple Watch pairing issues can be fixed in a matter of minutes. Just follow the steps outlined below to reconnect your devices.
1. Move your iPhone closer to your Apple Watch
There's a chance your phone is simply too far away from your Apple Watch, or that it's in a bag or drawer that is blocking a clear signal.
Because the watch and phone pair via Bluetooth, proximity is key. So, get them closer together and see if that alleviates the issue.
When the devices are connected, the iPhone icon in the Apple Watch Control Center is green. Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider2. Check the settings on both devices
If your phone has Wi-Fi or Bluetooth turned off — or if either of your devices are in Airplane Mode — they won't be able to pair. Make sure all settings are set properly to facilitate the connection.
On the iPhone, you can quickly check this in the Control Center. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen and ensure Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on (the icons will be blue) and Airplane Mode is off (the icon will be gray). On the Apple Watch, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Control Center.
The Wi-Fi and Airplane Mode icons look the same in the Apple Watch's Control Center. Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider3. Turn your devices off and on again
There's no doubt that you've heard this tech troubleshooting tip before, but it's a popular one for a reason.
To turn off your iPhone, hold down the side lock button and volume up buttons until the slide to power off toggle appears. Slide the power button to turn the phone off. Hold the side button until the Apple logo appears to turn the phone back on.
You can shut down your Apple Watch by holding down the side button (not the crown) and then swiping the power off slider. Press and hold the side button to turn the watch back on.
You'll need to enter your passcode once your Apple Watch restarts. Abigail Abesamis Demarest/Insider4. Reset your Apple Watch
If you've followed all of the previous steps and you're still having issues, it's time to reset that watch. This fix should resolve the pairing issue, but it will wipe saved data off the watch, so you should back it up before doing so.
In the watch's Settings app, choose General, then Reset, then Erase All Content and Settings.
5. Unpair your iPhone and Apple Watch, then pair them again
In the Watch app on your iPhone, tap All Watches, the information button next to your Apple Watch, then Unpair Apple Watch.
You can also access the Find My feature in this menu. Abigail Abesamis Demarest/InsiderNow everything should be just like new, and you'll be able to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone.
Steven John
Freelance Writer
Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com.
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Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a contributing writer for Insider based in New York. She loves a good glazed donut and nerdy deep dives into the science of food and how it's made.
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Ready to switch from your Apple Watch Series 7 to the new Series 8 or SE? Or maybe you just need to transfer your existing Apple Watch with your new iPhone? Follow along for how to seamlessly pair a new or existing Apple Watch with iPhone without losing data – including a new process in iOS 16.
Apple Watch backups happen automatically and are saved on the iPhone your Apple Watch is paired with. However, there’s no place in Settings to manually back up your Apple Watch or see when the last automatic backup was.
Read on for how to make sure your Apple Watch is backed up and you’re all set to upgrade to your new one.
If you’re upgrading to a new iPhone 14 (or any other new model), you’ll need to take care of that first.
- How to upgrade to your iPhone 14 without losing data, even if coming from iOS 16.1
Apple notes that these items are not included with Apple Watch backups: Bluetooth pairings, credit or debit cards used for Apple Pay, Apple Watch passcode, and Messages.
How to pair Apple Watch with a new iPhone
New with iOS 16 – automatic Apple Watch transfer
A fresh and seamless new process should show up with iOS 16 to move an existing Apple Watch from your old iPhone to your new one.
- Make sure to set up your new iPhone and restore with a backup or complete the Quick Transfer option from your old iPhone
- After setting up your new iPhone, make sure your Apple Watch is on your wrist (and passcode entered)
- Look for a message on your watch to Pair Watch with new iPhone?
- Choose OK
- You can leave your watch on your wrist as the transfer happens – even workouts/Ring progress from earlier in the day remains after transfer
If this process doesn’t show up for you, follow the steps below…
Use an Apple Watch backup to pair a new or existing watch
- If you’re upgrading to a new iPhone, make sure to set that up first (restore from fresh backup)
- Open the Watch app on your new iPhone to start the pairing process (you can choose to add your new Apple Watch before removing your existing one too: All Watches > Add Watch if the auto pair screen doesn’t pop up)
- Power on your Apple Watch and look for the pairing sphere code, follow the prompts
- When asked, choose to restore your new Apple Watch from a backup and choose the most recent one
- If you’re not seeing a backup available from your most recent iPhone backup, follow along below for how to force an Apple Watch backup
Pair new Apple Watch with new iPhone
If you need or want to pair a new Apple Watch with your iPhone or pair an existing watch as a new one:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone
- Tap All Watches in the top left corner
- Choose Add Watch
- Follow the prompts
- You should see an option to restore the backup from your previous watch to your new watch
Force an Apple Watch backup
If you’re not seeing an available backup to restore with, you might need to force a backup.
Since Apple Watch backups don’t happen with every iCloud or Mac/PC backup with your iPhone, this is how Apple says to do force them:
- Keep your paired Apple Watch and old iPhone close together
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone
- Tap All Watches at the top, pick your watch, then tap the “i” on the right side
- Tap Unpair Apple Watch (during the unpairing process your Apple Watch will do a fresh backup to your iPhone)
- Follow the prompts to unpair your current Watch
- Make a fresh backup of your old iPhone, restore that backup to your new iPhone
- Open the Watch app on your new iPhone to start the pairing process of your new Watch
- Power on your new Apple Watch and look for the pairing sphere code, follow the prompts
- When asked, choose to restore your new Apple Watch from a backup and choose the most recent one
Read more 9to5Mac tutorials:
- iOS 16 Lock Screen: Hands-on customizing iPhone with widgets, fonts, photos
- Unsend iMessages: Hands-on with the new iOS 16 iPhone feature
- iOS 16 Home app: Hands-on with the overhauled HomeKit experience [Video]
- iPhone haptic keyboard: How to tap into it in iOS 16
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About the Author
Michael Potuck
@michaelpotuck
Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.