How To Fix If Your Apple Watch Won't Pair [Solved]

Is your Apple Watch not pairing? No problem! The iPhone uses a Bluetooth connection and Wi-Fi to communicate with the Apple Watch, and a problem with either of them could cause the wearable to disconnect.

Things to do if your Apple Watch won't pair

If your Apple Watch won't connect to your iPhone, there are a few simple steps to fix most of the problems and they'll get your Apple Watch paired in no time. The Apple Watch requires at least an iPhone 6/6 Plus or later.

First: check the connection of your Apple Watch

The first thing we should do is make sure the Apple Watch is disconnected from the iPhone. It is possible that we have a problem with the Apple Watch not seeing the iPhone.

You can check the connection status of your watch by swiping up on the Apple Watch display on the watch face screen. This will bring up the Apple Watch Control Center which, in addition to having many great shortcuts, will show the connection status of the watch in the upper left corner.

Un green icon that looks like an iPhone it means your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone. If you're having trouble, it's not because the Apple Watch isn't paired from your phone.

Un blue Wi-Fi symbol indicates that Apple Watch is connected to a Wi-Fi network. This Wi-Fi symbol is the same as the first button on the control panel, which should be highlighted in blue. You can tap this button to turn off Wi-Fi on Apple Watch, which will force Apple Watch to attempt to pair with your iPhone. Make sure your iPhone is close. If your watch doesn't pair, continue with the rest of these troubleshooting steps.

A red icon that looks like an iPhone it means the Apple Watch is disconnected from the iPhone. You should make sure your iPhone is on your person or nearby. If you go a long way, the iPhone may have trouble connecting with the Apple Watch.

Make sure the settings aren't preventing your Apple Watch from pairing

It's not always a glitch or hardware failure that causes your Apple Watch to unpair from your iPhone. An Apple Watch not connecting to the iPhone could be caused by something as simple as a setting on the watch or phone, so we'll take a look at some of these that can cause problems.

Airplane mode on Apple Watch. Airplane mode cuts off all communication, including the ability for the Apple Watch to pair with the iPhone. Open the Apple Watch Control Panel by swiping up on the watch face screen. If Airplane mode is on, the Airplane button at the top of the control panel will be highlighted in orange. Just tap it to turn off airplane mode. Your Apple Watch should connect shortly after you turn it off.

Airplane mode on iPhone. This behaves like on the clock; prevents all communication. You can access the control panel on an iPhone by swiping up from the bottom of the iPhone display where the bezel meets the edge of the screen. The button for airplane mode is located in the upper right corner of the screen and, as with the watch, will be highlighted in orange when activated.

Bluetooth your iPhone. Bluetooth is essential for pairing an iPhone and an Apple Watch. You can also check the Bluetooth settings via the iPhone control panel. Bluetooth is located in the same box as Airplane Mode in the lower right corner of the box (in the Control Center of your iPhone). If it is off, the Bluetooth button will be highlighted in white. Tap it to turn it back on and your Apple Watch should pair in moments.

Restart your iPhone if your Apple Watch won't pair

Now that we've checked some of the basic settings, we'll go back to the book's older troubleshooting step: reboot your device. If your Apple Watch won't pair, there may be a problem on the iPhone side. A quick reboot can help you get things right in no time.

1. Press and hold the Sleep / Wake button on the iPhone until  DON'T the "slide to turn off". (Alternatively, you can launch the Settings app, choose General, then select Stop from the bottom of the general settings).
2. After sliding the button to the right, the iPhone will turn off.
3. Once it has been turned off for several seconds, press and hold the Sleep / Wake button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
4. When your iPhone finishes booting, check your Apple Watch connection.

Restart your Apple Watch if it's not paired yet

While you can perform these two steps in any order, it's generally best to restart the iPhone and restart the Apple Watch. This helps ensure that there are no persistent issues on the iPhone when the watch starts up.

1. First, press and hold the button on the Apple Watch just below the crown.

2. When prompted, slide the button shutdown to the right.

3. After the display is dark for a few seconds, click the digital crown to turn the Apple Watch back on. The Apple logo should immediately appear on the screen. If not, wait a few more seconds and click the button again.

   
   

Restarting the devices should fix most problems when your Apple Watch won't pair. If you're still having trouble, it's time to move on to some deeper troubleshooting steps.

Check your iPhone's operating system for updates

It's a good idea to make sure you're on the latest version of your iPhone's operating system, especially before troubleshooting steps that require deleting information from the device.

You can check your iOS version by launching the iPhone settings app, choosing General and tapping Software update. You will be prompted to download and install if a newer version of iOS is available.

Unfortunately, you cannot check your WatchOS version when the Apple Watch is not paired with the iPhone.

Erase the iPhone network settings

The iPhone stores information about all connecting networks to make reconnecting easier. It is also possible that this data has been corrupted, which can prevent an iPhone from connecting with an Apple Watch.

Resetting this information means you may need to log into your home Wi-Fi network again, so be prepared by making sure you have the password handy.

1. Launch the app Settings sull’iPhone.
2. Select General.
3. Scroll down and choose Restore from general settings.
4. Toccata Reset Network Settings. You may be prompted to type your passcode to verify your request.

My Apple Watch Doesn't Match - What's Next?

Not connecting yet? This last step is to reset the Apple Watch, which will cause the loss of any data on the Apple Watch that was not backed up. This is why we put it last.

However, you should be able to restore most of your Apple Watch data from the most recent backup after unpairing and then pair Apple Watch and iPhone again.

The unpairing process will erase all data on Apple Watch. When done, you'll set up your Apple Watch exactly like when you bought it. This step should solve most of the problems.

Su Apple Watch:

1. Launch the app Settings.
2. Select General
3. Toccata Reset.
4. Select Erase content and settings.

Your iPhone:

1. Launch the Apple Watch app.
2. Choose the tab My Watch at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select the clock at the top of the display.
4. Tap the button Information next to the clock. It's the button with the little “i” and the circle around it.
5. Select Unpair Apple Watch and tap again to confirm.