How to unpair apple watch

How to unpair an Apple Watch

You may find the need to factory reset your Apple Watch in order to tackle a problem or because you’re getting ready to sell it or gift it away. That means you’ll need to unpair it from your iPhone, and this guide shows you how to do that, whether it be an Apple Watch Series 6, Series 5, or an even older model.

Fortunately, Apple has made the process quite straightforward. However, Activation Lock will make using the Apple Watch difficult for other users. We show you how to disable that, too.

Prepare your devices

Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are charged and close together before you begin. The process will erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch, making it safe to sell, give away, or recycle.

You may be wondering what happens to all that personal data. Apple creates a backup of your Watch data and stores it in iCloud. If you pair your account with a new Apple Watch, all that data can be transferred over, so you won’t lose anything important and can restore your backup if you plan on getting another Apple Watch sometime in the future. This makes the process ideal if, for example, you damaged your Apple Watch but intend to replace it.

Unpair your Apple Watch using an iPhone

Step 1: Tap to open the Watch app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap the My Watch tab on the bottom, as shown above, if it doesn’t load automatically.

Step 3: Tap All Watches located in the top-left corner.

Step 4: Tap the Info icon (i) next to the Apple Watch you want to unpair.

Step 5: Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

Apple began offering cellular-compatible models starting with the Series 3. If you own one of these, then you likely have a cellular plan attached to it. If you do have one of these plans, then you’ll be asked to keep it or remove it.

If you think you might pair this Watch with another iPhone in the future, then you’ll want to keep it. If you’re planning on buying a new model and you want to use this plan with the new Apple Watch, then you’ll want to keep it. If you have no plans to use a smartwatch again, remove your plan.

Step 6: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).

Step 7: Tap Unpair Apple Watch again on the pop-up menu.

Step 8: Enter your Apple ID password if prompted to complete.

Unpair your Apple Watch without an iPhone

If you don’t have your iPhone, you can still wipe the Apple Watch with this method. The only problem is that it doesn’t remove Activation Lock, so we’ll explain how to do that later.

Step 1: Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch.

Step 2: Tap the Cog icon. This opens the Settings app.

Step 3: Tap General.

Step 4: Scroll down and tap Reset.

Step 5: Tap Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 6: Tap in your password if prompted.

Step 7: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).

Step 8: Tap Erase All to reset your Apple Watch to its default, out-of-the-box settings.

Your Apple Watch is now wiped, but the Activation Lock has to be removed before anyone else will be able to use it. To disable the Activation Lock, do the following:

Step 1: Load iCloud.com in a desktop browser, and sign in with your Apple ID.

Step 2: Click on Find iPhone. The icon resembles a radar.

Step 3: Click on All Devices listed at the top, and choose your Apple Watch on the drop-down list.

Step 4: Click Remove From Account on the following screen.

You’re done! It’s now safe to pass your Apple Watch on to someone else.

Back up your Apple Watch

Learn how your Apple Watch data is backed up and what the backup includes.

How Apple Watch backs up your data

Your Apple Watch data is backed up to the iPhone that it’s paired with.* This happens automatically as long as your iPhone and Apple Watch are near each other, so you don’t need to do anything to keep your watch backed up.

When you unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, the watch is backed up completely to your iPhone to make sure that the latest data is saved. You can use the backed-up Apple Watch data on your iPhone if you ever need to restore your Apple Watch, or when you set up a new Apple Watch.

When you back up your iPhone to iCloud or your computer, your iPhone backup includes your Apple Watch data. This means that when you set up a new iPhone and restore it from backup, your latest Apple Watch data is also restored.

Here’s what your Apple Watch backup includes

Here’s what your Apple Watch backup doesn’t include

* If your devices use iCloud and Messages in iCloud, your iMessages and text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages are automatically stored in iCloud.

If you used Family Setup for a family member’s Apple Watch

An Apple Watch that you manage for a family member backs up directly to the family member’s iCloud account when the watch is connected to power and a Wi-Fi network.

To turn off iCloud backups for that watch, open the Settings app on the managed Apple Watch, go to [account name] > iCloud > iCloud Backups, then turn off iCloud Backups.

If you can’t pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone

Learn what to do if your iPhone says that it’s «Unable to Connect to Apple Watch» when you try to pair them.

Make sure that the Apple Watch isn’t already paired

When you set up an Apple Watch, your iPhone asks you to hold the watch up to your iPhone camera. If your iPhone says that it’s unable to connect to the Apple Watch — or if the watch shows a clock face — the Apple Watch might be paired with an iPhone already.

Try unpairing or erasing the Apple Watch using one of the methods below.

Unpair Apple Watch if you have its paired iPhone

Erase Apple Watch if you don’t have its paired iPhone

If you can’t unpair the Apple Watch because you don’t have the iPhone that it’s paired with, you can erase the watch.

When you erase an Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair the Apple Watch again, you’ll have to enter the Apple ID and password that was used to set it up.

Reset Apple Watch if you don’t know its passcode

If you can’t unpair or erase the Apple Watch because you’ve forgotten its passcode, you can reset the watch.

When you reset an Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair the Apple Watch again, you’ll have to enter the Apple ID and password that was used to set it up.

If the pairing process stalls

If it seems like the Apple Watch pairing process has stalled — for example, the pairing animation remains on the screen for several minutes — resetting the watch might help:

How to unpair an Apple Watch

You may find the need to factory reset your Apple Watch in order to tackle a problem or because you’re getting ready to sell it or gift it away. That means you’ll need to unpair it from your iPhone, and this guide shows you how to do that, whether it be an Apple Watch Series 6, Series 5, or an even older model.

Fortunately, Apple has made the process quite straightforward. However, Activation Lock will make using the Apple Watch difficult for other users. We show you how to disable that, too.

Prepare your devices

Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are charged and close together before you begin. The process will erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch, making it safe to sell, give away, or recycle.

You may be wondering what happens to all that personal data. Apple creates a backup of your Watch data and stores it in iCloud. If you pair your account with a new Apple Watch, all that data can be transferred over, so you won’t lose anything important and can restore your backup if you plan on getting another Apple Watch sometime in the future. This makes the process ideal if, for example, you damaged your Apple Watch but intend to replace it.

Unpair your Apple Watch using an iPhone

Step 1: Tap to open the Watch app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap the My Watch tab on the bottom, as shown above, if it doesn’t load automatically.

Step 3: Tap All Watches located in the top-left corner.

Step 4: Tap the Info icon (i) next to the Apple Watch you want to unpair.

Step 5: Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

Apple began offering cellular-compatible models starting with the Series 3. If you own one of these, then you likely have a cellular plan attached to it. If you do have one of these plans, then you’ll be asked to keep it or remove it.

If you think you might pair this Watch with another iPhone in the future, then you’ll want to keep it. If you’re planning on buying a new model and you want to use this plan with the new Apple Watch, then you’ll want to keep it. If you have no plans to use a smartwatch again, remove your plan.

Step 6: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).

Step 7: Tap Unpair Apple Watch again on the pop-up menu.

Step 8: Enter your Apple ID password if prompted to complete.

Unpair your Apple Watch without an iPhone

If you don’t have your iPhone, you can still wipe the Apple Watch with this method. The only problem is that it doesn’t remove Activation Lock, so we’ll explain how to do that later.

Step 1: Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch.

Step 2: Tap the Cog icon. This opens the Settings app.

Step 3: Tap General.

Step 4: Scroll down and tap Reset.

Step 5: Tap Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 6: Tap in your password if prompted.

Step 7: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).

Step 8: Tap Erase All to reset your Apple Watch to its default, out-of-the-box settings.

Your Apple Watch is now wiped, but the Activation Lock has to be removed before anyone else will be able to use it. To disable the Activation Lock, do the following:

Step 1: Load iCloud.com in a desktop browser, and sign in with your Apple ID.

Step 2: Click on Find iPhone. The icon resembles a radar.

Step 3: Click on All Devices listed at the top, and choose your Apple Watch on the drop-down list.

Step 4: Click Remove From Account on the following screen.

You’re done! It’s now safe to pass your Apple Watch on to someone else.

How to unpair an Apple Watch

You may find the need to factory reset your Apple Watch in order to tackle a problem or because you’re getting ready to sell it or gift it away. That means you’ll need to unpair it from your iPhone, and this guide shows you how to do that, whether it be an Apple Watch Series 6, Series 5, or an even older model.

Fortunately, Apple has made the process quite straightforward. However, Activation Lock will make using the Apple Watch difficult for other users. We show you how to disable that, too.

Prepare your devices

Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are charged and close together before you begin. The process will erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch, making it safe to sell, give away, or recycle.

You may be wondering what happens to all that personal data. Apple creates a backup of your Watch data and stores it in iCloud. If you pair your account with a new Apple Watch, all that data can be transferred over, so you won’t lose anything important and can restore your backup if you plan on getting another Apple Watch sometime in the future. This makes the process ideal if, for example, you damaged your Apple Watch but intend to replace it.

Unpair your Apple Watch using an iPhone

Step 1: Tap to open the Watch app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap the My Watch tab on the bottom, as shown above, if it doesn’t load automatically.

Step 3: Tap All Watches located in the top-left corner.

Step 4: Tap the Info icon (i) next to the Apple Watch you want to unpair.

Step 5: Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

Apple began offering cellular-compatible models starting with the Series 3. If you own one of these, then you likely have a cellular plan attached to it. If you do have one of these plans, then you’ll be asked to keep it or remove it.

If you think you might pair this Watch with another iPhone in the future, then you’ll want to keep it. If you’re planning on buying a new model and you want to use this plan with the new Apple Watch, then you’ll want to keep it. If you have no plans to use a smartwatch again, remove your plan.

Step 6: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).

Step 7: Tap Unpair Apple Watch again on the pop-up menu.

Step 8: Enter your Apple ID password if prompted to complete.

Unpair your Apple Watch without an iPhone

If you don’t have your iPhone, you can still wipe the Apple Watch with this method. The only problem is that it doesn’t remove Activation Lock, so we’ll explain how to do that later.

Step 1: Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch.

Step 2: Tap the Cog icon. This opens the Settings app.

Step 3: Tap General.

Step 4: Scroll down and tap Reset.

Step 5: Tap Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 6: Tap in your password if prompted.

Step 7: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).

Step 8: Tap Erase All to reset your Apple Watch to its default, out-of-the-box settings.

Your Apple Watch is now wiped, but the Activation Lock has to be removed before anyone else will be able to use it. To disable the Activation Lock, do the following:

Step 1: Load iCloud.com in a desktop browser, and sign in with your Apple ID.

Step 2: Click on Find iPhone. The icon resembles a radar.

Step 3: Click on All Devices listed at the top, and choose your Apple Watch on the drop-down list.

Step 4: Click Remove From Account on the following screen.

You’re done! It’s now safe to pass your Apple Watch on to someone else.