Apple Watch Not Pairing: How to Fix It
Being an integral part of the Apple ecosystem, the Apple Watch pairs seamlessly with the iPhone. Simply bring your iPhone close to the smartwatch, scan the QR code during initial setup, and you are good to go. That’s as straightforward as it can ever get! Once it gets set up, it recognizes and syncs with your iPhone, whenever it is close by.
However, at times, the much-wanted seamless pairing might go bonkers due to miscellaneous issues that tend to crop up out of nowhere. And when that happens, your Apple Watch might seem to be completely left out of the Apple ecosystem. Fortunately, fixing this not-pairing issue is not a big deal, thanks to some tried and tested solutions. So, if that’s what you are after, this troubleshooting guide has got you fully covered.
Image credit: Business Insider
Make Sure Settings aren’t Stopping Your Apple Watch from Being Paired
To get started, be sure to check if settings are preventing the Apple Watch and iPhone from being paired with each other. To be more precise, there are a couple of settings that you need to check.
Image credit: Apple
Airplane Mode: When Airplane mode is enabled, it turns off all radio frequencies, including Wireless, Bluetooth and NFC, which results in the stoppage of all kinds of communication, including the pairing. So, be sure it’s disabled on both the Apple Watch and iPhone.
Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to access the control centre and then make sure to turn off Airplane mode button. On your iPhone, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen or swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the control centre and then disable the Airplane mode.
Bluetooth: For the iPhone to communicate with the Apple Watch, Bluetooth must be enabled. Therefore, ensure that it is enabled on your smartphone. Access control centre (swipe down from the top right corner of the screen or swipe up from the bottom to bring up control centre) and then make sure that the tiny Bluetooth button is turned on.
Try out this preliminary solution and hopefully, the Apple Watch not connecting with iPhone issue will be fixed.
Read – Force Touch on Apple Watch: How It Works and Why Apple Removed It
Check Your Apple Watch’s Connection
Another important thing to do at the beginning is to check the Apple Watch’s connection. watchOS makes it pretty straightforward to figure out whether or not your smartwatch is connected to the iPhone.
Simply swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to access the control centre. If you see a green iPhone icon, it means your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone. However, if you see a red iPhone icon, it means your smartwatch is not connected to your iOS device.
Force Restart Your iPhone and Apple Watch
If the above hacks have not resolved the Apple Watch not pairing with iPhone problem, go for the force restart aka hard reset. It is widely considered as a super handy solution for fixing common Apple Watch/iPhone issues.
To force restart your Apple Watch: Press and hold the side button and digital crown at once until you see the Apple logo on the screen. Note: Apple Watch won’t restart if it’s on the charger, so ensure its not charging before trying to restart
To hard reset your iPhone 8 or later models: Press and quickly release the volume up button. After that, press and quickly release the volume down button. Then, hold down the side button until the Apple logo pops up on the screen.
To hard reset iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down button and the side button at once until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
To hard reset iPhone 6s or earlier: Hold down the home button and power button at once until the Apple logo shows up.
Reset your iPhone Network settings
If your Apple Watch is still unable to pair with the iPhone, it would be apt to reset the network settings. Sometimes issues with network settings can impact pairing of Watch or even other Bluetooth devices. So, there is a high chance that resetting the network can do the trick.
Head over to Settings app > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Now, enter your passcode and then tap on Reset Network Settings again to confirm. Do note, you will have reconnect WiFi and VPN and also pair all Bluetooth devices again after this step.
Read Also – Apple Watch Series 5 Teardown: 9 Things You Need to Know
Update your iPhone And Apple Watch
If your Apple Watch is still not pairing with the iPhone, go for software update. It’s no secret that iOS is often embroiled in too many bugs that tend to create several problems. Therefore, it’s better to keep the iPhone updated to the latest version.
Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone and choose General. Now, tap on Software Update. After that, download and install the latest version of iOS on your iPhone.
Besides, make sure to update your Apple Watch as well. With watchOS 6 or later, you can update the software right from your Apple Watch. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and then download and install the update.
Last Resort: Erase Your Apple Watch and Re-Pair It with Your iPhone
Based on our years of hands-on experience in fixing several Apple Watch issues at the Rapid Repair Apple Watch repair centre, we can tell that erasing the smartwatch and reconnecting it often sorts out even complex issues.
As the Apple Watch automatically backs up the entire data at the time of unpairing, you should not worry about losing your data. Open Watch app on your iPhone > General > Reset. Now, tap on Erase Apple Watch content and settings.
Once your Apple Watch has been erased, repair it with your iPhone. Bring the device close to your watch and then follow the prompts to finish the pairing process. Along the way, you will get the option to back up your data. This should fix any pairing related issues you might be facing between your Apple Watch and your iPhone.
