I get it—there’s nothing more frustrating than getting a brand new iPhone and having trouble pairing your Apple Watch with it.
Luckily there are a couple of easy workarounds you can try before loosing your cool or reaching out to Apple support.
Reasons Why My My Apple Watch Pair with My New iPhone
There are 4 main reasons why an Apple Watch won't pair with a new iPhone and a few fixes which i'll mention below that are guaranteed going to get your iPhone and Apple Watch to pair.
First up we have compatibility where not all Apple Watches play nice with every iPhone. Make sure your devices are compatible by checking Apple’s website.For example, if you're going to pick up a Series 7 and you have an iPhone 6, then you would not be able to pair the two devices together.
|
Apple Watch Model |
Compatible iPhone |
Compatible iOS |
Compatible watchOS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ultra 2 |
iPhone XS or later |
iOS 17 or later |
watchOS 10 or later |
|
Series 9 |
iPhone XS or later |
iOS 17 or later |
watchOS 10 or later |
|
Ultra |
iPhone 8 or later |
iOS 16 or later* |
watchOS 9 or later** |
|
SE (2nd generation) |
iPhone 8 or later |
iOS 16 or later* |
watchOS 9 or later** |
|
Series 8 |
iPhone 8 or later |
iOS 16 or later* |
watchOS 9 or later** |
|
Series 7 |
iPhone 6s or later |
iOS 15 or later* |
watchOS 8 or later** |
|
SE (1st generation) |
iPhone 6s or later |
iOS 14 or later* |
watchOS 7 or later** |
|
Series 6 |
iPhone 6s or later |
iOS 14 or later* |
watchOS 7 or later** |
|
Series 5 |
iPhone 6s or later |
iOS 13 or later* |
watchOS 6 or later** |
|
Series 4 (GPS + Mobile) |
iPhone 6 or later |
iOS 12 or later* |
watchOS 5 or later** |
|
Series 4 (GPS) |
iPhone 5s or later |
iOS 12 or later* |
watchOS 5 or later** |
|
Series 3 |
iPhone 6s or later |
iOS 11 or later* |
watchOS 4 to watchOS 8.8.1 |
|
Series 2 |
iPhone 5 or later |
iOS 10 or later* |
watchOS 3 to watchOS 6.3 |
|
Series 1 |
iPhone 5 or later |
iOS 10 or later* |
watchOS 3 to watchOS 6.3 |
|
Apple WatchApple Watch (1st generation) |
iPhone 5 or later |
iOS 8.2 or later* |
watchOS 1 to watchOS 4.3. |
Troubleshooting Apple Watch and iPhone Not Pairing
Restart Both Devices
- Restart your iPhone: Hold the side button and swipe to power off, then restart.
- Restart your Apple Watch: Press and hold the side button, then slide to power off. Hold the button again to power it back on.
Software Updates
- For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap "My Watch," and navigate to General > Software Update.
Unpair and Re-Pair Your Apple Watch
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- In the "My Watch" tab, tap your watch's name.
- Tap the info icon (i) and select “Unpair Apple Watch.”
- Follow the on-screen instructions to pair it again.
Reset Network Settings
- Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
This action will delete all saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, so be sure to have them handy.
When your Apple Watch refuses to pair with your new iPhone it’s usually something simple.
From checking compatibility and software updates to restarting and resetting network settings, these steps should help you resolve the issue quickly.
Just remember to stay patient and work through each solution one by one. If all else fails, reaching out to Apple Support can provide the extra help you need.
With a little troubleshooting, you'll have your Apple Watch and iPhone synced up and ready to go in no time.
