Why is my Apple Watch not pairing – Multiple Solutions Revealed

Noor February 22, 2022

Apple Watches are considered the top-notch tech-gadgets when it comes to wearables, and rightly so, they do deserve all the hype, since there’s no feature that these watches don’t have. But sometimes, you come across pairing issues, which happens with most of the smartwatches when paired for the first time or after that too.

Well, if you landed on this article, I’m sure you’re looking for the answers that why is your apple watch not getting paired, and for that I came up with 5 solutions, which you can try and it will definitely solve the pairing problem.

1. Watch’s Connection

One of the simplest and easiest ways of diagnosing this problem is by checking whether the Apple Watch is connected to your phone or not. Just open your Apple Watch and swipe up on the display, as you do to go to the shortcuts.

You will see the Watch’s connection on the top left corner, as shown below.

1. As you can see the watch has 3 different icons in its top-left corner in each state. If it’s the first case where it is showing a phone look-alike green icon, this means that the watch is connected to your phone, and it could be another factor causing the problem. 
2. If it’s the second one where the blue Wi-Fi signal is showing, that means that the watch is connected to your Wi-Fi network. You can turn it off by tapping on the same Wi-Fi sign right below it, which would disconnect the Wi-Fi and will try to pair with your phone instead. If your phone is nearby, and it’s still not pairing, don’t worry and follow the next steps. 
3. Lastly, if the watch has a phone look-alike red icon on its top left, then it means that your phone is not nearby or has been turned off, and the watch is not connected to your phone. For that, you should keep the phone and watch closer to each other until they are connected.

2. iPhone’s Updates/Network’s setting

You cannot check your Apple Watch’s update until it’s paired with the phone, but what you can do is check whether your phone is updated, or does it have a pending update. Most of the time, these updates solve connectivity issues and other bugs of their own.

So, to check whether your phone has the latest iOS, follow these steps:

1. Open your iPhone.
2. Go to the Settings app.
3. Tap General.
4. If you have any update, you can download and install by tapping on it.

Network setting

Clearing your network setting can also help in pairing the watch with it because you will have to log in to your Wi-Fi and other settings will also be restored to the factory, which sometimes does resolve the connectivity issues. You can do this by following these simple steps.

1. 1. Open the Setting apps.
   2. Tap on General.
   3. You will see an option of Reset at the bottom of it.
   4. Tap on Reset.
   5. Select Reset Network Setting.

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3. Airplane modes

The Airplane mode in the smartphone is used to cut down all the connections between the cell tower and your device. This also stops the hardware to function in some ways, but mostly it’s the network and cellular connection. Doing this would maybe end your connectivity issues to some extent, and the watch might pair.

You can see in this image, the yellow with an airplane on it is the Airplane mode. By tapping on it, you will turn it on, and the watch will be disconnected from your phone entirely. After turning off this mode, it will try to connect on its own, if the Bluetooth is on. 

The same goes for the iPhone, just swipe up from the bottom, and you will see the same yellow airplane icon, and by tapping on it, the phone’s cellular and network connection will be turned off. Turn it on after a few seconds, and it will go to the same settings as before. 

Along with these, make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on, and if the watch won’t get paired without it. Double-check, just to make sure.

4. Rebooting

The second last solution of the pairing problem before we get to the final one, and it’s very simple. Although it’s the simplest solution to any electronic gadget or device, we all know it does work sometimes. 

1. Rebooting iPhone

Reboot your iPhone like you normally do, by pressing the side button until Slide to Power Off, and then just slide it.

When it’s been shut down, wait for a couple of seconds and long-press the side button. The Apple logo will appear on the screen shortly, and then you can let go of the button.

2. Rebooting Apple Watch

Just like you did with your iPhone, you will have to turn off the watch by holding the button on its right side just below the crown. When you will do it, two options would appear about Power off and SOS emergency call. Just slide the Power off the option to the right, and it will turn it off. 

Turn it on after one or two minutes by pressing the crown, and it will be turned on automatically.

5. Resetting or Erasing the Apple Watch

I hope your Watch is now paired with the phone because if not, this is the like final nail in the coffin solution. But, before doing this you should know that any idea data which hasn’t been backed up on the Watch will be lost, which is a pretty big deal. But since you will have to pair the Watch first in order to recover the data, this is the only solution left now.

Resetting or erasing the Apple Watch can be done from Both the Watch and from the phone App as well. Allow me to demonstrate how this will be done.

Erasing Apple Watch from the phone App

You can erase the Apple Watch from your phone by following these steps:

1. Open your iPhone.
2. Go to your Watch App, open it.
3. Select My Watch Tab, and tap on All watches
4. You will see the Watch in this section you want to erase, tap on the right side of it on the information button (i)
5. You’ll see an Unpair Apple Watch, tap on it as shown below.

Erasing Apple Watch from the Watch itself 

If you want to erase its existence using the Watch, follow these steps:

1. Open the Setting App in your Apple Watch.
2. Go to General, and Tap on Reset.
3. You will see Erase All Content and Settings, Tap on it.
4. You will have to put your Password after it.

These are the only 5 methods that would solve the pairing issues, but if the Watch is still unavailable to pair, then you should check in with the nearest Apple outlet or contact Apple Support to take a deep look into this matter. 

Contact us for any further queries, anytime you want.