How to pair an Apple Watch with a new phone

How to pair an Apple Watch with a new phone.

Have a new Apple Watch and need help setting it up? We’re here to help. First, you need to find a comfortable place to work and set aside about 30 minutes.

First, you need to connect your Apple Watch to your phone and then configure some of the required settings. When you are settled and ready to go, scroll down to see step-by-step instructions.

Before You Start

To connect and set up your Apple Watch, you need an iPhone with the latest version of iOS. You will also need to make sure that Bluetooth is turned on on your iPhone and that it is connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.

You can find these settings in the Control Center. Last but not least, you need to make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are fully charged.

Step 1: Initiate the Pairing

When you bring your new Apple Watch to iPhone, iPhone recognizes it as a new device and prompts you to pair. This automatic detection simplifies the pairing process. Just remember to keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together while you pair the two devices. If your iPhone is in the charging cradle across the room, the pairing process will fail.

Turn on your Apple Watch by pressing and holding the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Place Apple Watch next to iPhone.
A Use iPhone to set up, this Apple Watch message should appear on your iPhone. Note. If you don’t see this message, you need to start the pairing process by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, then select All Watches and select Pair New Watch.

Select Continue.
Select Customize For Yourself if this is your personal Apple Watch.
Or select Customize For Family Member if the watch is owned by a family member.
Hold the iPhone camera over the animation on the watch.

Center the clock animation to the center of the camera viewfinder on your iPhone.
If successful, you will see a message that your Apple Watch is paired.

Apple uses an iPhone camera to pair your watch with an iPhone. If you are unable to use your camera, you can select â€œPair Apple Watch Manually,â€ and then follow the instructions to pair your watch using this alternative method.

Step 2: Choosing to Set Up as a New Device or Restore From a Backup

If this is your first Apple Watch, you can select Set as New Apple Watch. If you are updating from your previous Apple Watch and want to transfer all your apps and settings, you should select Restore from Backup.

If prompted during the installation process, you must also agree to update your Apple Watch to the latest watchOS. You will also need to choose which wrist you will wear the watch on.

Step 3: Sign in with your Apple ID

You may then be prompted for your Apple ID and password. Once you have your credentials at hand, you should take the time to enter your Apple ID password. If you’re not ready to enter your Apple ID, you can always sign in later using the Apple Watch app.

Open the Apple Watch app.
Select General.
Select an Apple ID.
Use your Apple ID credentials to sign in.

You might be tempted to skip this step, but some features require you to be signed in to iCloud.

Step 4: Setup Activation Lock

You must set up an Activation Lock on your watch during the Apple Watch pairing process. This will help you find your watch if you have lost it. More importantly, it will lock your watch to prevent a thief from reselling your watch if it is stolen.

If you already have to Find My set up on your iPhone, Apple Watch will use those settings. You will only need to enter your Apple Id credentials to proceed. If Find Me is not enabled on your iPhone, you will need to enable Activation Lock for both devices.

Step 5: Configure Your Apple Watch

At this point, you can change the settings the Watch uses for your iPhone. Apple automatically turns on location services, Wi-Fi calling, and diagnostics for your iPhone, but you can turn them off if you like. You can also turn on Siri, add route tracking, and change the text size used by Apple Watch.

Step 6: Add a passcode

You can add a passcode to protect your Apple Watch from prying eyes, or in the event of theft or loss.

Select Create Password to create a password for your Apple Watch.

Select “Do not add access code” if you would rather skip this step.
If you choose to use a passcode, enter a four-digit passcode or select Add Long Passcode to add a passcode longer than four digits.

If you choose not to use a password on your Apple Watch, you might not be able to use features such as Apple Pay.

Step 7: Choose features

You will then configure features such as automatic updates, SOS, and activity preferences. You can also set up Apple Pay if you’re using a digital wallet on your iPhone. On cellular Apple Watch models, you’ll be prompted to set up a cellular connection.

Step 8: Add Apps

In one of the last steps of the installation, you can choose to install all apps compatible with Apple Watch.

Select Install All to install all available watchOS apps on your iPhone.
Select Later if you don’t want to install all available watchOS apps on your iPhone.

If you choose not to install all of the available apps, you can add them individually later.

Step 9: Wait for your devices to sync

Last but not least, you will need to sync your Apple Watch with your iPhone in order to save all settings and install apps. Please be patient as the syncing process can take a while depending on how much data and applications you have. Be sure to keep your Apple Watch close to your iPhone during this process. When syncing is complete, you will hear a beep and feel a subtle tactile hum on your Apple Watch.