Unpairing your Apple Watch from your iPhone is a necessary step in several situations, whether you’re upgrading to a new watch, selling or giving away your current one, or troubleshooting connection issues. When you unpair your Apple Watch correctly, it restores it to its factory settings, ensuring your personal data is removed and the device is ready for a new user or a fresh setup. This guide will walk you through the process of unpairing your Apple Watch from your iPhone, covering both scenarios: when you have your iPhone and when you don’t.
Before diving into the steps, it’s important to understand the implications of unpairing. Unpairing not only disconnects your devices but also erases all content and settings from your Apple Watch. If you have your paired iPhone, the unpairing process also removes Activation Lock, a security feature that prevents anyone else from using your Apple Watch if it’s lost or stolen.
If you happen to use a transit card in your Apple Wallet on your watch, remember to remove it before unpairing. This ensures a smooth transition and avoids any issues with your transit balance or card usage.
It’s also crucial to note that Apple Watch doesn’t have a physical SIM slot or a reset button. The small openings on the watch are for the microphone, speakers, and depth measurement on certain models – avoid inserting anything into these to prevent damage.
Unpairing Your Apple Watch When You Have Your iPhone
This is the recommended method to unpair your Apple Watch as it ensures Activation Lock is removed and all your data is safely backed up and erased.
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Keep Your Devices Close: Ensure your Apple Watch and iPhone are near each other throughout the unpairing process. This maintains a stable connection and prevents interruptions.
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Open the Apple Watch App: On your iPhone, locate and open the Apple Watch app. This is your central hub for managing everything related to your Apple Watch.
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Navigate to All Watches: In the Apple Watch app, tap on the “My Watch” tab at the bottom. Then, tap “All Watches” at the top of the screen to see a list of all Apple Watches paired with your iPhone.
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Select Your Watch: Find the specific Apple Watch you wish to unpair from the list. Tap the information button (represented by an ‘i’ in a circle) next to the watch name.
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Initiate Unpairing: Tap the “Unpair Apple Watch” option. This will start the process of disconnecting your Apple Watch from your iPhone.
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Confirm Unpairing: You’ll be prompted to confirm your decision. Tap “Unpair [Your Apple Watch Name]” to proceed.
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Cellular Plan Options (for GPS + Cellular Models): If you have a GPS + Cellular Apple Watch, you’ll be asked whether to keep or remove your cellular plan.
- Keep Plan: Choose this option if you plan to pair your Apple Watch with the same iPhone again in the future. Your cellular plan will remain active and linked to your account.
- Remove Plan: Select this if you don’t intend to pair the watch with this iPhone again, or if you’re giving away or selling your Apple Watch. If you choose to remove the plan and aren’t pairing with another device, you might need to contact your cellular carrier to cancel the subscription to avoid further charges.
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Disable Activation Lock: Enter your Apple ID password when prompted. This is a crucial step to disable Activation Lock, ensuring the watch is no longer tied to your Apple ID and can be set up by someone else. After entering your password, tap “Unpair”.
During the unpairing process, your iPhone automatically creates a new backup of your Apple Watch data. This backup can be used to restore your settings and information to a new Apple Watch in the future. Once unpairing is complete, your Apple Watch will display the “Start Pairing” message, indicating it has been reset to factory settings and is ready to be paired again.
After unpairing, you can set up your Apple Watch as new, restore it from a backup, or power it off if you are planning to sell or give it away.
Erasing Your Apple Watch When You Don’t Have Your iPhone
If you don’t have access to your paired iPhone, you can still erase your Apple Watch directly, although Activation Lock will remain active. This means the watch will still be linked to your Apple ID, and someone else will need your Apple ID and password to set it up.
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Access Reset Settings on Apple Watch: On your Apple Watch, press the Digital Crown to access the app menu. Tap the “Settings” app, then navigate to “General,” and scroll down to “Reset.” Finally, tap “Erase All Content and Settings.”
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Enter Passcode (if prompted): If you have a passcode set on your Apple Watch, you will be asked to enter it to proceed with the reset.
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Cellular Plan Options (for GPS + Cellular Models): Similar to the iPhone unpairing method, if you have a cellular model, you’ll be asked to choose whether to keep or remove your cellular plan. Select the option that best suits your needs, keeping in mind whether you or someone else will be pairing the watch again and with which device.
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Confirm Erase All: Tap “Erase All” to confirm your decision and initiate the factory reset process. This will erase all personal data, settings, and media from your Apple Watch and restore it to its original factory state.
After erasing, your Apple Watch will be reset and ready to be set up again. However, remember that Activation Lock will still be enabled. To fully remove Activation Lock, unpairing via the paired iPhone is necessary. If you intend to give away or sell your watch after erasing it this way, inform the new user that they will need your Apple ID and password during setup, or ideally, try to unpair it using your iPhone remotely if possible.
Further Assistance
If you’ve forgotten your Apple Watch passcode and are unable to access the settings menu, Apple provides a guide on how to reset your watch in such situations. You can find more information on what to do if you forgot your Apple Watch passcode.
By following these steps, you can confidently unpair or erase your Apple Watch, ensuring your data is secure and your device is ready for its next chapter.
