How to unpair an Apple Watch

There are a few reasons why you might want to unpair your Apple Watch®. Maybe you bought a new one to replace it, or you're giving the watch to someone else. Unpairing the device restores it to its factory settings, so it no longer interacts with your current iPhone®.

Asurion Experts provide tech support for your favorite devices. Our tech tips help you get the most out of your products, from the Apple Watch to iPhone. Here's how to unpair an Apple Watch without any fuss.

Preparatory steps before unpairing

A paired Apple Watch stores all data on your iPhone. It's an automatic process that doesn't require any extra steps from you. The data remains on your iPhone even after unpairing your watch. If you later decide to replace your Apple Watch, you can restore the previous watch data to a new device.

Apple iCloud® serves as a secondary backup for various Apple products, including the iPhone. If you keep your phone's data backed up on iCloud, it automatically saves a copy of your watch data, too. 

The only items not backed up to iPhone from Apple Watch include:

• Credit and debit card details used for Apple Pay
• Watch passcode
• Bluetooth® pairings
• Messages

You can retrieve messages directly from your iPhone, but you'll lose the other items after unpairing the two devices. 

Unpairing using an iPhone

Unpairing your Apple Watch disables its connection to your iPhone and returns it to factory settings. 

To unpair an Apple Watch from an iPhone, place the two devices next to one another. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and follow these steps.

1. Locate the My Watch tab. Tap All Watches.
2. Tap the Info button next to the name of your watch.
3. Tap Unpair Apple Watch > Unpair [Name of Your Watch].
4. GPS + Cellular models display a confirmation message asking whether you want to keep or remove your cellular connection. If you plan on pairing Apple Watch again, keep the plan. Otherwise, you can remove it.
5. Enter your Apple Account password to disable Activation Lock.
6. Tap Unpair. 

Unpairing without an iPhone

You can unpair your Apple Watch without your iPhone. However, the process won't remove the Activation Lock. That's a must if you plan on selling or giving the watch away, since a new user can't set up the watch with the Activation Lock still enabled.

To unpair the Apple Watch without your iPhone, follow these steps.

1. Tap Settings > General > Reset.
2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
3. If prompted, enter your password.
4. GPS + Cellular models display a message asking whether you want to keep or remove your cellular connection. Select your preference.
5. Tap Erase All.

Unpairing the watch without your iPhone restores it to its factory settings. You can reconnect it whenever you like. If you want to gift or sell the watch to someone else, unpair it through your old phone to remove the Activation Lock first.

Troubleshooting unpairing issues

Unpairing your Apple Watch returns it to its out-of-the-box settings. That's useful if you're experiencing technical issues or plan to give it to someone else. But what happens if the unpairing process doesn't go as expected? Here are some potential resolutions.

Resetting the Apple Watch

After unpairing your Apple Watch, it won't display the clock or apps you're used to. You must pair it with another iPhone to access those features. If you're ready to do that, turn both devices on and place them near one another. 

1. Wait for the "Use Your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch" prompt to appear and tap Continue.
2. Tap Set Up for Myself.
3. Open the iPhone's Camera app. Hover the iPhone viewfinder over the watch face. A message should appear confirming the pairing. 

Follow the iPhone's prompts to set up your device. You may need to sign in to the watch using your Apple Account password. The iPhone also requests you to set up an Apple Watch passcode, which you'll use for special features like Apple Pay®. 

Addressing connectivity issues

If your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone, you should receive messages and notifications. If you don't, verify your iPhone's connection settings.

1. Open Control Center.
2. Verify Airplane Mode is disabled.
3. Verify Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on.

After confirming your settings, restart both devices. A restart may remove temporary glitches that prevent the Apple Watch from securing a proper connection with the iPhone.