How do I reconnect my watch

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated December 20, 2024

Contributions sourced from

How to reconnect my Apple Watch

If your watch becomes temporarily disconnected from your iPhone via Bluetooth and cannot connect to a known Wi-Fi network at the time, it will show the Disconnected icon on the watch face:

Such disconnections can be normal, occurring whenever the paired iPhone is unavailable (such as during iOS updates or when your iPhone is out of range).

It is not normally necessary to unpair and re-pair your devices after this happens. They should instead reconnect automatically a short while after being brought close together again. If they do not, keep your iPhone and Apple Watch close by each other and follow these steps until they do:

For the best performance from your watch, keep both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi permanently enabled on your iPhone.

If they still do not reconnect, unpair and re-pair your watch. If your watch is unpaired according to your iPhone, but not according to your watch, follow these steps to re-pair your watch:

More information:

If your Apple Watch isn't connected to your iPhone - Apple Support

If your Apple Watch isnt connected or paired with your iPhone

If you dont get notifications, messages or calls on your Apple Watch, your Apple Watch and iPhone may not be connected. When your devices disconnect, the red iPhone icon or the red X icon will appear on your watch face. You can also check your connection in Control Centre. When your Apple Watch connects again, the green iPhone icon will appear.

First, bring your Apple Watch and paired iPhone close together. If you still see the devices are disconnected and need help, try the steps below. After each step, see if your devices can connect.

Keep your Apple Watch and paired iPhone close together to make sure theyre in range.
On your iPhone, make sure Airplane Mode is off and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on. To check, open Control Centre.
If you see the Airplane Mode icon on your watch face, Airplane Mode is turned on. Open Control Centre then turn off Airplane Mode.
Restart your Apple Watch and restart your iPhone.

If your Apple Watch still cant connect, unpair it from your iPhone, then pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.

If you still need help, contact Apple Support.

Published Date:January 04, 2024

Fix Pixel Watch setup and phone pairing issues

If Pixel Watch won't connect to your phone, try the troubleshooting steps below.

If you've tried the steps above and Pixel Watch still won't pair with your phone, factory reset your Watch to fix the issue.

A factory reset will help resolve multiple issues you may encounter in the Google Pixel Watch app, which include:

Timed out updates
Forgotten PIN or passcode
"Something went wrong" error message
Frozen on the screen with the "G" logo

Tip: After you reset your watch to factory settings, all apps, settings, and data on your watch are erased.

Step 1: Reset from the Pixel Watch or Pixel Watch app

You can reset from either the Google Pixel Watch app or your Google Pixel Watch.

Reset from your Google Pixel Watch

On Google Pixel Watch, swipe down tap Settings.
Tap System.
Scroll down and tap Disconnect & reset Ok .

Important: If youve factory reset your Watch from your phone or used the Fastboot reset method, youll be required to sign in with your most recent PIN or Google account login when you re-pair your phone and Watch. This will Help prevent others from using your device without permission.

Reset from the Google Pixel Watch app

On your phone, open the Google Pixel Watch app .
Tap System Reset and unpair watch.

Step 2: If you've tried the steps above and your watch is still not reset, you can reset through your phone settings

Reset from your phone settings

Uninstall the Google Pixel Watch app .
Go to Settings Connected Devices forget any watch devices listed.
Restart the phone.
After the phone has restarted, make sure your Watch and phone are near each other. The pairing screen should appear on your phone so you can go through the pairing process again.

Step 3: Reset from Fastboot. This method should only be done after trying all other steps above.

This method should only be done if after trying all other steps above did not resolve the issue.

Restart your Google Pixel Watch.
Long press the crown and the side button of your Google Pixel Watch for around 20 seconds until it shows a dark screen with the white "G" logo.
- If your watch is currently turned off, press the crown for a few seconds to turn it on.
As soon as the watch shows the white "G" logo, tap the upper-left and lower-right edges of the watch face screen at the same time. The watch will go into "Fastboot" mode.
Press the side button next to the crown to scroll down.
When "Recovery Mode" is highlighted, press the crown. The message "No Command" will appear on the watch face.
Press and hold the crown and swipe up on your screen at the same time. A debug screen will appear on the watch face.
Swipe down until "Wipe Data/Factory Reset" is highlighted.
Swipe right to reset your watch and PIN.
Swipe right again to confirm.
Reset from your phone settings.

If you've tried the steps above and your watch is still not reset, contact support.

Step 4: Reconnect your phone and watch

After you reset your watch, you'll want to reconnect your phone and watch by following the instructions to Set up Google Pixel Watch.

How to pair your Apple Watch with a new iPhone

Your Apple ID and password (so you can turn off Activation Lock)
Your old and new iPhone both need to be connected to Wi-Fi
Your Apple Watch and iPhone both need to be at least 50 percent charged
Your Apple Watch passcode (get help if you forgot your passcode)

If you don't have your old iPhone, you need to use different steps. Choose an option below.

Use these steps to back up your Apple Watch before pairing with your new iPhone.

Before you switch your Apple Watch to a new iPhone, update your old iPhone to the newest version of iOS that's available.* You should also update your Apple Watch. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the updates to complete. You might want to update overnight or wait until you have time, and make sure that both of your devices are charged.

* You might see that your iPhone is up to date on its current version, and there's an update available. For example, even if your iPhone is up to date on the latest version of iOS 14, there might be an option to update to iOS 15.

If you back up using iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and make sure that Health is on.

If you back up using your computer, encrypt your backup to save your Health and Activity content.

Keep your Apple Watch unlocked and on your wrist with your iPhone nearby. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

If your iPhone asks you to confirm that you want to use your watch, follow the onscreen steps to finish setting up.

If your iPhone asks you to Start Pairing, unpair your Apple Watch so that you can set it up.

After setup, you can start using your Apple Watch with your new iPhone.

Follow the steps below for your situation.

Your Apple Watch might still be paired with your old iPhone. Use the steps below to unpair:

Erase your Apple Watch.
Set up your new iPhone and sign in to iCloud. If you've already set up and signed in, skip this step.
Open the Apple Watch app on your new iPhone, then pair your watch with your new iPhone.
Try to restore from a backup. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date; if they're not, you might not see your backup in the list. You will lose Activity, Workouts, or settings on your watch that changed between the last backup and now. If you use iCloud in iOS 11 and later, Health and Activity data is stored in iCloud and automatically kept up to date on devices where you're signed in with the same Apple ID.
- If youre asked to restore from a watch backup, select the most recent backup.
- If you don't have a backup, you need to set up your Apple Watch as new.
Follow the onscreen steps to finish setting up.
Start using your Apple Watch with your new iPhone. You might need to wait a few days for all your iCloud data to appear.

Unpair your Apple Watch from your old iPhone. Then choose one of these options depending on when you set up your new iPhone:

If you just restored your new iPhone from a recent backup, pair your devices. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date, otherwise you might not see your backup in the list. When you're asked, restore from a watch backup. Your recent Activity, Workouts, or settings content might be lost depending on how old the backup is.
If your iPhone backup is several days or weeks old and you want to preserve as much content as possible, erase your new iPhone. Then transfer the content from your old iPhone to your new iPhone. You might lose some of the content on your new iPhone. Remember to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.

If your Apple Watch gets stuck at the black screen that shows the white Apple logo, follow these steps:

Press and hold the Digital Crown and the side button at the same time until your watch restarts. Then release the Digital Crown and side button.
After your watch restarts, firmly press the screen or press and hold the Digital Crown.
Tap Reset.
After your watch resets, you can pair it with your iPhone. Bring your iPhone near your watch, then follow the on-screen instructions.

Unpair your Apple Watch from your old iPhone, then pair it with your new iPhone. When asked, restore your Apple Watch from a backup. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date; if they're not, you might not see your backup in the list.

If you use iCloud to keep Health up to date on your old iPhone, your data will automatically update on your new iPhone whenever you're connected to Wi-Fi and signed in to iCloud. On your old iPhone and your new one, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and make sure that Health is on.

If you don't use iCloud, you can try to restore from a computer backup of your old iPhone. If you have your old iPhone and didn't erase it, make a new iCloud backup or encrypted computer backup. Then erase your new iPhone and restore it from the new backup. Remember to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again. If you use a computer, make sure that you encrypt your backup.

If you don't have your old iPhone or you can't back it up, you can't recover your Health and Activity content.

Published Date:March 26, 2024

Pertain to: Wear 2 and Wear 3 Touchscreen SmartwatchesTo identify which Wear OS version your watch is on, please check your watch build number:On your watch, go to Settings System About Version Wear OS Version:

Wear OS 2: The Wear OS version shall be 2.xx
Wear OS 3: The Wear OS version shall be 3.xx. In addition, build number starts with RFHC.xxxxxx.xxx

To pair your smartwatch, follow these steps:If you are using a Wear OS 2 smartwatch:On watch: Select language Scroll down to find the name of the required companion app.Please note that watches that run Wear OS 2 are only compatible with Wear OS by Google app. They cannot be paired with any other branded companion app, such as the Fossil Smartwatches app.On phone: Open the Wear OS by Google app Tap Get Started. Select your watch's name. Allow Bluetooth to connect to your watch.

A pairing code will appear on your watch and phone. Confirm that they match.
Youll see a confirmation message once your watch is paired. This can take a few minutes.
Follow the onscreen instructions on your phone and watch to complete pairing and setup.

Note: Your watch may automatically install an update and restart after its paired with your phone. If it begins downloading an update, keep the phone near your watch and ensure your watch stays charged until the update is finished.If you are using a Wear OS 3 smartwatch:On watch: Select language Scroll down to find the name of the required companion app.All Wear OS 3 smartwatches are no longer compatible with the Wear OS app. If your watch has been updated to Wear OS 3, it is not possible to roll back to Wear OS 2. At the moment, only Gen 6 smartwatches are eligible for the Wear OS 3 upgrade.On phone: Open the Fossil Smartwatches app Tap Get Started. Select your watch type. Allow Bluetooth to connect to your watch.

A pairing code will appear on your watch and phone. Confirm that they match.
Youll see a confirmation message once your watch is paired. This can take a few minutes.
Follow the onscreen instructions on your phone and watch to complete pairing and setup.