How to Transfer Apple Watch to New iPhone - iDroidBit: Everything Tech

Getting a new iPhone and want to transfer your Apple Watch from your old iPhone to the new one? Here’s a simple guide.

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You’ll need:

Your Apple ID and password (to turn off Activation Lock)
Both your old and new iPhones connected to Wi-Fi
Both your Apple Watch and iPhone charged at least 50%
Your Apple Watch passcode

If you don’t have your old iPhone, you’ll need to follow different steps. If you do have your old iPhone, follow these steps to back up your Apple Watch before pairing it with your new iPhone:

1. Update your old iPhone:

Make sure your old iPhone and Apple Watch are updated to the latest iOS (specify version). This could take some time, so you might want to do it overnight or when you have free time. Ensure both devices are charged.

2. Check your Health and Activity settings:

If you’re using iCloud for backup, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and turn on Health. If you’re using your computer for backup, encrypt your backup to save your Health and Activity data.

3. Back up your old iPhone:

Back up your old iPhone either on a computer or in your iCloud account. This will also back up your Apple Watch.

4. Set up your new iPhone:

Start setting up your new iPhone. If asked for an iCloud or iTunes backup, choose the most recent one to restore your data. Make sure your iPhone and Apple Watch are updated, or you might not see your backup.

When your iPhone asks if you want to use your Apple Watch to unlock it, make sure your watch is on your wrist and unlocked. If it’s all good, just tap “Continue” on your iPhone. If your iPhone doesn’t ask about your watch, you can still set it up manually in the next step.

5. Open the Apple Watch app on new iPhone:

Make sure your Apple Watch is unlocked and on your wrist, and have your iPhone close by. Then, on your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.

Your iPhone might ask you to confirm if it’s okay to use your Apple Watch. If it does, just follow the instructions on your iPhone screen to finish setting things up.

In some cases, your iPhone might say “Start Pairing” instead. If you see that, it means your Apple Watch is already paired with another iPhone. To set it up with your current iPhone, you’ll need to unpair it first.

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

If you don’t have your old iPhone or it’s been erased:

Unpair your Apple Watch: Your Apple Watch might still be connected to your old iPhone. To disconnect it, you need to erase your Apple Watch. (Provide steps on how to do this)
Set up your new iPhone: Get your new iPhone ready and sign in to iCloud. You can skip this step if you’ve already done this.
Pair your Apple Watch with your new iPhone: Open the Apple Watch app on your new iPhone and connect your watch to it.
Restore from a backup: Try to get your watch back from a saved copy. Check that your iPhone and Apple Watch have the latest updates. If they don’t, you may not find your saved copy. You may lose some watch data that was added after the last saved copy.
Finish setting up: Follow the steps on the screen to finish setting up. Now, you can use your Apple Watch with your new iPhone. It might take a few days for all your iCloud data to show up.
If you still have your old iPhone and it’s not erased: Unpair your Apple Watch from your old iPhone.

Choose an option based on when you set up your new iPhone:

If you restored your new iPhone from backup, connect your devices. When asked, restore from a watch backup. You might lose some recent data depending on how old the backup is.
If your iPhone backup is old and you want to keep as much data as possible, erase your new iPhone. Then, move the data from your old iPhone to your new one. You might lose some data on your new iPhone. Don’t forget to connect your iPhone and Apple Watch again.

If your Apple Watch gets stuck while connecting:

1. Restart your Apple Watch:

If your Apple Watch gets stuck on the black screen with the Apple logo, press and hold the Digital Crown and the side button until your watch restarts. Then let go of the buttons.

2. Reset your Apple Watch:

After your watch restarts, press the screen firmly or hold the Digital Crown. Then tap Reset.

3. Pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone:

After your watch resets, you can connect it to your iPhone. Bring your iPhone close to your watch and follow the instructions on the screen.

Didn’t see Apple Watch during iPhone setup? Here’s what to do:

If you had your Apple Watch on another iPhone before, unpair it from that phone first.
Then, pair your new iPhone with Apple Watch.
When it asks, you can choose to restore your Apple Watch from a backup.
Make sure latest updates are installed, both on your iPhone and Apple Watch. This might help you see the backup option.

If you moved your data to your new iPhone using your computer, but Health and Activity data is missing:

1. Check your iCloud settings: Look at your iCloud settings.

If you use iCloud for Health on your old iPhone, it will update on your new iPhone. This happens when you’re on Wi-Fi and logged into iCloud. On both iPhones, go to Settings, tap on your name and then tap on iCloud. Check that Health is turned on.

2. Try to restore from a computer backup of your previous iPhone:

If you don’t use iCloud, you can restore from a computer backup of your old iPhone. If you still have your old iPhone and it’s not deleted, create a new iCloud backup or encrypted computer backup. Next, delete everything on your new iPhone and restore it from the new backup. Remember to link your Apple Watch and iPhone again. If you’re using a computer, encrypt your backup.

Without your old iPhone or its backup, you can’t retrieve your Health and Activity data.