To unpair an Apple Watch, keep it near your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap All Watches, tap the info button next to your watch and choose Unpair Apple Watch. Enter your Apple Account password to switch off Activation Lock. The watch is erased and ready for a new owner or a new iPhone.
Unpairing is how you separate an Apple Watch from your iPhone cleanly. You'll need it when you get a new iPhone, before you sell or give away the watch, or when a watch is stuck and needs a fresh pairing. Done from the iPhone, it wipes the watch and removes Activation Lock in one step, which is exactly what a buyer needs. Here's how, plus the things to sort out before you tap the button.
Before you unpair
- Know two passwords: your Apple Account password and the watch's passcode.
- Remove transit cards from the watch's Wallet first, so they move to another device rather than getting stuck.
- Keep both devices close and charged.
- Decide on the cellular plan if your watch has one; see below.
Unpair Apple Watch from iPhone
- Put the Apple Watch and iPhone next to each other.
- On the iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.
- On the My Watch tab, tap All Watches at the top.
- Tap the info button next to the watch you want to unpair.
- Tap Unpair Apple Watch, then tap again to confirm.
- For a cellular watch, choose whether to keep or remove the plan.
- Enter your Apple Account password to turn off Activation Lock, then tap Unpair.
The iPhone makes a fresh backup of the watch before it unpairs, so your settings can come back if you pair it again. Then the watch is erased and restarts to its setup screen.
Keep or remove the cellular plan?
| Your plan | Choose |
|---|---|
| Pairing the same watch again, or with your new iPhone | Keep the plan |
| Selling or giving the watch away | Remove the plan |
| Want to end the service altogether | Remove it, then contact your carrier |
Removing the plan from the watch doesn't cancel your contract with the carrier. If you don't want the service any more, contact the carrier separately, as Apple notes.
Moving to a new iPhone
You don't always need to unpair manually. When you set up a new iPhone from a backup of your old one, the setup usually offers to bring your Apple Watch across. If that doesn't happen, or the watch keeps saying it's paired to the old phone, unpair it from the old iPhone as above, then pair it with the new one and choose to restore from the backup. Your watch faces, settings and apps come back.
Selling or giving it away
Unpairing from the iPhone is the method Apple recommends here, because it removes Activation Lock. After it finishes, Apple says you can switch the watch off rather than setting it up. Then remove the bands you're keeping, give it a wipe, and it's ready. If you're also resetting the iPhone, Apple's iPhone reset guide says to unpair the watch first.
No iPhone to unpair with?
If the paired iPhone is lost or broken, you can erase the watch from its own Settings, General, Reset. Apple warns that this leaves Activation Lock on, so the next person will need your Apple Account details. Remove the watch from your account at iCloud.com, in Find Devices, to clear the lock for them.
Pairing it again afterwards
- Turn the watch on and hold it near the iPhone.
- Wait for the pairing message on the iPhone and tap Continue.
- Line the watch up in the viewfinder, or tap Pair Manually.
- Choose Restore from Backup to get your faces and settings back.
Then reconnect the apps you use on your wrist; my guides to WhatsApp on a smartwatch and Snapchat notifications on Apple Watch cover two popular ones.
Unpairing to fix a problem
Sometimes unpairing and pairing again is the fix rather than the goal: a watch that won't sync health data, apps that won't install, or notifications that stopped arriving despite restarts. Because the iPhone backs up the watch before unpairing, you can restore that backup straight away and lose very little. Try restarting both devices first, though; it's quicker and solves most of these problems on its own.
How long it takes
Unpairing usually takes a few minutes, longer if the watch has a lot of data or a weak battery. Keep both devices on their chargers if you can and don't walk away with the iPhone, because the watch needs to stay in range while it backs up and erases. If the process stalls, restart both and try again; if it still won't finish, erase the watch from its own settings and remove it from your account online.
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Finally, check the watch has gone from the device list in your Apple Account settings on the iPhone, so it isn't still linked to you after it leaves your hands.
My verdict
Watch app, All Watches, info button, Unpair Apple Watch, password: that's the clean way to separate a watch from your iPhone. Remove transit cards first, keep the plan if you're pairing it again and remove it if you're selling, and use the iPhone method whenever you can so Activation Lock comes off.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unpair my Apple Watch from my iPhone?
Open the Watch app, tap All Watches, tap the info button next to the watch and choose Unpair Apple Watch.
Does unpairing an Apple Watch erase it?
Yes. It restores factory settings and removes Activation Lock.
Will I lose my data if I unpair my Apple Watch?
The iPhone backs up the watch first, so you can restore it when you pair again.
How do I unpair an Apple Watch without the iPhone?
Erase it from the watch's Settings, then remove it from your account at iCloud.com.
Should I keep my cellular plan when unpairing?
Keep it if you'll pair the watch again. Remove it if you're selling.
