Just purchased a mint condition, unpaired Apple Watch Series 2. Everything I read online said it would work with my older (still nice!) iPhone 5S. However, it will not pair! Watch OS 6 will not allow it to pair to a 5S iPhone.
These devices should work together. That's the whole point of buying multiple devices in this ecosystem.
What can I do? What are my options?
iPhone 5s, iOS 12
WatchOS 6 requires iOS 13. An iPhone 6 cannot run iOS 13. This is a technical limitation
If the watch was updated to watchOS 6 then it will not work with your iPhone 6.
It would have worked, if it was still on watchOS 5 or earlier.
If Apple can't or won't do it there's no way to downgrade watchOS versions unfortunately.
WatchOS 6 requires iOS 13. An iPhone 6 cannot run iOS 13. This is a technical limitation
If the watch was updated to watchOS 6 then it will not work with your iPhone 6.
It would have worked, if it was still on watchOS 5 or earlier.
If Apple can't or won't do it there's no way to downgrade watchOS versions unfortunately.
Final Update: No difficulty making the Genius Bar appointment, but they were unable to offer any solutions.
This watch will, apparently, never again be able to work with any iPhone prior to the 6S.
Unless.
Apple® makes a counter-cultural, deeply-determined effort to better support older devices and keep valuable stuff from collecting dust on a shelf or piling up in landfills.
Stranger things have happened, right? Peace out
There is a slight possibility that apple may downgrade the watch to a version that would pair with your 5s,but this has had mixed results on this forum,it's worth a try but if they won't downgrade the watch,then only a phone with ios13 or higher will pair with the watch.
Thanks for your comment, fiery jack.
I talked to Apple Support, and the rep suggested I pair it with someone else's 6S-or-better, next erase/reset it, and then try it again with my phone.
But, she had no real idea if that ^ would work, and that was all she could offer.
I understand the reasoning behind "Watch OS 6 requires a device with iOS 13," but it boggles my mind that there is no apparent way to revert this device back to Watch OS 5, once it's been updated. Series 2 watches were released in 2016 and should definitely remain compatible with iPhones that were common/popular at that time!
If you can find one that is running watchOS 5.x it will work. Someone updated the one you bought so it will not work. For security reasons Apple has never support rolling back iOS versions and it is especially difficult to do so on an Apple Watch.
Thanks for that response, deggie... I'm starting to think that's the only way, too.
However, I just chatted with Apple Support again and, this time, was told to take the watch by a Genius Bar; they "may" be able to roll it back to square one, original factory settings, etc. I will probably give this a try, although it doesn't sound like a 100% solution (might've been a seat of the pants, get-this-guy-off-of-my-back, kind of answer). Very difficult to get the straight stuff from those folks; probably been coached to just dither and deflect, when the news is not good...
You will have to wait awhile to make a Genius Bar appointment and I know that last time I talked to a service manager there they were not able to roll a watch back, they had to send it to the depot. Then it was up to the depot as to whether they would do so or not. You also should have asked for a supervisor.
Where did you find an open Apple Store? Are you in China?
Apple Watch Series 2 - iPhone 5S
