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Unpaired my Apple Watch and now unable to re-pair it

Due to other phone issues, today I unpaired my Watch and iPhone (My Apple Watch has been working fine up until today after I unpaired it.) Now, when I attempt to re-pair them, I get an error that say "Failed to Pair". I have tried both the image scan and the manual pairing options - both lead to the same pop-up that says "Failed to Pair - Learn More or Try Again". I have tried it while on cellular and while on wifi. I have reset my network settings on my iPhone. I've reset both devices in every which way.


I have an Apple Watch 5 and an iPhone SE 2nd Gen - both are iOS up to date.


The Apple Watch appears to be factory reset - it shows the black screen where you pick your language and go on to pair it to a device. My iPhone has no connection to this watch any longer, through bluetooth or whatever else. I don't see it as a device in Find My Phone either. All the troubleshooting options I've read are for Apple Watches that are setup but not paired - since my Apple Watch won't let me go beyond the initial pairing setup, I'm not sure what else to do.

Apple Watch Series 5

Posted on Mar 3, 2022 1:07 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Mar 4, 2022 11:47 AM

Greetings, lanaphillips24.

Since you are unable to pair your Apple Watch to your phone, start by working through these steps:

“Make sure that the Apple Watch isn’t already paired

When you set up an Apple Watch, your iPhone asks you to hold the watch up to your iPhone camera. If your iPhone says that it's unable to connect to the Apple Watch — or if the watch shows a clock face — the Apple Watch might be paired with an iPhone already.

Try unpairing or erasing the Apple Watch using one of the methods below.

Unpair Apple Watch if you have its paired iPhone

Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.Tap the "i" icon  next to the watch that you want to unpair, then tap Unpair Apple Watch.Tap again to confirm, then wait for the watch to unpair.After the Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again.

Erase Apple Watch if you don't have its paired iPhone

If you can't unpair the Apple Watch because you don't have the iPhone that it's paired with, you can erase the watch.

When you erase an Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair the Apple Watch again, you'll have to enter the Apple ID and password that was used to set it up.

Open the Settings app on your watch, then tap General > Reset.Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then tap again to confirm.Wait for the watch to unpair.After the Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again. Remember that you'll need the Apple ID and password that were used to set up the watch.

Reset Apple Watch if you don’t know its passcode

If you can't unpair or erase the Apple Watch because you’ve forgotten its passcode, you can reset the watch.

When you reset an Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair the Apple Watch again, you'll have to enter the Apple ID and password that was used to set it up.

Put the Apple Watch on its charger.Press and hold the side button until you see Power Off.Press and hold the Digital Crown, then tap Reset.After the Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again. Remember that you'll need the Apple ID and password that were used to set up the watch.

If the pairing process stallsIf it seems like the Apple Watch pairing process has stalled — for example, the pairing animation remains on the screen for several minutes — resetting the watch might help:Press and hold the Digital Crown while your Apple Watch is in pairing mode.Tap Reset when it appears on your watch.After your watch resets, you can pair again.”

We hope this helps! 

Sincerely.

Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Mar 4, 2022 11:47 AM in response to lanaphillips24

Greetings, lanaphillips24.

Since you are unable to pair your Apple Watch to your phone, start by working through these steps:

“Make sure that the Apple Watch isn’t already paired

When you set up an Apple Watch, your iPhone asks you to hold the watch up to your iPhone camera. If your iPhone says that it's unable to connect to the Apple Watch — or if the watch shows a clock face — the Apple Watch might be paired with an iPhone already.

Try unpairing or erasing the Apple Watch using one of the methods below.

Unpair Apple Watch if you have its paired iPhone

Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.Tap the "i" icon  next to the watch that you want to unpair, then tap Unpair Apple Watch.Tap again to confirm, then wait for the watch to unpair.After the Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again.

Erase Apple Watch if you don't have its paired iPhone

If you can't unpair the Apple Watch because you don't have the iPhone that it's paired with, you can erase the watch.

When you erase an Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair the Apple Watch again, you'll have to enter the Apple ID and password that was used to set it up.

Open the Settings app on your watch, then tap General > Reset.Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then tap again to confirm.Wait for the watch to unpair.After the Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again. Remember that you'll need the Apple ID and password that were used to set up the watch.

Reset Apple Watch if you don’t know its passcode

If you can't unpair or erase the Apple Watch because you’ve forgotten its passcode, you can reset the watch.

When you reset an Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair the Apple Watch again, you'll have to enter the Apple ID and password that was used to set it up.

Put the Apple Watch on its charger.Press and hold the side button until you see Power Off.Press and hold the Digital Crown, then tap Reset.After the Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again. Remember that you'll need the Apple ID and password that were used to set up the watch.

If the pairing process stallsIf it seems like the Apple Watch pairing process has stalled — for example, the pairing animation remains on the screen for several minutes — resetting the watch might help:Press and hold the Digital Crown while your Apple Watch is in pairing mode.Tap Reset when it appears on your watch.After your watch resets, you can pair again.”

We hope this helps! 

Sincerely.

Unpaired my Apple Watch and now unable to re-pair it

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