Apple watch won't pair with old iPhone
I have an Apple Watch Series 3 and an iPhone 6, both hand-me-down. I have already erased the watch and the phone is updated to the latest version, 12.5.6. When I try to pair the two devices, a pop-up comes up saying the watch can't be paired because the phone is not updated, even though it is on the latest version of iOS it can run. I know the iPhone 6 can only run iOS 12 and not the latest iOS 16, but I would think that there'd be a way for Apple Watches to pair with older iPhones.
This is what the pop-up and update screen looks like.
I would really appreciate it if someone could help me find a solution.
Thanks.
iPhone 6s, iOS 15