Apple Watch keeps unpairing during initial set up

Hello R2D2_1973,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.

Let's try these steps:

"If the pairing process stalls

If it seems like the pairing process has stalled — for example, the pairing animation remains on the screen for several minutes — resetting your Apple Watch might help:

1. Press and hold the Digital Crown while your Apple Watch is in pairing mode.
2. Tap Reset when it appears on your watch.
3. After your watch resets, you can pair again."

More details can be found here: If you can't pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone

If the issue persist, can you provide a few more details? What is your exact iOS version on your iPhone? Do you know your exact watchOS version? Also, do you have another iPhone you can pair your Apple Watch, just to test and see if the issue persists?

Cheers!

Dear Apple,

Here's an idea. Instead of just replying to these messages with a standard response which clearly does not work how about you advise people that they may want to check that their phone has had the latest updates applied?

Now I'm certainly not saying the following is the only solution to this issue but it appears to have worked for myself and a number of other users when they are trying to set up and pair a new apple watch.

Step 1: Update your phone to the latest IOS version

Step 2: Update your watch to the latest WatchOS version

Step 3: Try the pairing process again.

I had the same issue, I had IOS 16.1 but apparently that was not good enough. After downloading IOS16.6 (which needs to be done manually) and waiting about 20 minutes to upload, I was finally able to pair the watch.

I have had several people tell me this works...

Ensure the iphone is on iOS16.4 or later.

Erase the Watch completely. Put your watch on its charger and keep it there until you complete these steps. (select the watch OS version) Erase Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK) 

When pairing do not try to restore the backup, pair as a New Watch Set up your Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK)

There are rumours that watches not on 10.4 will not pair with iOS17.4 or later so keep your eye on the news next week

chooka71 wrote:

Dear Apple,

Here's an idea. Instead of just replying to these messages with a standard response which clearly does not work how about you advise people that they may want to check that their phone has had the latest updates applied?

Now I'm certainly not saying the following is the only solution to this issue but it appears to have worked for myself and a number of other users when they are trying to set up and pair a new apple watch.

Step 1: Update your phone to the latest IOS version

Step 2: Update your watch to the latest WatchOS version

Step 3: Try the pairing process again.

I hope you are prepared to accept such criticism if your sparsely described "solution" does not fit all circumstances.

The Author is quite capable of coming back with a success or failure response, and you have no idea if the excellent advice succeeded or not.

It may not have worked for you or akeala258 but they were not the author of the post and you may have different circumstances.

By all means give additional advice, addressing the author not the other contributors, without criticism.

See Apple Support Communities Use Agreement - Apple Community.

which includes not flaming anyone, including Community Specialists.

If it is new then contact Apple Support under your 90 day complimentary tech support.

You should be able to reach them here  Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support  or phone numbers  Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support   or Click here > Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple 

iphone and Watch OS's come in pairs.Always update the iphone first

eg iOS 16.3.1 then OS 9.3.1 afterwards

It means series 3 will nit pair with that responder's ios16.1

series 1 to 3 Watches are difficult to pair because of relatively low storage but…

Ensure the iphone is on iOS16.4 or later.

Erase the Watch completely. Put your watch on its charger and keep it there until you complete these steps. (select the watch OS version) Erase Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK) 

When pairing do not try to restore the backup, pair as a New Watch https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204505

Same issue as described. iPhone 14/Watch 9. Read articles and verified settings on my phone. I had an update downloaded (iOS 17.1) but not installed. Fixed that but I also found I had an old phone still linked in iCloud. I deleted

that phone while my 14 was updating. Between the two changes on the next attempt to pair it took.

Poor TS protocol to make two changes at once but somewhere in those processes is the (my) fix.

Hope this helps.

I had this same issue with a current phone, updated software, and a replacement Apple smart watch. After checking out this group, I decided to try to Old School approach. I simply turned off my PHONE and waited a bit. A few minutes later, I turned the phone back on, put the watch on my wrist and all was well. Good luck.

I was having trouble as well but I figured it out by updating my phone to the newest IOS and reset my Apple Watch. It’s all set now.

This thread is old and the well was poisoned earlier.

You would be better to write your own discussion.

You have not given us enough information to help in detail.

Please post in the new discussion these details:

The Model of Watch eg Series 7, SE 2022

The OS it is running, eg OS9.4 (Settings, General, About if you can see it)

The model of the paired iPhone eg iPhone 11

The iOS it is running eg iOS16.4 (Settings General, About)

State what you are trying to do and tell us what is happening, what do you see, are there any error messages?

Use Find my or https://icloud.com/find to remove the watch from your  account then try pairing again

My phone is in for repairs... so I am using an old 2016 SE temporarily, but while my good phone is away, I would like to be able to still use my watch, get calendar updates and notifications etc. So there is no way to unpair and reconnect to another phone without resetting the entire device. So eventually decide I have had enough, and reset watch. But now it does not pair. Search the internet, apple gives a whole lot of suggestions, none work. As soon as it pairs, it unpairs again. Then thanks to a bright user somewhere, try checking for phone updates. Okay great phone update is available. Try pairing - pairing fails. But now it tells me I need ios 16 to pair a watch, and I am on 15.7.9 since SE 2016 is not able to install 16...

So why could my phone not have told me when I first tried pairing that the IOS version was not high enough to pair in the first place and prevented me from resetting my watch? So now I am without a watch till my phone gets repaired? I have supported apple for many years but there are just too many things that are becoming painful about their service, I think it is time to start looking at alternatives.

Solution: First remove the Apple Watch from the account, then start pairing it, you will have to login with your Apple ID and password at one point to re add it to the account so be prepared. Do not forget to check for software update in setting after is paired. Good luck!