Problem pairing Apple Watch Series 5 with iPhone 6s with iOS 15.7.2

According to the compatibility reports, the Series 5 watch should be able to pair with the iPhone 6s. My kids have identical iPhone 6s. I bought them Series 5 watches for Christmas. My daughter's phone had no problem pairing. My son's will not pair. It keeps saying that the watch requires an updated iPhone. The phone has the same iOS as his sister's. I've reset the watch back to factory, rebooted both the phone and the watch. What gives?

Posted on Dec 25, 2022 8:51 AM

Top-ranking reply

SnickZ.

Community Specialist

Posted on Dec 27, 2022 9:22 AM

Greetings TallahasseeDave,

Are you able to determine if your son’s Apple Watch has watchOS 9 installed on it already? We ask that because if it does, then it will not pair with iOS 15.7.2, it requires an iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later. During the setup process, are you seeing anything on the watch that is an ‘i’ in a circle where we might get additional information about the watch such as serial number, watchOS version, etc? We understand that without first being able to set up an Apple Watch, you’re not going to see the Settings app as an option.

Are you able to pair your son’s watch with your daughter’s iPhone? That may provide us some additional information on whether the issue is specific to the watch or your son’s iPhone. Set up and pair your Apple Watch with iPhone - Apple Support

Thanks.

View in context

Problem pairing Apple Watch Series 5 with iPhone 6s with iOS 15.7.2

Similar questions