My watch won’t go past the preparing stage
Bought a watch off a friend and got past activation lock but it will up date but won’t go past preparing
What series watch is it? FWIW a lot of people have had trouble updating a series 3 watch. With the limited memory in a series 3 watch, your best option may be to make an appointment at the Genius Bar in an Apple Store near you and let them look at it:
Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple
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Series 3 Apple Watch Setup Fails At Updat… - Apple Community
Apple Watch 3 is stuck on preparing updat… - Apple Community