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Can I use my Series 3 Apple Watch with iOS 17?

i use my series 3 watch with my iphone mini 12 (ios16) and it works fine. If i update the iphone to ios17

does it still work?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Apple Watch Series 3

Posted on Sep 19, 2023 7:37 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 22, 2023 2:31 PM

I cannot use/pair my apple watch series 3 with my new Iphone 15 Pro max.

I tried to pair my series 3 watch with my new Iphone 15 pro max with IOS 17.1.1

It started pairing and prompted to do software update. When I click update, it always fails. Can someone help me in this issue?

17 replies

Nov 29, 2023 5:22 PM in response to shiva_hustle

Unfortunately, it looks like any apple watch that no longer is supported with os updates (series 3 and older) cannot be newly paired to an iphone (whether on older software or not). The watch will continuously ask for an update it cannot take.

I tried to pair my mom’s series 3 with her new phone a few months back and nothing worked (wiping memory, restarting, trying it with a different phone, etc.). When I took it in to the apple store, they laughed at me ‘cause it was “so old”.

If your watch is already paired with the phone prior to doing an ios update (phone software, not the watch’s), it should still be fine. Mine has worked this way for a while.

Pretty much: try not to do a memory wipe or switch out your devices. If it’s paired, leave it be. That’s the only way you can keep it. 🤷‍♀️

Mar 21, 2024 1:34 PM in response to typ3

Hi team, I had the same issue today, but fixed it by "erase my apple watch" (on the watch) then "restart the watch" you gonna see the cloud on the watch just like the first time you turned it on, and last step is to pair it from our phone. It takes a while to reset everything but finally works on my end!


Watch: series 3, wifi only

Phone: Iphone 14

System: ios 17.4

Can I use my Series 3 Apple Watch with iOS 17?

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