I received an Apple Watch Series 6 from a friend (she bought it new). She erased/reset the watch before giving it to me. I have an iPhone 12 with iOS 16.7 on it. I can’t pair the devices because the watch needs to update but I can’t update the watch unless it’s paired.
How can I pair the devices or update the watch?
Thank you
iPhone 12, iOS 16
I believe you need to update your iPhone to at least iOS 17 if the Apple Watch uses watchOS 10. You'll need to update the iPhone to iOS 18 if the Apple Watch uses watchOS 11.
Start by updating your iPhone to iOS 17 and see if you can par the watch. If not, try installing iOS 18.
I believe you need to update your iPhone to at least iOS 17 if the Apple Watch uses watchOS 10. You'll need to update the iPhone to iOS 18 if the Apple Watch uses watchOS 11.
Start by updating your iPhone to iOS 17 and see if you can par the watch. If not, try installing iOS 18.
Yes, you will need to update your iPhone to iOS 18 (not iOS 17.7.) In Settings > General > Software Update, the iOS 18 upgrade will be a banner at the bottom of the screen.
Not that I know of if the watch is not already paired. Could you ask your friend if she remembers updating the Apple Watch on or after September 16, 2024? If she has not, the watch has watchOS 10, otherwise watchOS 11.
Is there anything I should know or do before updating? Do you recommend updating via iTunes or wifi?
I’ve rarely updated my iPhones over the years so I’m always hesitant.
Can you reverse an update on a watch to a previous iOS?
Backing up your iPhone before an update is always a good idea, preferably a local backup (not iCloud) on a computer using Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows PC or older Mac). Archive the local backup so that it is not overwritten by a newer backup.
I now update my iPhone using Wi-Fi but I used to do it using a computer. In the past, the Wi-Fi update was not foolproof but it’s been flawless for me those last few years. This being said, if you create a local backup on a computer, you might as well do the upgrade using the same.
No, it is generally impossible to revert to a previous version of iOS.
I’m still having issues with updating. I plugged my phone into my laptop so I could backup through iTunes. I’ve already updated to the latest iTunes, however, the circle just spins for hours when I attempt to backup.
I haven’t tried updating to 18 without backing up because I’d rather be safe than sorry for all my data.
Any thoughts on what to try next?
Thank you
A few months ago, there was an issue with iPhone/Mac synchronization on Macs. I don’t know if the issue was present in iTunes on Windows PC. In any case, the issue was with the synchronization, not the backup.
When connecting your iPhone, the backup is done first, then iTunes does the synchronization. This to say that your backup may be done and the hanging you see is just the synchronization.
In iTunes, look at the date of the last backup. If you see it matches your last attempt, the backup is done. You could then proceed with the iOS 18 upgrade without worries.
iTunes says my iPhone has never been backed up on this computer.
I was going through texts and noticed there’s photos in them from years ago. Is that part of the synchronization process? If so, will those photos stay in those text threads? They’re photos I know I’ve deleted from the threads over the years to free up space on my iPhone.
In iTunes, are you sure the backup is set to backup on the computer and not iCloud? I’m not very familiar with iTunes but, in Finder on a Mac, one can choose the backup destination:
If you can’t back up on your computer, use the iCloud backup instead.
As to your 2nd question, I believe the backup would contain the photos in the threads but I can’t be 100%sure since you mentioned having deleted them.
Is there a way to know what iOS the watch is currently on?
She updated it on 9/26. So I just need to update my iPhone, correct?
Update Apple Watch 6 with iPhone 12
