apple watch 9 not unlocking with iphone 12 mini

These are the steps i'm attempting:

  • on iphone - i turn on the "unlock with iPhone"
  • it says to fill passcode on watch - i do fill it in
  • it does a little spinner on watch and then return to home screen
  • on iPhone it turns the "unlock with iPhone" back to off state by itself

i've also tried re-starting both phone & watch and checked if latest iOS is installed, but nothing seems to help

Apple Watch Series 9, watchOS 11

Posted on Feb 4, 2025 11:31 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 5, 2025 4:54 AM

Did you try to force restart by pressing and holding the Digital Crown and the Side button together for about 10sec, until the Apple logo comes back again?


If this does not work, unpairing the watch and setting it up as a new device would be the next step:

Unpair and erase your Apple Watch - Apple Support

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apple watch 9 not unlocking with iphone 12 mini

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