How to bypass Activation Lock on Apple Watch after replacing it with a new one?

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Level 1

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How to bypass Activation Lock on Apple Watch after replacing it with a new one?

I bought an Apple watch 10, I then replaced my watch 9 with it. I erased the 9 and presented it to my wife. When I tried to set it up again to be used with her iPhone. It tells me that the activation lock is active and that I need to use the password that was used when I activated the watch9. Problem is I don't remember which password I used. I have changed my account password several times since then and none of them work to get in. Question is If I change the password will it also change the password on my present account, or will that even work? As you can probably tell by now that I am a novice and don't really know what I'm doing. Can someone help me?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Activation lock release

Posted on Jan 28, 2026 12:17 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

63,260 points

Jan 28, 2026 12:33 PM in response to J995

Try this:

On a computer, go to Find My iPhone on iCloud.com and sign in to your Apple Account.
Select All Devices, then click your Apple Watch.
Click Erase Apple Watch. Select Next until the device is erased.
Click the X button next to your Apple Watch.

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Apple Watch, or buy one from someone else - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

63,260 points

Jan 28, 2026 6:04 PM in response to J995

If the target phone is still in the process of pairing where you see the Activation Lock Screen for the Watch, tap the Back button on the upper left and tap Reset where it should continue with the Unpair process of your previous attempt to pair the Watch and you should be able to start over by setting up the watch as new.

If that still is not working check, the Find My app on your phone to see if the Watch is still showing as being attached to your account and check if you have the option to Remove this Device from your account.

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Answer 3

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,589 points

Jan 28, 2026 5:24 PM in response to J995

If the watch is erased using the method Mac Jim ID has linked, it is no longer subject to the Activation Lock. That proccess removes the Lock.

M1 Mac mini, macOS 26.2;  Watch, Series 10 GPS-only, watchOS 26.2; iPhone 16, iOS 26.2.1; TV 4th Gen, tvOS 26.2 HomePods, audioOS 26.2

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Answer 4

J995 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 28, 2026 3:47 PM in response to Mac Jim ID

I followed the directions you gave, the last message says watch will be erased when it goes online. how do I get it to go online when I can't get passed the lock?

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