Pairing iPhone 8 (IOS 16.7.14) with iwatch 6

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Level 1

13 points

Pairing iPhone 8 (IOS 16.7.14) with iwatch 6

Hi there my youngest disabled son uses an older iPhone 8 on IOS 16.7.14 and has just been given an iwatch 6 from his older brother, but we are unable to pair the two devices. I checked to see if they are compatible and they are. But the two devices are not communicating together and cannot pair in their current state, is there anything that can be done to pair these two? Any help would be appreciated, as Apple support mentions that I need to purchase a newer phone to make it work!

Posted on Feb 8, 2026 4:54 AM

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Answer 1

LD150

Level 10

102,132 points

Feb 8, 2026 8:38 AM in response to Builitbob

That is what I said. No workaround.

The only options are a new phone, or forget about pairing an Watch. No watch available from Apple will pair with iOS16 and that is as far as iphone 8 (almost obsolete) will update to. Finding a used watch still on OS10 will be a life's work..

Reset to factory on any Apple device will not move the operating system to the original version, it remains as current.

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Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

102,132 points

Feb 8, 2026 5:00 AM in response to Builitbob

it is possible (ask his brother) that the watch was updated to an OS newer (bigger)than the iphone iOS. eg watch OS26 will not work with iOS16. If so, there is no workaround

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Answer 3

Builitbob Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 8, 2026 8:25 AM in response to LD150

The watch is running a newer IOS, I reset the watch back to factory settings, but that didn’t work, it still wants the iPhone to have IOS 26 or later to work!

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Answer 4

Builitbob Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 8, 2026 10:24 AM in response to LD150

Many thanks for the information. Disappointed that this is the case, but that is not your fault at all, and really appreciate the fast feedback.

Many thanks.

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