HT204567: If you forgot the passcode for your Apple Watch

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Douglas Bailey
Level 1 (67 points)

Q: Trying to set Passcode, passcode entry is not acknowledged.

In the My Watch app, when I try and turn Passcode on I'm told to set the new passcode on my watch. I enter a code of 6 or greater digits. I'm informed that my policy does not allow consecutive numbers. So I enter a code with non consecutive numbers and press ok. The number pad remains so I enter the code again and press ok. The number pad remains. The only I option I have is to cancel.

 

I know that I have a policy on my phone that requires the phone to have a complex password i.e. letters numbers and symbols.

 

Is this preventing a numeric only passcode from being set on the Watch?

 

Set up of this code is required so I can use ApplePay.

Posted on Apr 23, 2015 4:50 PM

by Douglas Bailey,Solvedanswer
Douglas Bailey Douglas Bailey
Level 1 (67 points)
A:

Update. After the above I powered off the Watch. I powered on the Watch. I went back to the My Watch app on my phone and found that a passcode was now set. I'm not 100% sure what the passcode is because I tried so many. Not ideal, but regardless, I can now proceed to set up Apple Pay.

 

In the My Watch app, most optiones are greyed out but 'Unlock with iPhone' is turned on which is handy.

Posted on Apr 23, 2015 5:18 PM

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Douglas Bailey

Q: Trying to set Passcode, passcode entry is not acknowledged.

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  • by Douglas Bailey,Solvedanswer

    Douglas Bailey Douglas Bailey Apr 23, 2015 5:18 PM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 1 (67 points)
    Apr 23, 2015 5:18 PM in response to Douglas Bailey

    Update. After the above I powered off the Watch. I powered on the Watch. I went back to the My Watch app on my phone and found that a passcode was now set. I'm not 100% sure what the passcode is because I tried so many. Not ideal, but regardless, I can now proceed to set up Apple Pay.

     

    In the My Watch app, most optiones are greyed out but 'Unlock with iPhone' is turned on which is handy.

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Apr 23, 2015 5:17 PM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 9 (55,083 points)
    iPhone
    Apr 23, 2015 5:17 PM in response to Douglas Bailey

    It's possibly. The only way to be sure would be to delete the Exchange account to which the policy is tied from the phone and try again. Haven't received my watch yet to experiment, but it makes sense.

     

    If that turns out to be the case, you may be able to get around it by installing the outlook app from the app store to access Exchange instead of using the built in mail, calendar, etc.

  • by Douglas Bailey,

    Douglas Bailey Douglas Bailey Apr 23, 2015 5:26 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (67 points)
    Apr 23, 2015 5:26 PM in response to KiltedTim

    I did consider deleting the policy/exchange account but I didn't want to have to ask IT to send it to me again. + My IT department was not happy with the way the Outlook app was connecting and have set the policy to disallow it at this time. That's not a priority for them to fix since they have '1,200 users happily using the standard Mail app'.

  • by Gary Fong,

    Gary Fong Gary Fong Apr 24, 2015 6:44 AM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 6:44 AM in response to Douglas Bailey

    I experienced exactly the same.  And the problem is after the passcode is enabled (turn off & on again), all passcode related settings are in grey, i.e. I cannot change them.  That doesn't make sense.

     

    If this is a software bug, I'm good.  I'm just concerned if this is a hardware one.

     

    Can anyone help?

  • by Douglas Bailey,

    Douglas Bailey Douglas Bailey Apr 24, 2015 6:56 AM in response to Gary Fong
    Level 1 (67 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 6:56 AM in response to Gary Fong

    Once I realized I had a passcode on I did not pay much attention to my passcode settings and which may have been greeted out, I proceeded directly to adding a card in ApplePay. As I stated above, the only setting now on is 'Unlock via iPhone' and I can enable 'Erase data...' option if I like. I have decided that with ApplePay is configured that the greyed out options are by design; The 'Unlock via iPhone' method would be the safest way to protect a watch with credit cards stored in it because if someone stole your watch, no PIN number would get them in, they would need your phone too.

     

    Gary, maybe you also set up ApplePay before looking back into the passcode settings?

  • by Gary Fong,

    Gary Fong Gary Fong Apr 24, 2015 7:01 AM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 7:01 AM in response to Douglas Bailey

    I'm in Hong Kong, i.e. Apple Pay is not supported.  Don't even have this setting on my iPhone 6 Plus.

  • by Douglas Bailey,

    Douglas Bailey Douglas Bailey Apr 24, 2015 7:04 AM in response to Gary Fong
    Level 1 (67 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 7:04 AM in response to Gary Fong

    OK. I think this will be a software bug not a hardware one. I hope some other people can discover a workaround.

  • by Gary Fong,

    Gary Fong Gary Fong Apr 24, 2015 10:41 AM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Apr 24, 2015 10:41 AM in response to Douglas Bailey

    By the way, I missed that line re policy.  Yes, I'm in the same situation.  I have Good (the email app) installed on my iPhone, and my company's IT has also installed a policy that requires complex passcode on my iPhone.  Could this be the reason?

  • by yesyoucan,

    yesyoucan yesyoucan Apr 29, 2015 11:42 AM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 1 (55 points)
    Apr 29, 2015 11:42 AM in response to Douglas Bailey

    Am I correct that if you turn Apple Pay on, you have to enter your passcode about every ten seconds?

  • by Douglas Bailey,

    Douglas Bailey Douglas Bailey Apr 29, 2015 2:19 PM in response to yesyoucan
    Level 1 (67 points)
    Apr 29, 2015 2:19 PM in response to yesyoucan

    Hi yesyoucan,

     

    No, you don't; not from my experience. The watch never asks me for a passcode but if I take it off my wrist it will lock and the if I try and use it, it will say, 'Put the watch on [your wrist] and then unlock your iPhone.' So I do that and then I'm fine until I take the watch of my wrist again. Which might be hours later at the end of the day.

     

    if your watch is reallly loose it might think it has been taken off your wrist.

  • by eraser2021999,

    eraser2021999 eraser2021999 Jun 10, 2015 6:30 AM in response to Douglas Bailey
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 10, 2015 6:30 AM in response to Douglas Bailey

    I have the same issue: company policy on my phone regarding the password. But I solved it, not sure how:

    1. restarted the Apple Watch
    2. entered 8 digits password twice
    3. still got only the cancel button available, but the password was setup (I checked on my phone in the watch app)

    Now I can only unlock with my phone, which is ok.