Q: Problem Setting Passcode on Apple Watch

There are a couple of previous threads on this - I can't find them at present. If I remember rightly, the solution is to remove the corporate  account, set the complex password on phone and watch and then re-enable the corporate account. Bear in mind that without the corporate account, you aren't forced to use a complex passcode, but you can still opt to do so.

I have this same problem.  Can you let me know if your approach works?  Clearly, Apple has only allowed 4 digital numeric pass codes on the Watch ... yet many of us (i would venture a LOT of us) have security profiles installed on our iPhones that override the standard apple iPhone pass code policy ... in my case, a 8 character/digit alphanumeric pass code .... and when i try to put a 4 digit passcode on the watch, it asks for 8 characters .. then it freezes or does nothing ..which i suspect is due the policy on the iPhone for 8 char alphanumeric ...   so a mix match.  I would consider this a BUG that need to get fixed by apple somehow .. if they don't want to break corporate security policies (anyone now has access to my corp mail, calendar, etc) as i don't have a pass code on my watch ... or even if Apple wants us to use apple pay from the watch as that requires a passcode........

scott

Hello,

I am also curious if removing the account from your phone, setting a passcode on the watch, and then re-connecting to the exchange account works.

When I setup my work exchange account on my phone it required me to change my phone password to be complex with numbers, letters, and symbols. When setting up my Apple Watch it completely skips the create passcode step. If I go into settings it will only let me try to add a simple passcode (all other options are greyed out). When I try to add 4 digits sometimes it returns an error that the numbers are sequential (which they are not) and that my security profile forbids sequential numbers. When I enter 4 digitals that don't produce the error, it just goes back to a blank keypad as if I hadn't entered anything.

Took it to the Apple Store over the weekend, they were completely stumped.  Seems very counter productive since the end result is a watch with work emails and calendar that has no password at all on it.  Seems like an easy solution for systems that require complex passwords is to require "unlock with phone" to be used.

Rather than remove your MobileIron profile, all you have to do is restart the watch. It has worked for me and a few colleagues.

I don't know if you can change the "This solved my question" selection for this thread, but dktoney's post (to simply restart your Watch and enter a passcode) worked for me, I didn't have to remove MobileIron profile / corporate accounts, etc.  In which case, rebooting is a far better solution.

I Have tried the restart with no luck. I have Mobileiron through work as well, and want to avoid the whole removing and re establishing my work email if possible. Any trick to the restart?  I restarted the watch and have the same issue - code input and nothing happens

Hi folks,

The Apple Watch OS upgrade 1.0.1 fixed this problem for me.  After the upgrade, the Apple Watch stopped asking me to enter a passcode and assumed I would unlock the device using my iPhone.  It also allowed me to start adding credit cards to my Apple Watch Passbook.

I am using a complex passcode required by my employer, and have retained the ActiveSync needed for my work apps (Email, Calendar, Tasks).

-Ed

This same thing happened to me.  With 1.0.1 the watch now locks but it can ONLY be unlocked by unlocking my iPhone, there is no passcode option.  So if I'm out and take my watch off and my phone is at home I can't unlock it until I get back to my iPhone.

The more I think about this the more I think that maybe this is the way they changed it to work if you have a complex password, which I do, but I would really like to have a passcode option.

is there any apple technician see this post? I am now in China and nobody here can do a tiny favor. Hi Apple Techs, pls do help us resolve this problem.

Hi Ed,

Your post works just little bit for me. At the very beginning, I can unlock my watch via unlocking my iphone. After restarting my watch, the previous action turned out to be afailure. I could not unlock my iwatch via unlocking my iphone any more. What I am doing now is to repeat unpairing and pairing them, which is rediculous. Hope apple can see all this and give a update！Good luck folks!

Leo

There are no Apple techs here - these groups are user-to-user. Your best hope is to contact Apple support directly