How to Unpair without iPhone (or I Did Something Stupid)

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Level 2

264 points

How to Unpair without iPhone (or I Did Something Stupid)

So my daughter's iPhone 5 started separating from the case and an internet search uncovered a known swollen battery issue and that Apple is replacing the phones. I quickly backed the phone up / downloaded the pictures etc. Everything EXCEPT remembering to unpair her Apple Watch. True to form, the excellent service at our local Apple store had me out the door with a new iPhone 5 within 10 minutes of my scheduled visit.

The iPhone software is the latest 9.0.1 and watch is 2.0.

Now, I can't pair her (new) iPhone with her Apple Watch. I've tried a reset of the Watch to no effect. There is indeed a disclaimer on the reset screen which says "Erasing will not remove Activation Lock, which prevents someone else from using this Apple Watch if it is lost or stolen. To remove Activation Lock, first unpair this Apple Watch before erasing it."

There has to be some way to do this - for example if a phone is destroyed. Any help appreciated!

Bob

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), iMac 2.7/12GB/2TB; Canon 5Dm3

Posted on Sep 27, 2015 4:41 PM

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Answer 1

Jonathan UK

Level 10

164,015 points

Sep 27, 2015 5:10 PM in response to Robert Stone

After removing Activation Lock (as described above), on the watch go to the Home screen (single press on the Digital Crown) and then tap on Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings.

Then pair and set it up again as normal, choosing to restore the watch from backup when offered the option by the Apple Watch app:

Set up your Apple Watch - Apple Support

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