Methods for pairing and unpairing Apple Watch and iPhone

The popularity of smartwatches is due to many factors, especially when it comes to the “apple” brand. But the owners of this gadget understand that without being tied to their iPhone, a significant part of the functionality of smart watches becomes inaccessible or severely curtailed. The Apple Watch is also poorly compatible with smartphones on the Android platform, but this should not be surprising.

Therefore, the first thing to do, once you are the owner of a smart device, is to connect it to your mobile phone. For many of those who have just recently hung an apple gadget on their wrist, the procedure for pairing with smartphones and tablets from Apple may seem complicated and time-consuming, requiring certain experience and skills. In reality, connecting a smart watch to a mobile device does not require anything from the user – just memorizing a fairly simple instruction, which you will learn about from this article.

Compatibility between Apple Watch and iPhone

Engineers from Cupertino presented the first generation of smartwatches to the world relatively recently – in 2014, giving rise to a new trend in the already dense niche of mobile gadgets. Currently on sale there is already the fourth generation of devices, referred to by Apple in its own way – Series. For Apple Watch, its own operating system, watchOS, was also developed, updates of which are released with enviable regularity about once a year. However, the operating system interface is quite similar to iOS, except for the increased proportions of the icons.

Among the useful features of the device, it is worth noting the presence of an NFC chip, which until then was the prerogative of exclusively smartphones. Now, using the watch, you can make contactless purchases using the proprietary Apple Pay technology.

However, the gadget is multifunctional, and, in addition to contactless payment and time tracking, it can do a lot more:

• send SMS. And since it is not possible to place a keyboard on a small screen (it is possible, of course, with different tricks such as scrolling, but using such a keyboard would be very uncomfortable), a different, no less innovative solution was found: typing by means of voice dictation. You can also use ready-made templates to simplify the task;
  
• answer incoming calls. This feature was introduced in 4th generation watches when the device was equipped with a built-in speaker and microphone;
  
• use the Siri assistant. According to the manufacturer, the assistant has the beginnings of artificial intelligence – the more you use the watch, the better it will understand your logic and predict behavior, suggesting the best options for your actions;
  
• fitness functions allow you to track the daily activity of the owner, measuring his heart rate, as well as counting the number of steps taken and the kilocalories spent at the same time;
• the watch even has a GPS tracker that allows you to use maps;
• Apple Watch can also be used as a music player – 2 GB of memory is enough to store an extensive collection of music;
  
• Finally, the watch has a heavily stripped-down but readable version of the mail client. You can delete the read letters, but you will not be able to answer.

Using the wheel located on the body, you can perform a number of actions – activate the Apple Pay function, call the voice assistant Siri, control the sound power, take screenshots, flip through photos and pictures, exit active applications.

As for compatibility, the first and second generation of gadgets can work with smartphones not older than iPhone 5s (with iOS 11). Starting with Series 3, the watch has the ability to work with the built-in eSIM card, but in our country this technology has not yet been introduced by domestic operators.

Apple Watch Series 4 requires iPhone 6 or later. Currently, the Cupertinos are working on the development of the fifth generation operating system. It is expected to be compatible with smartphones starting with iOS 12.

The Apple Tablet can also be synced to the Apple Watch, since the iPad has almost the same functionality as the iPhone. It is clear that the iPad is much larger than a phone, but sometimes there are situations when it will also be useful for working with a smart watch. For example, when you are already getting ready for bed, and at this time a message arrives on the tablet. You don’t need to get up – you can read the message on the watch, unless, of course, you take it off at night.

How to connect Apple Watch to iPhone

Synchronizing two devices in technical language means creating a pair, but today this term is used in everyday life.

Before you create a pair of smartphone – Apple Watch, you must first perform the following steps:

• recharge the watch. The package includes an original charger in the form of a washer, to which you need to lean the gadget with the magnetized side;
• for successful synchronization, you need an iPhone connection to the Internet (via Wi-Fi, but mobile Internet is also suitable). Also check if Bluetooth is activated. If not, do it in the settings;
• check if your iPhone has a preinstalled Watch app – many users uninstall unused or unneeded apps to free up memory and speed up the phone.
  

As soon as the watch is 100% charged, you can start the synchronization procedure. This can be done manually or automatically (which is more correctly called semi-automatic) way.

Automatically pair with an Apple Watch smart gadget

For beginners, this method is recommended – it is the easiest, since pairing between devices occurs without user intervention, in automatic mode. Step by step algorithm:

• first of all, activate the watch by pressing the button located above the wheel and holding it for several seconds until the branded apple icon appears on the screen;
  
• the next step is choosing a language;
• after that, a message about the successful connection of the watch with the iPhone should appear on the Smart-watch screen;
• now you need to bring the watch to the smartphone, on the screen of which a message will appear recommending to use the phone to set up the smart watch. The corresponding application should start automatically. If for some reason this did not happen, open the utility manually. On its main screen there will be only one button – “Create a pair”. Tap on it;
  
• when the devices start syncing, they should be in close proximity to each other. The process can take several minutes, after which a special identifier will appear on the smartphone screen. You will need to bring Apple Watch to the camera, focusing on the yellow frame;
• as soon as the procedure is completed, the application will ask whether you need to create a new copy of the smart watch on your smartphone, or you can use a previously saved backup. If this is the first time you are syncing, you need to select the first option. The second is used in case of loss of watches or their renewal. At the same time, all data about the gadget is saved in the iCloud service, so information can be restored at any time without the need to re-configure;
• now the application needs to indicate on which hand you plan to wear the watch. Right-handers are usually worn on the left hand, left-handers, respectively, on the right;
• after that, you must agree to the terms of the user agreement and then enter the password for your account;
• then you will be prompted to activate the Siri assistant (you can opt out and do this later) and turn on location tracking (this function has a number of default settings that you can change);
• after that, a message will appear recommending that you send reports about problems with the smart watch to Apple technical support. You can agree or refuse, the first option is preferable;
• one of the last procedures is to enter a four-digit password from numbers. This pin code will need to be entered every time you remove the watch. Such a measure, according to the developers, will protect the gadget from theft;
  
• before the final stage, the utility will update the Apple Watch operating system to the latest version, after which it will offer to download and install specially adapted programs;
• The synchronization procedure is completed by the stage of automatic installation of the parameters specified in the previous steps, which lasts quite a long time, up to 15 minutes.

Manual pairing

Manual synchronization mode will require a little more effort on the part of the owner, but in this case, the user will not need special skills. Strictly speaking, the procedure for creating a pair differs from the one described above by only a few steps. After choosing the language and successfully synchronizing the devices, you must press the button that initiates the manual installation mode, then the button with the letter “i”, after which you will be prompted to enter the serial number of the Apple Watch (you can find it on the case, the serial number is engraved on the circle, this is a combination of numbers , next after the word IMEI). We bring the Smart-watch to the iPhone again, and in the future, the procedure completely coincides with the automatic installation.

So you’ve seen the instructions on how to set up your Apple Watch. Rarely, but there are situations when devices need to be out of sync. Let’s see how this is done.

How to unpair Apple Watch and iPhone

This procedure is performed extremely quickly, in contrast to synchronization, and even remotely. It’s a little easier to do this if the gadgets are nearby. To turn off Apple Watch, launch the Watch application on the iPhone and press the button with the “i” symbol. If the watch is far from the smartphone, in the same application go to the “Basic” tab and tap on the “Reset” button.

Checking for a connection

You can find out if two gadgets are currently paired both on your smartphone and directly on the Apple Watch.

If you prefer to use an iPhone, launch the Watch utility and tap on the “Watch” tab. If information about the watch appears on the screen, then the devices are synchronized.

On the watch, the check is a little more difficult, through the “Control Center”. To enable the function, you need to swipe the top curtain down on the home screen. If you see a green smartphone icon, it means that the gadgets are paired. A crossed-out telephone icon or a red cross indicates that the pair is broken.

If you have not turned off the synchronization, there is no pairing between the watch and the smartphone / tablet, make sure that Wi-Fi is turned on on mobile gadgets and Bluetooth is activated. Remember to keep your gadgets in close proximity to each other. If both wireless technologies are turned on, but the devices do not want to connect, try restarting both the watch and the phone. It didn’t help – reset the previous connection and sync “from scratch”, as with the purchase.

Let’s consider some other problems that arise when using Apple smartwatches:

• The gadget won’t turn on. If it’s a new device, you probably just need to recharge your Apple Watch. In other cases, there can be many reasons, and their consideration is the topic of a separate article.
• The watch is not activated by requiring a password. This is a consequence of connecting your Apple Watch to another device. It is solved by deleting the clock settings and carrying out the pairing procedure for this pair.
• The clock does not work because of the highlighted inscription on the screen of the device “Activation lock”. Data entry is required for the account used in the watch. But to do this, you need to remove the lock by entering the password from your Apple ID. If the gadget is not yours, you will not be able to disable the lock without knowing the password from the previous ID.
• The notification function does not work. This usually happens when synchronization fails. Make sure the devices are paired, how to do this, we described in the previous section.

So, we got acquainted with the information on how to pair between Apple smartwatches and other mobile gadgets. It turns out that even the new operating system turned out to be largely compatible with iOS, so you can use a single ID for your account on your smartwatch, install some of the same applications, use the Find iPhone function, create backups, and so on.

Hopefully, the new version of Apple Watch will be even more functional, because it will be based on iOS 13, for which many new tools have already been announced.