Are you saying goodbye to your trusty Apple Watch? Don't worry — we’ve got you covered. This guide will walk you through the simple steps to unpair and reset your Apple Watch, whether you have your iPhone handy or not.
From erasing all content to disabling Activation Lock, we'll ensure your watch is ready for its next adventure, whether it’s with a new owner or you're getting fresh start with a shiny new model. Here's how to unpair your Apple Watch.
Prepare your devices
Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are charged and close together before you begin. The process will erase all content and settings on your Apple Watch, making it safe to sell, give away, or recycle.
You may be wondering what happens to all that personal data. Apple creates a backup of your Watch data and stores it in iCloud. If you pair your account with a new Apple Watch, all that data can be transferred over, so you won't lose anything important and can restore your backup if you plan on getting another Apple Watch sometime in the future. This makes the process ideal if, for example, you damaged your Apple Watch, but intend to replace it.
Unpair your Apple Watch using an iPhone
The easiest way to unpair your Apple Watch is by performing the following steps on your paired iPhone:
Step 1: Open the Watch app on your iPhone, then select the My Watch tab at the bottom.
Step 2: Select All watches located in the top-left corner, then select the Info icon (i) next to the Apple Watch you want to unpair.
Step 3: Select Unpair Apple Watch.
Apple began offering cellular-compatible models starting with the Series 3. If you own one of these, then you may have a cellular plan attached to it. If you do have one of these plans, then you'll be asked to keep it or remove it.
If you think you might pair this Watch with another iPhone in the future, then you'll want to keep it. If you're planning on buying a new model and you want to use this plan with the new Apple Watch, then you'll want to keep it. If you have no plans to use a smartwatch again, remove your plan.
Step 4: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).
Step 5: Tap Unpair Apple Watch again on the pop-up menu.
Step 6: Enter your Apple ID password if prompted to complete.
Unpair your Apple Watch without an iPhone
If you don't have your iPhone, you can still wipe the Apple Watch with this method. The only problem is that it doesn't remove Activation Lock, so we'll explain how to do that below.
Step 1: Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch, then select the Settings app icon.
Step 2: Select General.
Step 3: Scroll down and choose Reset, then select Erase all content and settings and enter your password if prompted.
Step 4: Keep or remove your cellular plan (GPS + Cellular models only).
Step 5: Select Erase all to reset your Apple Watch to its default, out-of-the-box settings.
Your Apple Watch is now wiped, but the Activation Lock has to be removed before anyone else will be able to use it. To disable the Activation Lock, do the following:
Step 6: Load*iCloud.com in a desktop browser, and sign in with your Apple ID.
Step 7: Select Find My.
Step 8: Select All devices listed at the left side of the display, and choose your Apple Watch in the drop-down list.
Step 9: Select Erase this device on the screen. Once that's finished, select Remove.
You're done! It's now safe to pass your Apple Watch on to someone else.
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Now that your old Apple Watch is unpaired, don't forget to factory reset it too, to stop your data from getting into the wrong hands. Also, check out our best tips for setting up a new Apple Watch.
