The basic process: unpair the old phone, then pair the new one
To move your Apple Watch to a new iPhone, you need to unpair it from the old phone first, then pair it fresh to the new one. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes total and erases the watch's data unless you back it up beforehand. The watch itself stays the same — you are just telling it which iPhone to connect to.
Apple Watch syncing works through Bluetooth, which is a wireless connection that lets devices talk to each other over a short distance. Your watch and phone need to be near each other (within about 30 feet) and both turned on for pairing to work. Once paired, they stay connected as long as Bluetooth is on.
The order matters: always unpair from the old phone before you try to pair with the new one. If you skip this step, the watch may refuse to connect to the new phone, or it may stay partially connected to both and cause problems.
Key Takeaways
- Unpairing from your old iPhone erases the watch's data, so back up your watch through iCloud before you start if you want to keep your settings and apps.
- The unpair process happens in the Watch app on your old iPhone — go to the My Watch tab, tap your watch name, then tap the info icon and choose Unpair.
- After unpairing, put your new iPhone and Apple Watch next to each other, open the Watch app, and follow the on-screen steps to pair them as if it were brand new.
- Pairing usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, and you will see a progress bar on both devices while they connect and sync.
- If pairing fails, restart both devices, make sure Bluetooth is on, and try again — most failures clear up on the second attempt.
How to unpair your watch from the old iPhone
Open the Watch app on your old iPhone. Tap the My Watch tab at the bottom of the screen. Find your watch name at the top of the list and tap it. Tap the info icon (the small circle with an "i" in it) next to your watch name. Scroll down and tap Unpair Apple Watch. You will see a warning that this will erase all data on the watch — that is normal. Tap Unpair again to confirm.
The unpair process takes a few minutes. Your iPhone will back up your watch settings to iCloud automatically during this step, which is why unpairing takes longer than just turning the watch off. Once it finishes, your watch will restart and show the Apple logo, then the pairing screen. At this point, the watch is no longer connected to your old phone.
If you do not have your old iPhone with you, you can unpair remotely through iCloud.com on a computer or another device. Sign in with your Apple ID, go to Find My, select your watch, and choose Remove. This is slower and less reliable than unpairing through the Watch app, so use it only if you truly cannot access the old phone.
How to pair your watch with the new iPhone
Make sure your new iPhone is set up and unlocked. Put your Apple Watch and iPhone next to each other. Open the Watch app on your new iPhone and tap Start Pairing. Point your iPhone's camera at the animation on the watch screen — the camera will read the watch's code and start the connection. If the camera does not work, tap Pair Apple Watch Manually and enter the code shown on the watch by hand.
The pairing process will take 5 to 10 minutes. You will see a progress bar on both devices. During this time, your iPhone downloads your watch settings from iCloud and installs them on the watch. Keep both devices close together and do not interrupt the process. Once the progress bar reaches 100 percent on both devices, pairing is complete.
After pairing finishes, your watch will ask you to set up Apple Pay, enable notifications, and choose which apps to install. You can skip any of these steps and set them up later through the Watch app. Your watch is now synced to your new iPhone.
What happens to your data and apps during syncing
When you unpair your watch, all data stored directly on the watch — like downloaded apps, watch faces, and local files — gets erased. However, your settings, app preferences, and health data are backed up to iCloud during the unpair process. When you pair with the new iPhone, these backups read back to the watch automatically.
Apps that were on your old watch will not automatically reinstall on the new pairing. Instead, the Watch app on your new iPhone shows you which apps are available and lets you choose which ones to install. This is actually useful because you can clean up apps you no longer use. Apps that require a subscription or login (like banking apps or fitness apps) will need you to sign in again on the new watch.
Health data like steps, heart rate, and workouts syncs through your Apple ID, not through the watch itself. This data stays in the Health app on your iPhone and in iCloud, so you will not lose it when you unpair. The data will be there waiting when you pair with the new phone.
Troubleshooting when pairing fails or gets stuck
If your watch and iPhone will not pair, the most common fix is to restart both devices. Turn off your iPhone completely, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on. Do the same with your watch — press and hold the side button until you see the power-off slider, then slide it to turn off. Wait 10 seconds and press the side button again to turn it back on. Once both devices are on, try pairing again.
Make sure Bluetooth is turned on in your iPhone's Settings. Go to Settings, tap Bluetooth, and check that the toggle is green. Also make sure your iPhone and watch are close together — within a few feet is best. If they are too far apart, the Bluetooth connection will not form.
If the camera pairing does not work, try the manual code entry instead. When the pairing screen appears on your watch, look for the code displayed on the watch face. On your iPhone, tap Pair Apple Watch Manually and type in the code. This method is slower but often works when the camera fails.
If pairing still fails after a restart, unpair the watch again and try the whole process from the beginning. Sometimes the watch gets stuck in a partial connection state, and a fresh unpair clears it. If you have tried restarting and manual pairing twice and it still does not work, the watch may have a hardware problem — contact Apple Support at apple.com/support or visit an Apple Store.
When to back up your watch before unpairing
Your watch backs up automatically to iCloud whenever it is plugged in and connected to your iPhone. You do not need to do anything special to make this happen. However, if you want to make sure a backup exists before you unpair, you can force a backup manually. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to the My Watch tab, tap your watch name, then tap iCloud Backup and toggle it on if it is not already on.
The backup includes your watch face settings, app preferences, passwords, and health data. It does not include downloaded apps themselves — those reinstall from the App Store when you pair with the new phone. A backup takes a few minutes and requires both your watch and iPhone to be connected to Wi-Fi.
If you are switching to a completely different Apple ID on your new iPhone, you will not be able to restore from your old backup. In that case, you will set up the watch as new and manually reconfigure your settings. This is rare but happens when someone buys a used iPhone or switches to a family member's device.
Syncing your watch to a new iPhone without losing data
The key to keeping your data is to unpair properly and let iCloud do the backup. Do not just turn off the watch or ignore the unpair warning. When you unpair through the Watch app, your iPhone automatically backs up everything to iCloud. When you pair with the new phone, that backup downloads back to the watch.
If you are in a hurry and skip the unpair step, you risk corrupting the watch's connection to both phones. It is faster to do it right the first time than to fix a broken connection later. The whole process — unpair, pair, and restore — takes about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish.
One thing to watch for: if your new iPhone is not signed in with the same Apple ID as your old one, the backup will not restore. Make sure your new iPhone is set up with the same Apple ID you used on the old phone. You can check this in Settings by tapping your name at the top of the screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pair my watch to two iPhones at the same time?
No. An Apple Watch can only be paired to one iPhone at a time. If you try to pair it to a second phone without unpairing from the first, the watch will reject the connection. You must unpair from the old phone before pairing with a new one.
What if I do not have my old iPhone anymore?
You can unpair remotely through iCloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID on a computer or another device, go to Find My, select your watch, and choose Remove. After that, your new iPhone can pair with the watch normally. This method is slower than unpairing through the Watch app but works if you no longer have access to the old phone.
Will my Apple Watch apps reinstall automatically on the new iPhone?
No. Apps do not reinstall automatically. When you pair with the new iPhone, the Watch app shows you a list of available apps and lets you choose which ones to install. You will need to sign back into apps that require a login, like banking or fitness apps.
How long does the whole process take?
Unpairing takes about 5 minutes, and pairing takes another 5 to 10 minutes. If you include the time to reinstall apps and set up preferences, plan for 20 to 30 minutes total. The progress bars on both devices will tell you when each step is done.
What if the pairing progress bar gets stuck?
Restart both your iPhone and watch. Turn off your iPhone completely, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. Do the same with your watch by pressing and holding the side button until the power-off slider appears. Once both devices are on, try pairing again. If it still gets stuck, unpair and start over from the beginning.