If you’re moving on to a new Apple Watch, selling your current one or fixing some software hiccups, you’ll probably need to disconnect it from your iPhone. Apple calls this unpairing; it’s the step that wipes your watch, breaks the connection to your phone and removes Activation Lock so the next person can use it. The good news is that unpairing is straightforward whether you have your iPhone nearby or not. Here’s how it works, along with why you might want to disconnect your watch in the first place.
How to disconnect Apple Watch using your iPhone
The simplest way to unpair your Apple Watch is through your iPhone.
Keep your iPhone and Apple Watch close together. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Navigate to the My Watch tab, then All Watches at the top. Tap the info button next to the watch you want to disconnect. Select Unpair Apple Watch, then select Unpair [your Apple Watch name]. If you have a cellular model, choose whether to keep or remove your cellular plan. Remove it if you’re selling or giving away the watch. Keep it if you plan to pair it again later Enter your Apple Account password when asked to turn off Activation Lock, then select Unpair.
Your iPhone will create a backup before erasing the watch. When you set up a new Apple Watch, you can choose to restore from that backup and carry on with your data and settings intact.
How to disconnect Apple Watch without your iPhone
If you don’t have your paired iPhone with you, you can still reset your Apple Watch directly. This will wipe your data, but won’t create a backup and Activation Lock will remain, so keep that in mind if you want to save your information.
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On your Apple Watch, open Settings .
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