How to Unpair Apple Watch
Apple Watch is a brilliant tech, and there is no doubt about that. But even the smart tech sometimes needs a reset and system boot to make it function properly.
Either you want to pair it with a new phone, or you’re selling your Apple Watch, you must unpair it, back up the data, and disable the Activation lock before resetting it.
Luckily, there are multiple ways to unpair your Apple Watch; it requires a few simple steps.
Dive into this article to learn how to unpair your Apple Watch.
What Unpairing Does?
Unpairing is where you disconnect your Apple watch from the connected devices, i.e. your Apple iPhone.
Once the watch is unpaired, it will be available for another user to sync it with their device and start using it.
So, what happens to my data?
- If you unpair your Apple Watch using your iPhone, all your data will be backed up to your phone.
- If you do it without an iPhone, all your data will be erased forever.
When Is Unpairing Required?
There are various occasions where unpairing is required.
- You might be giving your Apple watch to your friends or siblings. In this case, unpairing is essential if you want to pair the watch with another device.
- You’re upgrading to a newer Apple watch or selling it on eBay. You must be careful with your privacy when you’re planning to sell the watch. A proper unpair and a factory reset are required here.
- Your watch is having issues, and you’re sending it to the experts to get the problems fixed.
- You might’ve forgotten the credentials and need to reset your Apple watch to start using it again.
- You’ve lost your Apple Watch, so you must erase the data to save your privacy.
These are the common occasions where you need to unpair your Apple Watch to erase the data.
So, here’s how you do it.
How to Unpair Apple Watch Using iPhone?
This is the recommended method to unpair your Apple watch, and it is one of the easiest one too.
1 – Navigate to the Watch App on your iPhone device.
2 – Click All Watches on top of the screen.
3 – Now click the Info icon on the right of your watch.
4 – In the following menu, tap Unpair Apple Watch.
5 – A confirmation will be prompted. Confirm it by clicking Unpair (watch name).
6 – If your Apple Watch is connected to cellular data, you must specify what you want to do with your cellular plan. Select Keep Plan if you intend to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again. In case of pairing with a different Apple Watch, select Remove Plan.
7 – The next step is where you’ve to enter your Apple ID credentials to disable the Activation lock and Find my Watch feature. (Note – If you’re going to use the Apple Watch again, you don’t need to disable the Activation lock. If you’re selling it or giving it to your friends then you need to disable the Activation lock)
8 – Once you’ve entered the Apple Id credentials, the Watch will start unpairing itself. It will take some time as the data will be backed up to your iPhone.
Once unpaired, your Apple Watch will be reset to factory settings and rebooted from the Language-choice screen. This is an indication that your watch is unpaired.
How to Unpair Apple Watch From the Watch?
This is not a recommended method because when you unpair your Apple Watch and iPhone from the Watch, the data will not be backed up to the cloud, and it will be lost, and the process is irreversible.
1 – From your Apple watch, go to Settings.
2 – Then Tap General.
3 – Scroll and select Reset.
4 – In the following Reset menu, click Erase All Content and Settings.
5 – If you already have the passcode enabled, you’ll be asked to enter it, and click Erase All.
6 – If your watch is connected to a Cellular plan and you’re going to use the Watch again, select Erase and Keep plan.
7 – Your watch will restore itself to factory settings. Now, if you’re selling your watch, you need to disable the Activation lock, which is discussed in the last section.
How Can I Unpair Apple Watch if I Forget the Passcode?
So, you’ve set a passcode for your watch and forgot it. It happens to all of us, in this case, there is a way to unpair your Apple Watch from the Watch without the passcode.
1 – Tap the Digital crown and the Side button and hold them simultaneously until you see the Apple Logo on your watch screen.
2 – After a few seconds, tap and hold the Watch’s side button until the Erase All Settings option is displayed.
3 – Select Erase all content and settings and click Confirm to restore your Apple Watch to factory settings.
4 – Still, you have to disable the Activation lock if you’re planning to sell your watch. It is discussed in the next section.
How to Disable Activation Lock?
Disabling the Activation lock is a crucial step. If you don’t disable it, the person who will use your Watch after you might face issues.
1 – Navigate to iCloud from your browser.
2 – Login using Apple Id.
3 – Open Settings; under My Devices, select Apple Watch.
4 – You’ll see an X next to your Apple Watch. Tap it and click Remove to confirm.
Now you’ve successfully disabled the Activation lock of your Apple Watch.
Can Hiding Apps on iPhone Affect the Unpairing of Apple Watch?
The action to hide apps on iPhone does not affect the unpairing of an Apple Watch. These functionalities are independent of each other and do not interfere with one another. So, feel free to hide apps on your iPhone without worrying about any impact on the unpairing process of your Apple Watch.
How to Unpair an Apple Watch Remotely?
Worst case scenario – your Apple Watch is stolen, or you’ve lost it during a journey. So, how will you unpair it?
This is where Apple Watch excels, you can easily unpair and erase your Apple Watch data remotely.
1 – Navigate to iCloud from your browser and log in.
2 – Click Find my phone and select the Apple Watch.
3 – Then, select Erase Apple Watch, this will reset it to factory defaults, and the Watch data will be erased.
Your Apple Watch will be successfully unpaired remotely.
Conclusion
The best thing about Apple Watch is its user-friendliness and how easy it is to unpair and reset the Watch.
In this article, you saw the different ways to unpair your watch, either from the iPhone, directly from the watch or using iCloud. So, if you’re planning to upgrade your device or sell your Apple Watch, use the suitable technique to unpair your device.
Remember, once you’ve unpaired the Watch, you need to disable the Activation Lock from iCloud or else your Watch will be unusable for others.
