To move an Apple Watch from an old iPhone, back up the old phone, restore or transfer that backup to your new iPhone, then keep the unlocked watch close and follow the Apple Watch transfer prompt. If no prompt appears—or the new iPhone offers only “Start Pairing”—use the Apple Watch app and, if needed, unpair the watch from the old iPhone before pairing it again.
Before you transfer the Apple Watch
Prepare the devices and confirm you can access the account linked to the watch. Apple may ask for the Apple Account password and the watch passcode during setup or Activation Lock checks.
- Connect both iPhones to Wi-Fi. Update the old iPhone and Apple Watch to the latest versions available for those devices. Compatibility and update prompts vary by model and installed software.
- Charge the Apple Watch and the new iPhone to at least 50%.
- Keep the Apple Watch unlocked, on your wrist, and near the new iPhone during setup.
- Before backing up the old iPhone, check Settings > your name > iCloud > Saved to iCloud > Health and confirm Health syncing is enabled if you plan to use an iCloud backup.
- If you back up the iPhone to a computer, encrypt that backup to preserve Health and Activity content.
Apple says an iPhone backup includes Apple Watch data. Back up the old iPhone to iCloud or a computer before you begin.
Transfer the watch while setting up the new iPhone
- Set up the new iPhone. Choose the most recent iCloud or computer backup, or use the direct iPhone-to-iPhone transfer option if it is offered. Follow the iPhone’s setup screens.
- When asked whether to use the Apple Watch, make sure it is unlocked and on your wrist, then continue. Keep the watch and both phones close while pairing and syncing complete.
- If the setup flow does not mention the watch, open the Apple Watch app on the new iPhone with the watch unlocked and nearby. Follow the confirmation prompt if one appears.
- If the new iPhone shows Start Pairing instead of offering to continue with the existing watch, open the Watch app on the old iPhone and unpair the watch there. Then pair it with the new iPhone and choose the latest available Apple Watch backup when prompted.
- If there is no watch backup to restore, choose to set up the watch as new.
Pair the watch manually if needed
Apple’s standard setup flow starts when you bring the watch near the iPhone and follow the on-screen instructions. If the iPhone camera cannot read the pairing animation, choose manual pairing in the Apple Watch app. When offered, select a previous watch backup to restore or set up as new, then keep the devices close until syncing finishes.
#1 Best Overall
![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/416RQ0rtsUL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
What transfers—and how to protect Health data
Apple Watch backs up automatically to its paired iPhone when the devices are near each other. Unpairing the watch creates a current backup. Restoring an iPhone backup brings back the latest Apple Watch data included in it. Data already synced to iCloud, such as Messages, is not part of the Apple Watch backup itself.
For Health and Activity content, the backup method matters: enable Health syncing before an iCloud backup, or use an encrypted computer backup. An unencrypted computer backup does not preserve Health and Activity content. Some apps or services sync separately and may take time to reappear. Apple’s transfer troubleshooting guidance also says Activity Sharing data is not stored in iCloud.
Rank #2
![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31caPPnRysL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Fix common transfer and pairing problems
No transfer prompt appears
Open the Apple Watch app on the new iPhone. Keep the watch unlocked, on your wrist, and nearby, then follow any prompt in the app.
The Watch app says “Pairing Not Complete”
In the Watch app, go to My Watch > All Watches. Put the watch on your wrist and unlock it, then tap Finish Pairing.
Rank #3
![Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31YiTby0pOL._SL160_.jpg)
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
A watch face appears instead of the pairing animation
The watch may still be paired. Apple’s setup guidance says it must be erased or reset before pairing again through that route. When possible, unpair it from the old iPhone first; this creates a fresh watch backup and handles Activation Lock through the normal process.
Activation Lock asks for an account
Enter the Apple Account credentials associated with the watch. If the watch belonged to someone else, its previous owner must remove it from their account. Erasing the watch alone does not remove Activation Lock.
Rank #4
![Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31Gq8SToFJL._SL160_.jpg)
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
The watch will not turn on or pairing keeps failing
Charge the watch if it will not turn on. If pairing fails repeatedly, check for software updates, restart the iPhone and watch, and try again.
Cellular service does not activate
You can activate a cellular plan during setup or later in the Watch app. Carrier and regional availability vary, so contact the carrier if activation fails. Apple says the iPhone and watch generally use the same carrier; an exception applies to a watch managed for a Family Sharing member.
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![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41s72HIk5TL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Apple’s setup instructions
For the current device-specific steps, see Apple’s instructions for transferring an Apple Watch to a new iPhone, its Apple Watch pairing and setup guide, and its Apple Watch backup and restore guidance. For Activation Lock, see Apple’s Activation Lock support page. Compatibility and cellular requirements can vary by watch model, iPhone, software version, carrier, and region, so follow the prompts for your devices.
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