How to Set Up Your New Apple Watch

How to Set Up Your New Apple Watch.

Despite cutting-edge hardware with great software, you can’t just turn on your Apple Watch and expect it to work right away. Instead, you have to go through a rather lengthy process that involves pairing your watchOS device with your iPhone before you can start using it.

Not only can your Apple Watch work as an extension for various apps and services on your iPhone, but the Watch app built into iOS also makes it easy to manage and customize various aspects of watchOS.

Whether you treat yourself to a new Apple Watch or receive one as a gift, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about pairing it with your iPhone. If you’ve used Apple Watch before, you can also restore an old backup and pick up where you left off.

Note. You can only pair your Apple Watch with an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 15 or later. You can’t connect your watchOS device to your iPad.

Before You Start

Before pairing your new Apple Watch with your iPhone, prepare for the task ahead by doing the following:

Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS. To do this, open the Settings app and go to General > Software Update. Place your Apple Watch on the magnetic charger and connect it to a power source such as a USB charger or a USB port on your Mac or PC. Connect iPhone to a wireless network or activate cellular data. You can access Wi-Fi and cellular settings through the Settings app.Make sure the Bluetooth radio on your smartphone is active. Open Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner of the screen or double-tap the Home button) and tap the Bluetooth icon if it’s not active. Back up and reset your old Apple Watch (optional).

Set Up Apple Watch

You are now ready to set up your Apple Watch. The steps below may differ slightly depending on your new watch model and your country/region.

1. Press and hold the side button (under the crown) on your Apple Watch for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears.

2. Wait until the Bring iPhone to Apple Watch screen appears.

3. Bring iPhone close to Apple Watch to open the Apple Watch pop-up window. Click “Continue” to start pairing.

4. Click Customize for yourself.

Note. If your Apple Watch supports cellular, you can set it up for a family member. The process is essentially the same, but includes additional features such as Messages in iCloud, Emergency Contacts, and Screen Time.

5. Use the viewfinder that appears on your iPhone to view the animation on the Apple Watch screen. You don’t have to do anything other than center it on the watch face. If you’re having trouble doing this, tap the “Manual Pairing” option and follow the on-screen instructions to pair both devices.

6. Click Set Up as New Apple Watch if you’re using your Apple Watch for the first time. Or select Restore from Backup if you have a backup you want to restore.

Note. The following instructions assume that you’re setting up your Apple Watch as a new device. If you choose the latter option, select the backup on the next screen to restore it.

7. Select Left or Right for the wrist and press Continue.

8. Click “Accept” to accept the watchOS Terms of Service.

9. Tap Turn on Find My Watch. We recommend choosing this option as it links your Apple Watch with your Apple ID. This will help you remotely find, lock or wipe your smart device via iCloud if you lose it.

10. Decide if you want to enable Location Services for outdoor training – tap Turn Tracking On or Turn Off Tracking to continue.

11. Click Share with Apple if you want to share your Apple Watch usage data with Apple. Select the “Learn more about Watch Analytics” option to learn how this affects your privacy.

12. Use the slider to set the desired text size and click Continue. Or tap Set Up Later in the Apple Watch app if you want to make changes after pairing.

13. Click “Generate Password” to set up a four-digit password. Or click Add Long Password to create a 6-digit password.

Note. If you choose Don’t add a password, you will lose access to various Apple Watch features, such as Apple Pay and Unlock with Apple Watch.

14. Enter your password on the Apple Watch screen. Then enter it again to confirm.

15. Tap Continue on the Keep Your Apple Watch Up to Date screen to leave the default settings for automatic system software updates active. Or click Install Updates Manually if you want to manually update your Apple Watch.

Note. If your iPhone detects any updates to your Apple Watch, you must install them before the pairing process is complete.

16. Tap Continue on the emergency SOS and fall detection screen. Learn how emergency SOS and fall detection work on Apple Watch.

17. Click Continue on the Always On Display screen. This feature is only available on Apple Watch Series 5 and later (excluding Apple Watch SE). It keeps the display on when your wrist is down while still consuming less battery life. If this causes your Apple Watch battery to drain, you can disable this feature later.

Note. If your Apple Watch supports cellular, you’ll see the Cellular Setup screen. Click Set Up Cellular to check your carrier’s cellular plan details.

18. Tap Install All on the Install Available Apps screen to install Apple Watch versions of apps on iPhone. Or click “Select Later”.

19. Choose between grid view and list view. This affects how your apps appear when you press the Digital Crown. Then click Continue.

20. Wait for the Apple Watch and your iPhone to finish syncing. This may take 10 to 15 minutes.

21. Tap OK on the Welcome to Apple Watch screen to complete the setup process.

Use the Watch App

Now that you’ve finished setting up your Apple Watch, it’s best to spend a few minutes getting to know the Watch app on your iPhone. It consists of three tabs that you can use to manage all aspects of watchOS.

My watch. This tab lets you customize various aspects of your Apple Watch, such as managing notifications, configuring Siri, installing and uninstalling companion apps, and more.

Gallery of dials. On this tab, you can add and edit watch faces and add-ons.

Discover: Find out everything you want to know about using your Apple Watch.

Use Your New Watch

It’s time to start using your new Apple Watch! Extend the experience with these great third-party apps from the App Store, make things more interesting by finding custom watch faces, and check out our top Apple Watch tips and tricks to get the most out of your smartwatch.