Apple Watch PairingNo matter how much research and testing goes into ensuring the Apple Watch runs smoothly with no problems, there's always a chance that you will have to perform a few IT-style actions in order to fix a minor issue with your device.

The best way to troubleshoot a problem on Apple Watch is to backup the data and restore it. We've got a guide for backing up your Apple Watch to your iPhone and then restoring data from a backup.

Backups include most data collection, like system settings, language, Mail, Calendar, Stocks, app-specific data, and health and fitness data (if you are using iCloud or an encrypted iTunes backup).

Backups do not include calibration data, synced playlists, credit and debit cards used for Apple Pay, and your Apple Watch passcode

Backup iPhone First

Before starting the process on your Apple Watch, it is a good idea to sync the data on your ‌iPhone‌ to ‌iCloud‌ or iTunes. When you do, any previously backed up Apple Watch data is included.

Unpair Apple Watch

The only way to force a backup on Apple Watch is to unpair it from your ‌iPhone‌. Unfortunately, this is a time consuming process.

How to backup and restore apple watch 2

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌ and navigate to the My Watch section.
  2. Select Apple Watch from the list.
  3. Tap "Unpair Apple Watch." Tap again to confirm.
  4. Wait until Apple Watch is unpaired and the display asks you to confirm your language.

Re-pair Apple Watch

You will then be directed to pair Apple Watch with your ‌iPhone‌. This process also takes a while.

How to backup and restore apple watch 3

  1. Go back to the Apple Watch app and select Apple Watch from the list and tap "Pair Apple Watch."
  2. Select "Restore From Backup" and choose a backup you wish to restore from.
  3. Agree to the terms and conditions.
  4. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted.
  5. If two-step verification is enabled, complete the process when prompted.
  6. Create a four-digit passcode on Apple Watch when prompted.
  7. Select whether to unlock Apple Watch with your ‌iPhone‌.
  8. Wait for the data to sync. When finished, you will get a notification on Apple Watch.

Reenter Unsaved Data

Because the backup does not include your workout calibrations, playlists, and credit or debit cards in ‌Apple Pay‌, this must all be added manually. Check out our guides for calibrating Apple Watch, listening to music, and setting up Apple Pay on Apple Watch.

Here is a tip: If you ever need to speak with Apple support for an issue with Apple Watch, do yourself a favor and follow the steps above to backup and restore Apple Watch before you contact them. One of the first steps they always have you follow is unpairing and re-pairing Apple Watch. This will save you 15 minutes of awkward silence.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

Traverse Avatar
126 months ago
Off all the things I have to worry about and trouble shoot in my life, my watch is one thing I don't want to have to worry about. A watch should "just work." Still, added features bring added complexities.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyTrimble Avatar
126 months ago
Off all the things I have to worry about and trouble shoot in my life, my watch is one thing I don't want to have to worry about. A watch should "just work." Still, added features bring added complexities.
Oh Boy. Get yourself a regular watch and your troubles are over. And I had a cheapo Casio digital watch in the past that just suddenly displayed all sorts of incorrect data.

The Apple Watch is more than just a watch. It's a computer. And you know that very well. So to say you want it to function perfectly is just unrealistic. It does "just work" the vast majority of the time. Just as the iPhone and my other computers do. But the complexity of these devices is enormous. You are not being fair to expect perfection. You should consider deleting all electronic devices from your life. Living off the land in a shack in the middle of Idaho will eliminate many of the troubles you deal with.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jknopp Avatar
126 months ago
It's important to note that the activity data is not backed up either- well, it didn't back it up for me. I've had to restore my watch two times since I got it, and each time my activity and workouts were wiped clean. Any and every achievement you have gotten will also be gone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Duvvit Avatar
126 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/backup-restore-apple-watch/')



No matter how much research and testing goes into ensuring the Apple Watch runs smoothly with no problems, there's always a chance that you will have to perform a few IT-style actions in order to fix a minor issue with your device.

The best way to troubleshoot a problem on Apple Watch is to backup the data and restore it. We've got a guide for backing up your Apple Watch to your iPhone and then restoring data from a backup.

Backups include most data collection, like system settings, language, Mail, Calendar, Stocks, app-specific data, and health and fitness data (if you are using iCloud or an encrypted iTunes backup).

Backups do not include calibration data, synced playlists, credit and debit cards used for Apple Pay, and your Apple Watch passcode

Backup iPhone First

Before starting the process on your Apple Watch, it is a good idea to sync the data on your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes. When you do, any previously backed up Apple Watch data is included.

Unpair Apple Watch

The only way to force a backup on Apple Watch is to unpair it from your iPhone. Unfortunately, this is a time consuming process.


Click here to read more... ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/backup-restore-apple-watch/')

Article Link: Troubleshoot Issues on Apple Watch by Backing Up and Restoring ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/backup-restore-apple-watch/')
It's not quite such a good idea to 'un-pair' and 'pair' the watch to create a backup, as this creates multiple 'Sources' in the Helath application on your iPhone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BriSpe Avatar
126 months ago
I still can't sync a playlist to the watch...very strange....I've tried everything. Not working...
Stuck with: "Syncing" changing to "Sync in progress"...it repeats into infinity.
And yes, all devices are plugged into power.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
126 months ago
Off all the things I have to worry about and trouble shoot in my life, my watch is one thing I don't want to have to worry about. A watch should "just work." Still, added features bring added complexities.
Most things in life often require some troubleshooting at some point, even those that have been invented and used long ago before electricity or anything even close to it. There's really nothing out there that "just works" all the time the way you want it, even taking one of the most basic essentially prehistoric examples of simply using a rock to bang on a nut to break it open can fail sometime for various reason (perhaps the rock is porous or something like that, as an example).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...