Several users have said that their Apple Watch keeps failing to pair to their iPhone 18 Pro. They get the following error message:
Pairing Failed. Your Apple Watch couldn’t pair with your iPhone.
This article explains how you can fix if your Apple Watch isn’t pairing with your iPhone 18 Pro.
Note: To set up Apple Watch with iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, you need Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, or later running watchOS 27 or later.
Besides getting the error message above, if the watch is not paired to your phone, it will show a red phone icon or an X icon saying “disconnected” on your watch face.
If you are having this problem, then this article is for you. Please follow these troubleshooting steps to fix your problem:
Try pairing again
Try again. First try the steps below. Make sure to check your watch after each step to see if your watch can be connected or paired with your iPhone.
- Move your iPhone 18 Pro closer to your Apple Watch. Please ensure that your phone and watch are close together and in range. They pair via Bluetooth and proximity is important.
- On your iPhone and Apple Watch, make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on. Furthermore, if Airplane Mode is on, turn it off.
- Restart your iPhone 18 Pro. Here is how you can restart your iPhone:
- Simultaneously press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power Off slider.
- Simultaneously press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power Off slider.
- Restart your Apple Watch. Here is how you can restart your watch:
- Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear. Tap the Power button, then drag the Power Off slider. Wait for your watch to power off. Then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
- Make sure that your iPhone is up to date. You can update your iPhone 18 Pro by going to Settings > General > Software Update. This will check for updates. If there is an update available, follow the onscreen instructions.
Reset Network Settings
On your iPhone, reset your network settings and then try again. Please note that this will erase all of the network settings including cellular settings, Wi-Fi settings, VPN settings etc.
To reset network settings, on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings and then follow the onscreen instructions.
Unpair and then re-pair
If you are still having this problem, unpair your watch and phone and then pair them again. Here is how:
Please keep your phone and watch close together until you complete the steps below. Also, it is important to note that this process, unpairing, will automatically create a backup of your Apple Watch. Please note that the watch needs to be paired to an iPhone to create an automatic backup. Unpairing will erase your watch. And lastly, you can unpair from either your iPhone or Apple Watch.
- Unpair from iPhone: Open the Apple Watch app and go to My Watch > All Watches > and tap the (i) info icon next to the watch and then tap Unpair Apple Watch. Then follow the onscreen instructions.
- Unpair from Apple Watch: On your watch, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
If the options above are not available for you, you can also erase your watch via iCloud.com. This will not create a backup. Here is how:
- On your computer, PC or Mac, visit iCloud.com.
- Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple Account and password.
- Click Find Devices.
- Click All Devices, then click your Apple Watch.
- Click Erase Apple Watch and follow onscreen instructions.
Apple Watch backups are included when you back up your iPhone—either to iCloud, or to your Mac or Windows device.
And now you can pair them again. When asked, you can restore it from a backup.
