Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsBack up your old iPhone, set up your new iPhone from that backup or use Apple’s direct transfer, then follow the prompt to continue using your Apple Watch. Keep the watch unlocked, on your wrist, charged to at least 50%, and close to the new iPhone. If the prompt does not appear, open the Apple Watch app on the new phone.
Before you transfer the watch
Have the Apple Account and password associated with the watch, as well as its passcode, available. Setup or Activation Lock may ask for them. Connect both iPhones to Wi-Fi and install the latest software available for the old iPhone and watch. Compatibility depends on the specific devices, so follow any update or compatibility prompts rather than relying on a universal minimum version.
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Charge the Apple Watch and new iPhone to at least 50% for Apple’s documented transfer process. Keep the old iPhone, new iPhone, and watch nearby while setting up.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Protect Health and Activity data
If you back up the old iPhone to iCloud, check Settings > your name > iCloud > Saved to iCloud > Health and make sure Health syncing is on. If you make a computer backup instead, choose the option to encrypt it; an unencrypted computer backup does not preserve Health and Activity content.
#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.
Apple says an iPhone backup includes Apple Watch data. The watch also backs up automatically to its paired iPhone when the devices are near each other, and unpairing creates a current watch backup. Some information already synced separately to iCloud, such as Messages, is not part of the Apple Watch backup itself.
Move the Apple Watch to your new iPhone
- Back up the old iPhone. Use iCloud or a computer, observing the Health-sync or encryption requirements above.
- Set up the new iPhone. During iPhone setup, restore the most recent iCloud or computer backup, or use the available direct phone-to-phone transfer. Follow the iPhone’s on-screen steps.
- Continue with the watch when prompted. Unlock the watch and keep it on your wrist near the new iPhone. Accept the prompt to use the existing Apple Watch and leave the devices close while pairing and syncing finish.
- If there is no prompt, open the Watch app. On the new iPhone, open the Apple Watch app with the unlocked watch nearby and follow any confirmation or setup instructions.
If the new iPhone offers only Start Pairing rather than continuing with the existing watch, use the Apple Watch app on the old iPhone to unpair the watch first. Then pair it with the new iPhone and select the latest available Apple Watch backup when offered. If no watch backup is available, choose to set up the watch as new.
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.
If you need to pair the watch manually
Apple’s normal setup flow starts by bringing the watch near the iPhone and following the on-screen pairing animation. If the iPhone camera cannot read the animation, choose manual pairing in the Watch app. Select a previous watch backup to restore when offered, or set up as new, and keep the devices close until syncing completes.
Fix common transfer problems
No transfer or setup prompt appears
Open the Apple Watch app on the new iPhone. Make sure the watch is unlocked, on your wrist, and nearby so the app can detect it.
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.*
The Watch app says “Pairing Not Complete”
In the Watch app, go to My Watch > All Watches. Put the watch on your wrist, unlock it, and tap Finish Pairing.
You see a watch face instead of the pairing animation
The watch may still be paired to another iPhone. For a transfer, use the old iPhone’s Watch app to unpair it where possible; this creates a current backup and helps handle Activation Lock. If you are pairing through the general setup route, Apple’s setup guidance says the watch must be erased or reset before pairing again.
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.*
Activation Lock asks for an account
Enter the Apple Account credentials linked to the watch. If the watch belonged to someone else, that previous owner must remove it from their account. Erasing the watch by itself does not remove Activation Lock.
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The watch will not turn on or pairing keeps failing
A watch that will not turn on may need charging. If pairing continues to fail, check for available software updates, then restart both the iPhone and the watch and try again.
Best Value
![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.
Cellular service does not activate
You can activate cellular service during setup or later in the Watch app. Availability and terms depend on your region and carrier; contact the carrier if the plan will not activate. Apple says the iPhone and watch generally use the same carrier, with an exception for a watch managed for a Family Sharing member.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to expect after restoring
Restoring a backup brings back the latest Apple Watch data included in that iPhone backup, but it does not mean every app or service will reappear at once: items that sync separately can take time. Apple’s transfer troubleshooting guidance also says Activity Sharing data is not stored in iCloud, so do not assume it will transfer through an iCloud backup.
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