Quick Scoop

Unpairing your Apple Watch from your old iPhone is a straightforward process that ensures your data is backed up and the Activation Lock is removed, making it ready for a new owner or a fresh setup. The procedure takes just a few minutes and can be done directly through the Watch app on your iPhone.

Why You Need to Unpair Your Apple Watch

When you're upgrading to a new iPhone, selling your watch, or troubleshooting software issues, unpairing is essential. The unpairing process automatically creates a backup of your Apple Watch data to iCloud, so you won't lose any information like fitness records, settings, or app data. Most importantly, unpairing removes the Activation Lock, which prevents anyone else from using your watch without your Apple ID and password.

Step-by-Step Unpairing Process

The most common method requires both your old iPhone and Apple Watch:

  • Open the Watch app on your old iPhone and navigate to the "My Watch" tab
  • Tap "All Watches" at the top of the screen to see all paired devices
  • Select the info button (the circled "i") next to the watch you want to unpair
  • Scroll down and tap "Unpair Apple Watch" at the bottom of the settings
  • Enter your Apple ID password when prompted to disable Activation Lock
  • Choose your cellular plan option if you have a GPS + Cellular model—select "Keep" if you're transferring to a new phone, or "Remove" if you're selling the watch

The watch will then begin the unpairing process, which you can monitor on both your iPhone and the watch itself. During this time, the watch creates a backup and erases all content.

What If You Don't Have Your Old iPhone?

If your old iPhone is broken, lost, or unavailable, you can still erase your Apple Watch directly from the device itself. Go to Settings > General > Reset on your Apple Watch, then tap "Erase All Content and Settings". However, this method has a significant limitation: it won't remove the Activation Lock. This means the watch will still be linked to your Apple ID, which creates problems if you're planning to sell or give it away, as the new owner won't be able to use it.

After Unpairing: Setting Up on a New iPhone

Once you've unpaired your Apple Watch from your old iPhone, you can easily pair it with a new device. The new iPhone will detect your watch during setup and offer to restore from your previous backup, bringing back all your health data, apps, and personalized settings. This seamless transfer process works across all Apple Watch models, including Series 9, 8, 7, SE, and Ultra.

TL;DR : To unpair your Apple Watch from an old iPhone, open the Watch app, tap "All Watches," select the info button next to your watch, scroll down to tap "Unpair Apple Watch," and enter your Apple ID password. This backs up your data and removes Activation Lock. If your old iPhone isn't available, you can erase the watch directly from Settings > General > Reset, but this won't remove Activation Lock.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.