Your Apple Watch stores a lot of private information, such as Apple Pay credit cards, health and fitness information, app data, and more. Setting a password lock is a great way to protect this information if the device is lost or stolen.
But sometimes you might forget your Apple Watch password. The good news is, there is no need to worry. We will show you how to reset your Apple Watch and not lose any data.
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How to reset an Apple Watch using your iPhone
If you forgot the Apple Watch password, the first way to reset the device is to use your iPhone. Open the Watch companion app on your phone, then select the My Watch . Select General and scroll to the end of the page. At the bottom choose Reset .
On the page Reset , select the first option: Clear Apple Watch content and settings . By that it is impossible to undo this , you will need to confirm this option once more to begin the reset process.
If you have an Apple + Cellular Apple Watch model, you will see a final dialog where you can choose to keep or remove your cellular plan. If you keep the Apple Watch, you must register the cellular plan.
Since you are doing this to troubleshoot your watch and / or iPhone, all of your carrier information will remain on the device. The only reason to remove the information from your cellular plan is if you want to sell or trade in your Apple Watch for a new model.
Finally, you will need to enter your Apple ID password to deactivate the Activation Lock security feature. Before the watch is completely erased and reset, a full backup will be automatically saved to your iPhone.
You will have to be patient as the whole process takes a long time, especially on older Apple Watch models.
Just to note: If you forgot your Apple Watch password, the reset process with an iPhone is the same regardless of what model of watch you have.
How to reset an Apple Watch without iPhone
If you don’t have your iPhone handy, don’t worry. Let’s see how to reset an Apple Watch without a phone nearby.
Most importantly, keep your Apple Watch on its charger to make sure your device won’t run out of power. Here’s the rest of the process:
- Press and hold the Apple Watch side button until you see a screen with three options: Switch off , Medical ID or Emergency SOS .
- Instead of switching the bet slider power off , firmly press the button, and then quickly lift your finger from the screen.
- You should then see an option for erase all content and settings . Select this option. Just like when using an iPhone, to erase the Apple Watch you will need to enter the Apple ID and password.
- Choose whether you want to keep or delete the cellular plan, if applicable.
The watch will then begin the erasing process. Keep in mind that this method will not make a new backup before erasing the Apple Watch. This means that when you restore the backup data, it may go back a few days.
Also read: How to force restart an iPhone and enter recovery mode
How to restore your Apple Watch
Now that you’ve wiped your Apple Watch clean, it’s time to restore it with a backup. To start the process, bring your iPhone and Apple Watch closer together. The watch screen will show Bring iPhone near Apple Watch .
On your iPhone, a dialog box will appear stating Use your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch . Select Continue.
You will then see a special image on the Apple Watch. Align the image on the watch with your iPhone screen using the camera to begin the pairing process.
Then you will choose to set up the watch as new or use a backup. As long as you regularly back up your iPhone, there should be data for Apple Watch to restore.After signing in with your Apple ID and password, you’ll have a few different settings to select from, including enabling Siri.
Then it’s time to create a new four to ten digit password. You can choose not to have a password, but it is required if you add Apple Pay information. And it’s generally a good security practice to help protect all of your data.
Finally, as long as you have not deleted the cell plan from the watch, you will reconfirm this information.
The synchronization process will then begin. Expect this to take a while. You can wear the Apple Watch, but be sure to keep your iPhone handy. The watch will make a noise to let you know when it is ready for use.
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Don’t worry if you forget your Apple Watch password
Just like an iPhone or iPad, forgetting your Apple Watch password isn’t the end of the world. As long as you have an iPhone handy, you can get your watch to work with a little work.
And now that you’ve reset your Apple Watch and added a new password, there’s a great way to make sure the same problem doesn’t happen again in the future.
