Series 3 Apple Watch
i have a series 3 apple watch that I can not pair with phone and keeps getting stuck in the preparing stage. I have not used this watch in 2 years.
Try and force restart the watch and see if it will pair then
The watch is not paired to another iPhone yes?
You should force-restart your Apple Watch as a last resort and only if it's not responding.
Don't force-restart your Apple Watch if you're updating watchOS. When you see the Apple logo and progress wheel, leave your watch alone and on its charger until the update has finished.
To force-restart your Apple Watch, press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, then release both buttons when you see the Apple logo.