Can I pair my Apple Watch to a new iPhone without backup?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Can I pair my Apple Watch to a new iPhone without backup?

my iphone 12 mini's display broke unexpectedly, and im switching to an old iphone 12 that we have lying around. i cannot backup and directly transfer the data due to the broken screen, so i will be signing in to the new phone with my apple id and going from scratch. i also have an apple watch se gen 2 that is currently connected to my defunct 12 mini, and i'm wondering if i can pair it to the new phone without having to access my broken 12mini.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: reconnecting apple watch to new phone

Apple Watch SE, watchOS 11

Posted on Aug 27, 2025 02:15 PM

Reply

Answer 1

WheelieNick

Level 8

45,581 points

Aug 27, 2025 02:48 PM in response to tgskywalker7

Try this

If you can't unpair Apple Watch because you don't have its paired iPhone, you can erase the watch.

When you erase Apple Watch instead of unpairing it, the watch is still protected by Activation Lock. Before you can pair Apple Watch again, enter the Apple Account and password that were used to set it up.

Open the Settings app on your watch, then tap General > Reset.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then tap again to confirm.
Wait for the watch to unpair.
After Apple Watch unpairs completely, you can pair again. You'll need the Apple Account and password that were used to set up the watch.

Reply

Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

95,815 points

Aug 28, 2025 10:10 AM in response to tgskywalker7

To answer your implied question, pairing without the backup mostly loses your saved faces, not much more

Reply