After updating my iPhone to iOS 16, my Apple Watch Series 3 would not connect. I have reset the Apple Watch, but now it won’t pair with my phone. Looks to be going through the process but then says I am not connected to wifi when I am.

Hello K_Eason,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities!

If we understand your post correctly, you're unable to update your Apple Watch Series 3. We'd like to help!

Check your Apple Watch compatibility

First, make sure that your Apple Watch works with the latest software. watchOS 9 is compatible with these Apple Watch models:

Apple Watch Series 4 and later

Apple Watch SE (1st generation) and later

Apple Watch Ultra

Updating to watchOS 9 also requires one of these iPhone models:

iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16

iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later with iOS 16

If your Apple Watch isn't compatible with the latest version of watchOS, Software Update will show you the newest version that your watch can use.

Identify which Apple Watch or iPhone model you have.

Get ready to update

Next, check these things:

Make sure that your iPhone is updated to the latest version of iOS.

Make sure that your Apple Watch is at least 50 percent charged.

Make sure that your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.

Keep your iPhone near your Apple Watch throughout the update. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete, so you might want to update overnight or wait until you have time.

Update your Apple Watch using your iPhone

You can wait until Apple Watch notifies you when a new update is available. Tap Update Tonight in the notification, then go to your iPhone to confirm that you want to update overnight. At the end of the day, leave your Apple Watch and iPhone charging overnight so the update can complete.

Or you can update your Apple Watch with your iPhone manually:

On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, then tap the My Watch tab. 

Tap General > Software Update.

Download the update. If asked for your iPhone passcode or Apple Watch passcode, enter it. 

Wait for the progress wheel to appear on your Apple Watch. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete. 

Leave your Apple Watch on its charger while the update completes. Don't restart your iPhone or Apple Watch, and don't quit the Apple Watch app. When the update completes, your Apple Watch restarts on its own.

Update directly on your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has watchOS 6 or later, you can install updates without your iPhone:

Make sure that your watch is connected to Wi-Fi.

On your watch, open the Settings app.

Tap General > Software Update.

Tap Install if a software update is available, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Leave your Apple Watch on its charger while the update completes, and don't restart your Apple Watch. When the update completes, your Apple Watch restarts on its own.

Some iPhone updates might require that you update your Apple Watch

It's important to keep your Apple devices up to date so that they have the latest bug fixes and security enhancements. 

Some iOS updates on your iPhone require that you also update watchOS on your Apple Watch. So if you see an alert on your iPhone that says "Update Apple Watch" and "Your Apple Watch software is out of date," you should update to the latest version of watchOS so that your data, including Activity data, continues to sync to your iPhone.

Need more help with updating?

Try these steps:

Make sure that your Apple Watch is connecting properly to its charger. 

Restart your Apple Watch.

Restart your paired iPhone.

Try again to update your Apple Watch.

If the update won't start:

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

Tap General > Software Update.

Delete the update file.

Try again to update your Apple Watch.

Learn what to do if you see 'Cannot Install Update' when updating Apple Watch or if your Apple Watch says you need more available storage to install a watchOS update.

If you installed an iOS or watchOS beta or developer seed

If you installed beta software on your iPhone or Apple Watch, you need to remove the beta profile before you can update to the next major software version:

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then go to General > Profiles. Tap the beta profile that you want to remove, then tap Delete Profile. Enter your iPhone passcode if requested. 

Open the Settings app on your iPhone, then tap General > Profiles & Device Management. Tap the beta profile that you want to remove, then tap Delete profile. Enter your iPhone passcode if requested. 

After you remove the profiles, restart both devices and check for the update again.

Update your Apple Watch

Let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care!

Ok so I had this same exact problem so this is what I did i have no clue if this is the reason yours or other peoples won’t pair .. but after I did this it paired

1. reset the Apple Watch hold the crown and power buttons same time to force restart .. on your apple account make sure you check your devices in Apple ID through a browser even though it didn’t pair it still was shwoing up on my devices, so make sure you double check and u pair it from there if it shows up ..make sure your Apple Watch is unpaired for Bluetooth ..toggle your airplane mode to the on position .. also delete your watch app and don’t reinstall it yet .. double check you don’t have any installed profiles I was under the beta test thing for iOS 16 so I deleted that profile .. after all this force restart your phone with airplane mode on ..
2. turn on your phone and watch .. this is where it gets strange I was already updated to 16.1 but randomly like I clicked check for update and it shows iOS 16.1 which i was already updated to as an available update ?!? So I clicked it it downloads and installs .. restarts my phone all that stuff .. I reinstall the watch app .. do the process I have done 100 times thinking it’s gonna fail with the internet message or stick on preparing .. out of no where it went it into preparation fine and then I see the orange bar start to move bingo it’s finally working .. this took about 3 hrs from preparing till I was done and could use the watch it is slow it takes forever ..I hope this helps someone I did this yesterday and can use my series 3 watch hope this helps one person
3. turn on both