How do I stop my iPhone from trying to pair with my Apple Watch?

Mine has been doing the same thing since the 17.5.1 update. At least ten times a day. You are not alone. :-(

I have an Apple watch that has been connected for quite some time. HOwever since today's iOS update the phone is constantly asking me to pair my watch. In the watch app it's still fine and paired.

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Settings > Notifications > Notification Style > scroll down > Watch > Allow Notifications > disable, if it is disabled momentarily switch on, then disable (no green showing)

Tap Settings > Bluetooth and see if there is anything that looks like an Apple Watch. If so, tap it and then the "Remove this device" on the next screen. If not, try restarting the iPhone:

Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

And here in London. It's been doing it for weeks. A chat with Apple support suggested I reset my device. Which made nodifference, apart from losing all my app settings. Seems to have got even worse in the last few days. Please, Apple, fix this . . .

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Settings > Notifications > Notification Style > scroll down > Watch > Allow Notifications > disable, if it is disabled momentarily switch on, then disable (no green showing)

As I mentioned in a previous reply, I identified that the issue only happens when the iPhone is in Bluetooth range of my iPad! Never owned an Apple Watch and don’t have tha Watch app installed,

the only fix I have found that works is to turn off Bluetooth on my iPad. Obviously not a satisfactory solution if you rely on Bluetooth on that device! But for a temporary return to sanity that’s what I have done.

It’s not satisfactory for Apple to keep saying ‘restart your device’ etc. It needs the root cause tracking down and fixing!

I’m having the same problem it’s frustrating I have unpaired my watch and set it up again but still getting this pop up, I checked Bluetooth nothing going on there and tried going through the set up process for it to only fail. This happened after my last update

[Edited by Moderator]

Same thing here! I updated it, but it didn’t work.

Same here in Brazil… My iPhone keeps trying to sync with an imaginary Apple Watch. I have tried resseting the watch and the phone… nothing works. Apple please, fix this!

I have the exact same issue and it started few weeks ago in October

The glitch briefly stopped in iOS 18 and it is back in iOS 18.1. Maybe we should ask apple intelligence how to fix this 🫠

Yes, my old iPhone was causing this on my new one. I turned it off (since I dont need it anymore for now) and the notifications stopped.

Hello MPN201!

I don’t see Jeff Donald’s response or recommendation what did he tell you to do!!?

Jeff Donald’s reply said:

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Settings > Notifications > Notification Style > scroll down > Watch > Allow Notifications > disable, if it is disabled momentarily switch on, then disable (no green showing)

I hope this helps!

Have had this problem too ( iPhone XPro Max - from new ), and have never owned an Apple Watch, no one anywhere near me has one. Very frustrating and exceedingly annoying!

Asking for help at an Apple Store was useless. Dismissed as “the MUST be an Apple Watch near you!”

Something I noticed though, I have an iPad Pro, and it’s when my iPhone is within a few meters of it that the problem occurs! When I’m away from my iPad, the issue doesn’t happen?

(iPhone XS Max: iOS 17.6.2 - iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd generation): iPadOS 17.6.1)

Not seen any other posts mentioning this connection.

To reiterate; an Apple Watch has never been installed on the iPhone. I don’t own one, never have, and no-one anywhere near me has one! This behaviour only started happening after an update ( I think iOS 16.x.x)

Does this help?