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The Apple Watch is an extension of your iPhone, letting you access calls, messages, apps, and notifications from your wrist. Even a cellular Apple Watch needs to be set up and paired with an iPhone before it can be used. So, if you decide to sell or give away your Apple Watch, you’ll first need to unpair it from your iPhone and erase all your personal data. Activation Lock will also need to be disabled. This feature allows Apple’s Find My network to prevent anyone from using your Apple Watch if lost or stolen.
Unpairing and resetting your Apple Watch takes only a few steps when using the paired iPhone. However, if you no longer have access to your iPhone or you’ve given away or sold your Apple Watch without unpairing it, there is still a way to do this remotely. The contents of an Apple Watch can be erased without the connected iPhone, but the Activation Lock will need to be disabled before it can be paired with a new iPhone. If the connected iPhone is unavailable, the Activation Lock can be turned off by signing in to iCloud online.
How to erase and unpair an Apple Watch without an iPhone
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If you don’t have access to the connected iPhone, you can factory reset your Apple Watch from the settings app on the smartwatch. Here’s how to do this:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and tap Reset.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
- If the Apple Watch is a cellular model, choose to keep or remove the plan.
- Tap Erase All to confirm.
Once the Apple Watch is erased, all the saved media, data, and personal settings will be removed. However, you won’t be able to pair it with a new iPhone until Activation Lock is turned off. Here’s how to turn off Activation Lock without the connected iPhone:
- Open the iCloud.com website and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Click Find My.
- Select the Apple Watch.
- Click Remove This Device.
It’s worth noting that if you have a used Apple Watch, you’ll need to get in touch with the original owner and ask them to unpair the smartwatch using the steps above before you can set it up with a new iPhone.
