Apple Watch: Why is my Apple Watch not connecting to my iPhone

If your Apple Watch isn‘t connected or paired with your iPhone

If you see a red iPhone icon on your Apple Watch, or you’re trying to pair and can’t find the i icon, try to connect your devices again.

Check your Apple Watch connection

If you don’t get notifications, messages, or calls on your Apple Watch, your Apple Watch and iPhone might not be connected. When your devices disconnect, Red iPhone icon with diagonal line or X icon appears on your watch face. You can also check your connection in Control Center. When your Apple Watch connects again, Connected to iPhone icon appears.

If you need help, try the steps below. After each step, see if your devices can connect.

Try to connect your Apple Watch and iPhone again

1. Keep your Apple Watch and paired iPhone close together to make sure that they’re in range.

2. On your iPhone, make sure that Airplane Mode is off and that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on. To check, swipe up to open Control Center.

3. If you see airplane on your watch face, Airplane Mode is on. Swipe up to open Control Center, then turn Airplane Mode off.

4. Restart your Apple Watch and iPhone.

Unpair your devices, then pair them again

If your Apple Watch still can’t connect, unpair your devices, then pair them again:

1. On your Apple Watch, tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

2. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, tap the My Watch tab, then tap your watch at the top of the screen. Tap info icon next to the watch that you want to unpair, then tap Unpair Apple Watch. Tap again to confirm.

3. Pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.