- Sep. 16th 2022 10:20 am PT
Ready to switch from your Apple Watch Series 7 to the new Series 8 or SE? Or maybe you just need to transfer your existing Apple Watch with your new iPhone? Follow along for how to seamlessly pair a new or existing Apple Watch with iPhone without losing data – including a new process in iOS 16.
Apple Watch backups happen automatically and are saved on the iPhone your Apple Watch is paired with. However, there’s no place in Settings to manually back up your Apple Watch or see when the last automatic backup was.
Read on for how to make sure your Apple Watch is backed up and you’re all set to upgrade to your new one.
If you’re upgrading to a new iPhone 14 (or any other new model), you’ll need to take care of that first.
Apple notes that these items are not included with Apple Watch backups: Bluetooth pairings, credit or debit cards used for Apple Pay, Apple Watch passcode, and Messages.
A fresh and seamless new process should show up with iOS 16 to move an existing Apple Watch from your old iPhone to your new one.
If this process doesn’t show up for you, follow the steps below…
If you need or want to pair a new Apple Watch with your iPhone or pair an existing watch as a new one:
If you’re not seeing an available backup to restore with, you might need to force a backup.
Since Apple Watch backups don’t happen with every iCloud or Mac/PC backup with your iPhone, this is how Apple says to do force them:
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Apple Watch is Apple's wearable is designed to help you stay active, motivated, and connected. It runs watchOS, and it comes in 40mm and 44mm size options.
A collection of tutorials, tips, and tricks from the 9to5Mac team helping you fix and get the most out of your favorite gear.
Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.
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