How to Set Up an Apple Watch

Co-authored by Gonzalo Martinez and Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: May 7, 2021

This wikiHow teaches you how to set up a third-generation Apple Watch from scratch. In order to do so, you will need an iPhone that is capable of running at least iOS 10.

Part 1

Part 1 of 6:

Getting Started

1
Turn on your Apple Watch. If your Apple Watch isn't currently on, press the oval Power button below the dial that's on the right side of the Watch's casing. You should see the white Apple logo appear, after which point your Apple Watch will turn itself on.
- If your Apple Watch won't turn on, you probably need to charge your Apple Watch for a few minutes before proceeding.
2

Tap ⓘ . It's in the bottom-right corner of the Apple Watch's screen. This will open a language menu.

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3

Select a language. Scroll down until you find the proper language for your Apple Watch, then tap it. Doing so confirms your setup language and takes you to the region menu.
4

Select a region. Scroll down until you find the proper region, then tap it. This will take you to a screen that says "Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap Start Pairing." At this point, you can switch over to your iPhone.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 6:

Pairing Your Watch and iPhone

1
Make sure that your iPhone has Bluetooth enabled. Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone's screen to open the Control Center, then look for the Bluetooth symbol in the upper-left corner. If this circle is blue, Bluetooth is enabled.
- If the circle is grey or white and the Bluetooth logo has a slash through it, tap the circle to enable Bluetooth.
- You can close the Control Center by pressing the Home button.
2
Make sure that your iPhone is up-to-date. If your iPhone hasn't yet been updated, update it to the most recent operating system available before proceeding.
- Your iPhone must run at least iOS 10 to be able to pair with your Apple Watch.
3

Sign into your Apple ID on your iPhone. If you aren't signed into your Apple ID account on your iPhone, sign into it before attempting to set up your Apple Watch.
4
Open your iPhone's Watch app. Tap the Watch app icon, which resembles a black-and-white side profile of the Apple Watch.
- If you deleted this app when iOS 10 came out, you can download it from the App Store for free. ^{[1]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Gonzalo Martinez
  Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 4 May 2021.}
5

Place your iPhone near the Apple Watch. Your iPhone and Apple Watch should be within a few feet of each other for the duration of the setup process.
6

Tap Start Pairing on your Apple Watch. This orange button is at the bottom of the Apple Watch screen. Doing so will prompt a glittering ball to appear on your Apple Watch's screen.
7

Tap Start Pairing on your iPhone. It's near the bottom of the iPhone's screen.
8

Scan the Apple Watch with your iPhone. Point your phone's camera at the Apple Watch face, making sure to center the face of the watch inside of the square that's on your iPhone's screen.
9

Tap Set Up Apple Watch . This button is near the bottom of your iPhone's screen.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 6:

Setting up Apple Watch Basic Information

1

Select a wrist answer. When asked which wrist you use for your Apple Watch, tap Left or Right near the bottom of your iPhone's screen.
2

Tap Agree . It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3

Tap Agree when prompted. You'll see this in the pop-up menu. Doing so confirms that you agree with the Apple Watch terms of use.
4
Select a Route Tracking option. Tap either Enable Route Tracking or Disable Route Tracking on the "Workout Route Tracking" screen.
- Route Tracking is a feature that tracks the weather and common workout routes in your area.
5
Tap OK . It's at the bottom of the "Shared Settings" screen. This confirms that you understand that your Apple Watch will use the same settings as your iPhone for the following features:
- Location Services
- Find My iPhone
- Siri
- Analytics
6
Create a passcode for your Apple Watch. Tap Create a Passcode in the middle of your iPhone's screen, then type in a four-digit passcode on your Apple Watch and confirm the passcode by typing it in again.
- You can also tap Add a Long Passcode to use letters and symbols in your passcode, or tap Don't Add Passcode if you don't want to add one right now.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 6:

Setting Up Activity

1
Tap Set up Activity . It's a grey button in the middle of your iPhone's screen.
- If you don't want to set up your Apple Watch's Activity app right now, tap Skip This Step at the bottom of the screen and then skip to the next part.
2
Review your current information. Your iPhone will display the following categories of information, some or all of which may be filled out already:
- Birthdate - Your date of birth.
- Sex - Your sex (Activity options include Female , Male , Other , and Not Set ).
- Height - Your current height.
- Weight - Your current weight.
- Wheelchair - Whether or not you use a wheelchair.
3

Change Activity information if needed. If any of the information on this page is missing or incorrect, tap the category (e.g., Birthdate ), then select the correct option from the pop-up menu and tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen.
4

Tap Continue . It's a button at the bottom of the iPhone's screen.
5
Select a Move Goal. A Move Goal is the number of calories that you want to burn per day. You can increase or decrease this number in small increments by tapping - or + to the left or right of the number on your iPhone's screen.
- You can also select a preset number of calories by tapping Lightly , Moderately , or Highly near the top of the screen.
6

Tap Set Move Goal . It's at the bottom of your iPhone's screen.
7
Tap Download Later . This link, which is at the bottom of your iPhone's screen, will allow you to download the Nike+ Run Club app at a later date. Doing so concludes your Activity app setup and takes you to the Pay section.
- Depending on the type of Apple Watch you have, you may not see this option, or you may be encouraged to download a different fitness app.
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Part 5

Part 5 of 6:

Setting up Apple Pay

This orange button is at the bottom of your iPhone's screen.
2
Enter your current card's security code. Type the three-digit security code that's on the back of your card into the "Security Code" text field in the middle of your iPhone's screen.
- If you want to use a different card, tap Add a Different Card below the "Security Code" text box, then scan in your preferred card.
3

Tap Next . It's in the upper-right corner of your iPhone's screen.
4

Tap Agree . This option is in the bottom-right corner of the iPhone's screen.
5

Wait for your card to finish adding to your Watch. This can take a few minutes, so don't walk away with your Apple Watch just yet. Once you see the Emergency SOS screen, you can proceed.

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Part 6

Part 6 of 6:

Completing Setup

1

Tap Continue . It's in the middle of the Emergency SOS screen on your iPhone.
2
Install apps onto your Apple Watch. Tap the grey Install All button in the middle of your iPhone's screen to prompt any compatible iPhone apps that you own to download onto your Apple Watch.
- You can also choose to do this later by tapping Choose Later below the Install All button.
3
Wait for your Apple Watch to finish syncing. Your Apple Watch will need between 5 and 15 minutes to finish downloading the necessary apps and implement your settings.
- If you chose not to download apps onto your Apple Watch, the syncing period may only take a few minutes.
4

Confirm your Apple ID permissions. On your iPhone, you'll receive a notification about your Apple ID being used on your Apple Watch; tap OK to confirm that you authorized this action.
5

Press your Watch's Digital Crown when prompted. The Digital Crown is the dial on the right side of the Watch's housing; when you see the "Your Apple Watch is ready to use!" message, press in the Digital Crown to complete the setup. You're now welcome to begin exploring your Apple Watch!

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Expert Q&A

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Question

What should I do when I first get an Apple Watch?

Gonzalo Martinez
Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store.

Gonzalo Martinez

Computer & Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

Make sure you have the Watch app installed on your iPhone so you can start syncing your devices.

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Tips

While your Apple Watch is syncing, you can press down on the screen to bring up a factory reset prompt. Tapping Reset on this prompt will reset your Apple Watch to factory settings, allowing you to set it up again with different settings.

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Warnings

If you take your watch too far away from your iPhone during the syncing process, you may have to start over. To avoid this, keep the Watch and the iPhone within a few feet of each other until the setup process is complete.

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[1]

Expert Source

Gonzalo Martinez
Computer & Phone Repair Specialist

How to Set Up an Apple Watch

Steps

Getting Started

Pairing Your Watch and iPhone

Setting up Apple Watch Basic Information

Setting Up Activity

Setting up Apple Pay

Completing Setup

Expert Q&A

Tips

Warnings

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References

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