Overview

• Quick Start during new iPhone setup transfers your Apple Watch pairing and most settings for the fastest handoff.
• If Quick Start fails, unpair the Watch on the old iPhone to generate a fresh backup and remove Activation Lock, then restore on the new device.
• When the old iPhone is unavailable, erase the Watch and sign in with the linked Apple ID during pairing to clear Activation Lock, then restore from an available backup or set up as new.
• To keep Health and Activity history, enable Health in iCloud or create an encrypted computer backup before unpairing.
• Troubleshooting steps include keeping devices close, confirming Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi and software updates, removing stale Watch entries in the Watch app, resetting the Watch if needed, and keeping or re‑adding a cellular plan for GPS + Cellular models.