My Apple Watch i3 is stuck on preparing

Hello siir81,

Since it is preparing but not completing the update you may want to make sure everything is in place for the update to go through. I see your Apple Watch version is eligible. Your iPhone must be "an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14 or later."

Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support

If your iPhone is eligible this is what the Apple Support article recommends next:

"Next, check these things:

1. Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
2. Make sure that your Apple Watch is at least 50 percent charged.
3. Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi.
4. Keep your iPhone next to your Apple Watch, so that they're in range. 

It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete. You might want to update overnight or wait until you have time. "

If it still will not update after you have confirmed the above items these would be the next recommended steps:

"If you need help updating

Try these steps:

1. Make sure that your Apple Watch connects to its charger. 
2. Restart your Apple Watch. Press and hold the side button until you see Power Off, then drag the slider. To turn your watch on again, press and hold the side button.
3. Restart your paired iPhone.
4. Try to start the update again. 

If the update won't start, open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap General > Usage > Software Update, then delete the update file. After you delete the file, try to download and install watchOS again.

Learn what to do if you see 'Cannot Install Update' when updating Apple Watch."

The final link from above “If you see ‘Cannot Instal…" recommends this specifically for Apple Watch Series 3:

"Unpair and update your Apple Watch

1. Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together as you unpair them.
2. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
3. Go to the My Watch tab and tap your watch at the top of the screen. 
4. Tap the info button  next to the watch that you want to unpair. 
5. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
6. For GPS + Cellular models, choose to keep your cellular plan. 
7. Tap again to confirm. You might need to enter your Apple ID password to disable Activation Lock. Before erasing all content and settings on your Apple Watch, your iPhone creates a new backup of your Apple Watch. You can use the backup to restore a new Apple Watch.

Next, set up your Apple Watch with your iPhone. When asked whether you want to set up as new or restore from a backup, choose to set up as new. Then follow the onscreen instructions to finish setup. If you want to update to the watchOS beta, reinstall the beta profile after setup is complete.

Finally, update your Apple Watch."

I hope this is helpful.

Hello lundberr,

That seems a but more serious than what I think user siir81 was describing, but I may be incorrect on that.

I would reach out to Apple Support directly about this. It Generally it is very much not recommended to Hard Reset the iPhone or Apple Watch during an update but it seems to me that may be your only option.

Before trying that please make sure to tack or chat with Apple Support. They may be able to open your Watch App to allow you to run diagnostics and , hopefully, isolate the cause.

This is the main Apple Watch service and repair page. It will be easier to open a support ticket from here. watch Repair - Official Apple Support

Good luck!

Hmm. Are you initiating the update from the watch itself or from the Watch App on the iPhone?

I believe installing the update using the paired iPhone has more chance of success. Additionally you can "open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap General > Usage > Software Update, then delete the update file. After you delete the file, try to download and install watchOS again."

If you haven’t already make sure you restart both the Apple Watch and iPhone plus ensure you have enabled Bluetooth and have connected to the same Wi-Fi network on both.

If you have tried all of the different troubleshooting and resolution steps from my first reply, I believe you would next want to contact Apple Support directly. They can have you run diagnostics on the watch using your iPhone and may be able to detect the issue using the diagnostics information. This diagnostics can only be preformed if you have an active Apple Support case open.

I'm having the same issue. Unfortunately, I can't get even open the watch app on my iPhone to tap General > Usage > Software Update, to delete the update file. As soon as you open the watch app it goes instantly to the update and if you cancel you get the message that the Apple watch will unpair and reset to factory settings. I've reset to factory settings about 10x now.

The watch will not pair nor will it update.