Hello. I bought a new Iphone 16 and updated it to iOS 26.2. I have an apple watch 3 series and a 5 series. When I try to pair them, I get an error saying "Outdated software" on my iphone. These watches require a newer version of ios. How can I connect my phone to my watch? Thank you
The newest official iOS version is 26.1
Do you have Beta software installed on your iPhone?
If not, did you restore the new iPhone from a backup of the old iPhone, after you have updated the old iPhone to the newest possible iOS version?
After that pair your watch with the new iPhone, as described in this article:
Pair your Apple Watch with a new iPhone - Apple Support
In case you are running Beta software on the iPhone, either downgrade to the latest official version, or wait for the official release of the next iOS update.
Did you buy the SE new? If yes, it should come with the latest watchOS update.
What happens if you put your watch onto the charger and let it start up?
Is your iPhone connected to a Wi-Fi network, supporting Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
The older watches need to be connected to the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, as does your iPhone in this case.
Maybe my experience will be useful. I have an iphone 12 14.7.1 with jailbreak and the legizmo tweak. NEVER use a copy from an iphone with the legizmo tweak enabled. Otherwise, when you deploy the copy on a new phone, you will never be able to link your watch. There will be an error stating that an ios update is required, even though there is no update available. You need to remove the legizmo tweak by disabling compatibility, reboot, remove the copy, and then you can upload it to your new phone. The clock is linked to 8.8.1. Everything works. The topic can be closed. Thank you all.
Can the old iPhone be upgraded to iOS 26?
If not, can you still pair the watch to the old device and start the process again as explained in the article?
I'm sorry, 26.1, of course. Yes, I restored from a backup of the old Iphone. The old iphone was not
updated. But the watch was still linked to the old iphone. I unlinked it
and am now trying to link it to the new one with ios 26.1
I will add. I purchased an Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) today. The error is the same. I don't understand what to do. I only have an Iphone 16 with iOS 26.1
Did you try to update the Appel Watch SE 2nd gen manually to the latest watchOS 26.1, and then pair it to your iPhone 16?
Thanks for your reply. But how can I update the watch manually without pairing with the phone?
Yes, modifying the iOS software can lead to unexpected behaviour, to say the least:
Unauthorized modification of iOS – Apple Support
Cannot pair Apple Watch Series 3/5
