Unable to pair old Apple Watch 6 with current iPhone 15 - help?

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Level 1

4 points

Unable to pair old Apple Watch 6 with current iPhone 15 - help?

Hello! I have an old Apple Watch 6 that I just rebooted and am attempting to connect to my current iPhone 15. I'm able to get through the initial setup step where it recognizes the Apple Watch and prompts me to complete a software update.

However, my phone then shows, "Unable to Check for Update - Checking for a software update failed because you are not connected to the internet", and prompts me to either Start Over or Try Again. I've attempted this multiple times, to no avail.

A few additional details:

My Apple Watch is on the charger, and my iPhone is more than 80% charged.
I originally reset the Apple Watch, so it is no longer connected to my much older phone.
I am connected to my home wifi on my phone (but not on the Apple Watch, as there is no way to get past the setup screen.)

What should I do? Thank you!

Posted on Nov 29, 2025 9:03 PM

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Answer 1

LD150

Level 10

99,493 points

Dec 1, 2025 1:47 AM in response to Sir_Charles_

First lets do another reset

Put Apple Watch on its charger.
Press and hold the side button until you see the screen with the power button in the top right-hand corner, then let go of the side button. If your Apple Watch has an earlier version of watchOS, you’ll see the Power Off slider instead of the power button.
Press and hold the Digital Crown until you see the red Reset button.
Tap Reset, then tap Reset again to confirm.
After Apple Watch has unpaired completely, you can pair again.

Now pair the watch again, remembering that it needs to be on your wrist, not the charger, and set up as new, not using your backup

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