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How To Turn On (And Use) Find My Apple Watch

Losing or misplacing your Apple Watch is always a possibility, especially considering its relatively small size and portability. Luckily, if this happens, you’re not completely out of luck. With Apple’s Find My feature, you can easily locate your paired Apple Watch.

You can turn on the Find My feature by launching the Watch’s ‘Settings,’ tapping on your name, selecting your Watch’s name, and then choosing ‘Find My Watch.’ Then find your lost watch by opening My Watch on your iPhone, tapping on the small information icon, and selecting ‘Find My Apple Watch.’

It’s important to note that before you can use the Find My Apple Watch feature, you’ll first have to set up the device — and in order to do that, you’ll need an iPhone 8 or newer with iOS 16 or later. Let’s look at how to set up Find My on your Apple Watch, what you should do if you’re having trouble pairing your device, and how you can locate a missing watch, so you don’t have to worry about losing it ever again. 

How to Set Up Find My on Apple Watch

Apple Smartwatch

If your Apple Watch (on Amazon) is already paired with your iPhone, then it will automatically be set up when you switch on Find My iPhone. However, to ensure that you’ll be able to find your Apple Watch even when it’s disconnected or powered off, make sure the Find My network isn’t turned off:

  1. Launch ‘Settings’ on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap on your name.
  3. Keep scrolling down until you find your Apple Watch.
  4. Tap on your watch’s name, and then select ‘Find My Watch.’
  5. Make sure the Find My feature is turned on. 

What to Do if You’re Having Trouble Pairing

In order to use and set up an Apple Watch with the latest watchOS, you’ll first need to pair it with an iPhone 8 or a newer model that’s been updated with iOS 16 or later. There are setup assistants on both the Apple Watch and iPhone that help you pair, set up, and use your watch. 

However, if you still have trouble pairing, there are a few things you can try: 

Reset Settings 

If your Apple Watch shows a watch face before you even pair it, then this means that the watch is already paired to another iPhone. In this case, you’ll have to erase all Apple Watch content and then reset settings:

  1. Launch Settings on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap ‘General’ > ‘Reset’ > ‘Erase All Content and Settings,’ and then type in your passcode.

If your Apple Watch has a cellular plan, you’ll have two options: ‘Erase All and Keep Plan’ and ‘Erase All.’ If you want to completely erase all the content on the smartwatch, select ‘Erase All.’ However, if you want to keep your original cellular plan in place, tap ‘Erase All and Keep Plan.’ 

Try Manual Pairing

  1. If the camera doesn’t begin the pairing process, select the ‘Pair Apple Watch Manually’ option at the bottom of your iPhone’s screen.
  2. Follow all the onscreen instructions. 

Turn Off Airplane Mode

  1. Keep your iPhone and Apple Watch close together to ensure they’re in range.  
  2. Open your iPhone’s Control Center and make sure the Airplane Mode is switched off. Ensure that Bluetooth and WiFi are turned on as well.
  3. If the watch face shows an Airplane Mode icon, it means that the Airplane Mode is on. Turn off your Watch’s Airplane Mode through the Control Center.
  4. Restart both your iPhone and Apple Watch, and try pairing them again.      

If you’re still having trouble pairing, contact Apple Support

How to Locate Your Lost Watch With Find My

Apple Watch Ultra Review
  1. Launch ‘My Watch’ on your iPhone and select your paired watch.
  2. Tap on the small information icon.
  3. Select ‘Find My Apple Watch’ and enter your Apple ID credentials to start the search (make sure Location Services are enabled).
  4. This will open the ‘Find My’ app and show your Watch’s location.
  5. If you’ve lost your Apple Watch around the house or somewhere nearby, tap the ‘Play Sound’ option at the bottom of your iPhone’s screen to get it to start beeping.
  6. Once you locate your Watch, you’ll see a ‘Playing Sound’ message. Tap ‘Dismiss’ to return the device to its watch face. 

How to Use Lost Mode

If you’re unable to find your Apple Watch by playing a sound, you’ll have to use the ‘Lost Mode’ to mark it as lost. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. From the ‘Actions’ displayed at the bottom of your iPhone’s screen, select ‘Lost Mode.’
  2. Follow all the on-screen instructions, and make sure you enter a phone number and a short message for the person who may find your watch.
  3. If somebody finds and picks up your watch, the device will display the number and message on its screen, allowing them to contact you.