A Quick Guide to Setting Up Your Apple Watch

By Jamie Pham  |  May 19, 2015 | 9:00am
Tech Features Apple Watch

So you just got your brand new Apple Watch in the mail and had some time to marvel at its beauty. It’s now time to pair it to your iPhone to make it a fully functional device.

While setting up your Apple Watch isn’t as straightforward as settings up your first iPhone may have been, it’s not as complex as it may seem at first. Follow these five steps and you’ll be ready to fully use your Apple Watch.

1. Update Software

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The first thing to know is that the Apple Watch only works with the iPhone 5 or newer. Also, you’ll need iOS 8.3 running on your phone, so if you haven’t updated recently, that’ll need to be the first thing you do.

To update your iPhone’s software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Tap “Download and Install” and you’re on your way.

2. Open the Apple Watch App

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Turn your Apple Watch on by holding down the side button for a few seconds and then it will prompt you to choose a language. Once you have iOS 8.3 on your iPhone, you will see the Apple Watch app on your home screen. Open the app and you will see a camera screen asking you to point it at your watch.

It will automatically scan your watch like a QR code and pair it automatically. If it isn’t pairing for any reason, you can pair it manually via bluetooth like you would for any bluetooth devices.

3. Choose Settings

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Once you have paired your Apple Watch, select your wrist preference, accept the Term of Services, and register your watch with your Apple ID. After that, you will be asked if you want to use Location Services, Siri, if you want to participate in Diagnostics, and to set a passcode.

The passcode is needed if you take your Apple Watch off your wrist. The good news is that if you are wearing it, you won’t need to put it in every time you want to use it.

4. Apps

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The next step is installing apps on your Watch. It will ask you if you want to add all Apple Watch compatible apps that are already on your iPhone. I don’t recommend this if you have a lot of apps on your phone cause it might take a while to install but I did it at first to check out what the apps were like.

5. Charge Your Watch

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I recommend charging your watch while you are waiting for your apps to install because you will definitely put your Apple Watch to heavy use once it is ready and the last thing you want is for it die after an hour.

 
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