How to Set Up an Apple Watch: Pairing & First Setup

Put the Apple Watch on your wrist, then press and hold the side button (the long button next to the digital crown) until the Apple logo appears. That can take 10 to 20 seconds the first time. Once you see the logo, unlock your iPhone and hold it within a few inches of the watch.

The pairing handshake uses Bluetooth, so the two devices need to be close to each other for the whole setup, not just at the start.

A pairing card slides up on your iPhone with a picture of the Apple Watch and a Continue button. Tap Continue. The next screen asks who the watch is for - tap Set Up for Myself.

The Set Up for a Family Member option is for setting up a watch on someone else's account (like a child or older parent who doesn't have their own iPhone). For your own watch, the first option is what you want.

The iPhone camera opens with a yellow frame in the middle of the screen. Hold the Apple Watch in front of the camera so the watch face lines up inside the frame. A swirling animation appears on the watch - keep it centered until the iPhone beeps and shows a paired confirmation.

If the camera won't catch the animation (bad lighting, glare on the watch screen), tap Pair Apple Watch Manually at the bottom and the iPhone will show a code to type in.

When you see Your Apple Watch is Paired, two buttons appear: Restore from Backup and Set Up as New Apple Watch. If this is your first Apple Watch ever, tap Set Up as New Apple Watch. If you're upgrading from an older watch, Restore from Backup pulls in your watch faces, app layout, and complications from the old one.

Right after that, the iPhone asks you to sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID you use on the iPhone - the watch needs it to install apps, sync messages, and use Apple Pay.

Pick the wrist you'll wear the watch on (left or right) and which side you want the digital crown to face. This flips the screen orientation so the crown lands on the correct side for your hand. Tap Continue.

Read the terms and conditions, then tap Agree. The next few screens cover passcode, location, Siri, and Wallet - tap through each one and pick the option you want. You can change any of these later in the Watch app on your iPhone.

The watch and iPhone now sync apps and settings. A progress ring fills around the watch face on both screens. Keep the iPhone close until it's done - this can take 5 to 10 minutes, especially the first time. When the welcome screen appears, tap Done on the iPhone and Start on the Apple Watch.

Your watch face appears on your wrist and you're set up. Open the Watch app on the iPhone any time to install more apps, change watch faces, or tweak notifications.