Your Apple Watch Questions Answered: Our Top FAQs

Buying a new piece of tech is a big decision, even if you are choosing to buy refurbished to save money and help the environment. We know our customers often have questions before they make their purchase, so we’ve put together our most frequently asked questions about Apple Watches to help you make a decision.

So from how to unpair and pair your Apple Watch to how to remove an Apple Watch band, you’ll find the answers here.

Support Questions

How to pair an Apple Watch

Most of our customers purchase an Apple Watch Series 3 or later, so these instructions relate to those devices. You’ll need to pair your watch with an iPhone 6s or later that’s running iOS 15 or later.

• • 1. Put your Apple Watch on your wrist so it fits closely but comfortably.
    2. If you haven’t turned your watch on yet, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
    3. Make sure your iPhone is near your Apple Watch and wait for the Apple Watch pairing screen to appear on your phone, then tap continue. Alternatively, you can open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and then tap Pair New Watch.
    4. Tap Set Up for Myself, then wait until you are prompted to position your iPhone so your Apple Watch appears in the viewfinder in the Apple Watch app.
    5. Tap Set Up Apple Watch, then follow the instructions on your iPhone and Apple Watch to finish setting everything up.

How to unpair an Apple Watch

If you’re selling or trading in your Apple Watch or you need to send it back to us for repair or replacement, you’ll need to unpair it. You’ll need your paired iPhone to remove the Activation Lock and to erase all content and settings. If you don’t have your paired iPhone, you can erase your Apple Watch, but the Activation Lock will remain. We can’t accept Apple Watches that are returned to us this way.

• • 1. Keeping your Apple Watch and iPhone close together, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
    2. Go to the My Watch tab and tap All Watches.
    3. Tap the info button next to the watch you want to unpair.
    4. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
    5. Tap Unpair [the name of your Apple Watch].
    6. If you have a GPS + Cellular model, decide whether you want to keep or remove your mobile data plan.
       
       1. If you will pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan.
       2. If you don’t want to pair your devices again, remove your plan. If you are not going to use your mobile data on another Apple Watch, you may need to contact your network provider to cancel your subscription.
    7. Type in your Apple ID password to disable Activation Lock, then tap Unpair.

Your iPhone will create a backup of your Apple Watch before it erases all your content and settings. If you’re getting a new Apple Watch, you can use this backup to restore your new one. Once your current Apple Watch unpairs, you’ll see the Start Pairing message.

Now you can set up your Apple Watch again, or turn it off if you are selling, trading it in or returning it to us.

Where is the i icon on an Apple Watch?

You’ll see the i icon in the bottom right corner of your Apple Watch during the pairing process. You’ll need to use this if the automatic pairing process isn’t working, but this is rare. If you do need to use it, simply tap the i icon and you can begin the manual pairing process.

How to charge an Apple Watch

Our Apple Watches don’t come with a charger, but you can buy a generic Apple Watch charger as an add on when you purchase your refurbished Apple Watch from us. These chargers are just as safe and effective as genuine Apple Watch chargers, but are nearly 60% cheaper.

When your battery is low, the low battery red lightning bolt icon will appear on your Apple Watch’s screen. It’s simple to charge your Apple Watch:

• • 1. Take your watch off your wrist.
    2. Plug your charger into a USB power adapter and plug it into a power socket. You can also plug your charging cable into a USB port.
    3. Position the back of your Apple Watch on the charger. The charger’s magnets will align with your Apple Watch, and when it’s charging you’ll see a green lightning bolt symbol on the screen.
    4. Leave your Apple Watch alone and give it time to charge. It will go into bedside mode while it’s charging.

How to change an Apple Watch band

The great thing about Apple Watches is that you can change the straps whenever you feel like it. We offer extra Apple Watch straps so you can change your band to suit your outfit or activity.

Here’s how to change a standard silicone Apple Watch band:

1. Put your Apple Watch face down on a clean surface like a padded mat or microfibre cloth.
2. Hold down the band release button which you will find on the bottom of the back of your watch. Slide the band across to remove it. If it doesn’t work the first time, try again and make sure you hold it down as you slide.
3. Make sure that the inside of the strap is facing you, then slide the new band in until you feel and hear a click.

That’s it! If you want to hear about how to change other types of Apple Watch bands, drop us a message on Instagram or Facebook.

General Questions

How long do Apple Watches last?

Apple Watches can last a long time before you need to think about replacing them. When we receive a used Apple Watch, we put it through a 35-point testing process to check that everything’s working as it should be. If it’s not, we’ll repair it before sending it off to its new home.

That means we’d expect you to get at least a year out of a refurbished Apple Watch, which is why we offer a 12-month warranty as standard. However, if you look after your device, it should last at least 2 years, and you can purchase an extended warranty with us for extra peace of mind.

Is an Apple Watch worth buying without an iPhone?

The answer is no! To use all the features of an Apple Watch, you need to pair it with your iPhone. Without it, your Apple Watch won’t even synchronise the time based on where you are, so it’s not worth buying an Apple Watch without an iPhone.

We’ll update this guide as we get more FAQs from our customers. If you’ve got any burning questions, get in touch with us on Facebook or Instagram!