Just like any other smartwatch, the Apple Watch is basically a mini version of your phone on your wrist. What makes it stand out from others, though, is the seamless Apple ecosystem. But is it good if my Apple Watch is not connecting to my phone?
The notifications take a hit, the data will not be synced with my phone, and I won’t get calls on my watch, so the point of having a smartwatch is completely defeated. If this has been your case, it can be frustrating, but not if you come across WearableXP. Keep reading on how to fix this issue of Apple Watch not connecting to your phone.
How to Fix Your Apple Watch Not Connecting To Your Phone
In case you see a red phone icon 
on your watch, it means that the watch is not connected to your phone. If your phone was kept away from your watch, it could have trouble connecting via Bluetooth. Try keeping your watch and phone closer for a few minutes to re-establish the connection, and it may solve the problem. If not, try these:
Check your network settings
Check to see if the Airplane Mode is turned on either of your devices. This will prevent a connection between your Apple Watch and your iPhone. Also, check and see if Bluetooth is disabled on either of your devices, if yes, make sure to turn on both the Bluetooth and the WiFi to establish a connection between the two.
Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch
A simple unpairing and re-pairing of my Apple Watch to my iPhone does the trick most of the time. On the iPhone,
Watch app > My Watch tab > All Watches > Tap ‘i’ icon next to your watch’s name > Unpair Apple Watch
You can go ahead and also delete this watch from your Apple account before you re-pair it with your iPhone. For this, on your iPhone
Settings > Apple account > Select your Apple Watch > Remove from Account
Keep the watch on a charger and set it up again.
Restart your iPhone and Apple Watch
The oldest trick in the book and works like a charm in most of the cases, shut down and restart your iPhone as well as your Apple Watch. Wait for about 10 seconds before you restart the devices and check for the connection again.
Update your iPhone and Apple Watch
Updating your iPhone and your Apple Watch with the latest software might be able to tackle the connectivity issue between the two. To update your iPhone,
Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install
To update your Apple Watch,
Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install
Reset network settings
Remember the many times you have connected your phone to public WiFi? Sometimes, we need to declutter the million connections on our phones for the important ones to work smoothly. Bear in mind that you will have to re-enter all your WiFi passwords again after this rest.
Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings
Delete Watch app
If nothing seems to work, try deleting the ‘Watch’ app on your iPhone and then re-install it from the App Store. This should be able to help your phone reconnect to your Apple Watch with ease.
Turn on access to Accessories
This may be a long shot, but sometimes, allowing access to accessories when your iPhone is locked for over an hour could solve your issue. On your iPhone,
Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Toggle on Accessories
Turn off this setting once your pairing is complete.
Reset your Apple Watch
As a last resort, I recommend resetting your Apple Watch, which may be just what your Apple Watch needs in order to start afresh. This will, however, erase all its data that has not been backed up on iCloud. You will be able to restore your last backup easily after the reset. To do this on your Apple Watch,
Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings
On your iPhone,
Watch app > My Watch tab > All Watches > Tap ‘i’ icon next to your watch’s name > Unpair Apple Watch
Go ahead and also delete this watch from your Apple account before you re-pair it with your iPhone. For this, on your iPhone
Settings > Apple account > Select your Apple Watch > Remove from Account
Wrap Up
While it may be frustrating when your watch and phone don’t connect to each other, following the steps above can be of great help. These are tried and tested, but on the off chance these don’t solve your issue, reach out to Apple Care.
But before you do, make sure to follow these steps and have your devices charged. Happy troubleshooting!
