How To Back Up An Apple Watch?

If you have an Apple watch, then no doubt you have set it up just the way you like it. There are lots of different configurations that you can use, depending on whether you most prioritize the device for fitness, text messages, calls, or for nothing more complicated than telling the time. When you have your Apple watch set up the way you like, though, you’ll want to be sure to back it up periodically so that if anything happens to it, you can retrieve the backup. That way, you’ll always be able to enjoy the features of the device that are most appealing to you.

In this article, we’ll talk a little more about why you need to back up Apple devices, and we’ll also give you detailed instructions on how to do it with your watch.

Why Should You Always Back Up an Apple Watch or Other Apple Devices?

Most consumers understand that Apple products, including watches, are set up to be resistant to hackers, software bugs, and glitches that could prove detrimental to their function. The way these devices were designed is part of what has made them as popular as they are the world over.

However, just because it’s difficult for the functionality of your Apple watch to be disabled, it’s by no means impossible. For instance, the device might be damaged by the elements. It might get accidentally dropped, or someone might step on it. They’re made to be durable, but they are not indestructible.

There are also bugs that sometimes surface associated with different apps that can cause your watch to freeze up. While you should be able to retrieve all of your vital data in the event that you need to do some troubleshooting, you’ll still feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you’ve done a backup recently. It’s just a smart and responsible thing to do as an Apple watch owner.

How Can You Go About Backing Up Your Apple Watch?

A couple of different ways exist to initiate a backup of the Apple watch. The first one we’ll talk about is the backup of the watch through your iPhone using either iTunes or iCloud. By doing either one of these two things, you’ll back up the iPhone, and, by extension, the Apple watch that is synced to it.

1. For an iCloud backup, you must first make sure that your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.
2. Go to Settings, then Your Name.
3. Tap where it says iCloud.
4. Hit iCloud Backup, and then Back Up Now. You must be sure that your iPhone stays connected to a steady Wi-Fi network until the process completes. It will take a couple of minutes.

You can check the progress and confirm your backup. To do so, go to Settings, Your Name, iCloud, and then iCloud Backup. When you look under Back Up Now, you will see the time and the date that the last one occurred. That’s how you can be sure that it went through.

1. As for iTunes, you’ll need to connect the iPhone to your laptop or PC with an Apple-approved USB cord.
2. Pull up the latest version of iTunes and look under Devices on the left-hand side of the screen. You should see your iPhone there. Tap it.
3. There will be an option on the right-hand side to back up the phone. Click on it, and then iPhone will back up. Once it is done, you can safely disconnect the phone.

Doing either one of these things will ensure that your Apple watch settings will be saved. Now, let’s go on to the other recognized way of backing up the Apple watch.

Making an Apple Watch Backup by Unpairing It from Your iPhone

The other way that most Apple product users know about when it comes to backing up an Apple watch is to unpair it from your iPhone. Then, you can restore from the backup by going through the pairing process. This is less than ideal because it’s usually simpler to do an iPhone backup through iTunes or iCloud, which, by extension, will back up the Apple watch. However, if for some reason you aren’t able to do that, it’s helpful to know about this other way.

1. To start the unpairing process, make sure that your Apple watch and your iPhone are close together.
2. Then, open up the Apple watch app on the iPhone.
3. Hit My Watch at the bottom of the interface.
4. Hit the Apple Watch panel. The app will then ask you whether you want to unpair the two devices from each other. Confirm that you do. All the content and settings will then be erased from the watch. However, before that happens, your iPhone will make a backup of your watch settings, which it will then keep.

Now, if you want to, you can restore the backed-up version of the Apple watch by pairing it with the iPhone again.

1. To do so, power on the watch by pressing the Side button for a few seconds until you see the white Apple logo.
2. Then, choose your language.
3. Open up your Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap Start Pairing. A blue, swirling animation should come up on the watch’s face. If you don’t see it, then the two devices are probably too far away from each other. They should be no more than a few inches apart.
4. You can then complete the setup process either manually or with the iPhone’s camera. If you do it manually, you must press the white “i” in the lower right-hand corner of the information screen. You will see the name of your Apple watch. On the phone app, press Pair Apple Watch Manually. You must type in the numbers that appear on the watch’s screen.
5. If you’re using the camera, then you’ll hold the phone above the Apple watch. As long as the yellow box on the iPhone’s screen matches up with where the watch is, it should pair automatically within a few seconds.

At this point, your Apple watch’s most recent iteration will be restored to it.  

What the Apple Watch Backup Will Include, and What It Won’t

We should point out, though, that regardless of which method you use to back up the Apple watch, there are a few things that won’t ever be transferred. Let’s go over what you can expect to be included in an Apple watch backup, as well as what is going to be lost each time you do one.

The backup should include your general system settings. That would be your haptic settings, sound, watch face, brightness, and known Wi-Fi networks. You should also get any health and fitness data. You’ll get app-specific data settings, like maps. You’ll keep your mail settings, weather, stocks, and your calendar. The same goes for time zones.

As for what will not be included, you should lose the passcode for your watch, any credit or debit info related to Apple Pay, and also any muisc playlists that you had synced to the watch. You will also lose workout and activity calibration data.

What you can take from all this is that there are multiple ways for you to back up your Apple watch, and you should do so frequently on the off chance that something happens to it. When you back up the device, you’ll be able to keep most of the setups from it. The ones that you lost can be set up again rather easily.