How To Reset Apple Watch After Too Many Failed Passcode Attempts?

If you own an Apple Watch, you must know that you’ll need a passcode to unlock your watch. But what if you type the wrong passcode for multiple times? Unfortunately, your watch will be disabled, and you’ll need to reset it. 

Thankfully, this is an easy process when you’ve got your paired iPhone. Head over to the Watch app on your iPhone and select My Watch > General. Then press the Reset option to reset your Watch.

There are also some alternative ways to do so. So, in this article, we’ll go over how do I reset Apple Watch after too many passcode attempts? We’ll also explore how you can pair it again with your iPhone. So, let’s get into it. 

What Does The Error “Too Many Passcode Attempts Reset Apple Watch” Mean? 

The error message “too many passcode attempts, reset apple watch and pair again” on an Apple Watch means that you’ve had a series of unsuccessful attempts. It happens when you forget your passcode and enter the wrong passcode continuously. 

First, when you type the wrong passcode five times, the Apple Watch will lock spontaneously for a minute. After waiting for a full minute, if you try the wrong passcode again, it will lock itself for the next five minutes. 

Unfortunately, after five minutes, if you fail to enter the right passcode once again, the watch will be disabled for fifteen minutes. And if you experience an unsuccessful attempt again after these 15 minutes, you’ll get the message to wait for 15 minutes again. 

After these 15 minutes, if you type the wrong passcode on your Watch again, it will lock itself for a full hour (60 minutes). So, wait for an hour to try again. After an hour, if you fail to enter the right passcode again, you’ll finally get this error message. That’s why you must reset your watch to get it back. 

How Do You Back Up Before Resetting Your Apple Watch?

When you reset an Apple Watch after too many failed passcode attempts, the contents and data of your watch will be completely erased. So, it’s very essential to get a backup of all the data from the watch before resetting it. 

Fortunately, the Apple Watch does this job automatically. If the Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone, it automatically sends the data to your iPhone as a backup. 

As a result, whenever you unpair or reset your watch, it is completely backed up to your iPhone, ensuring that you do not lose the most recent data. Furthermore, if the paired iPhone backs up regularly, the  Apple Watch will do so as well.

For this, you don’t need to backup your watch before resetting or unpairing it. Moreover, you can use this backup data, when you pair your Apple Watch back with your iPhone or add a new Apple Watch. 

How to Reset Apple Watch After Too Many Passcode Attempts? 

Once you get this error message on the Apple Watch after too many passcode attempts, you’ll have to reset the device to enable it again. As the lock itself will be disabled to power on, you won’t be able to reset it from the Settings. 

But fortunately, there are two easy ways to get rid of this situation. With these methods, you can easily erase the current passcode from your Apple Watch and get it back as an active device. 

With the iPhone 

If your Apple Watch becomes locked after too many failed password attempts, you can easily reset the watch to unlock it using the paired iPhone. It will remove all content and data and allow you to make a new passcode to get the watch working again. 

Here is the instruction to follow:

• First, ensure that the Apple watch and an iPhone are close together.
• Then, locate the Apple Watch application on the iPhone.
• Now, select My Watch at the top left of the screen.
• Next, select General and tap the Reset button. 
• Finally, click on Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings to confirm resetting your watch. 

This may take a little while to finish the process. Once the process is completed, you can create a new passcode for your Apple Watch. 

As we discussed earlier, your iPhone will create the backup of the watch before you start erasing it. While erasing a watch that has been paired with your iPhone, the watch will also backup to iCloud instead. 

Without the iPhone

If you don’t have an iPhone, you can also erase the contents and settings of the Apple Watch on the watch directly. Here’s how you can do it:

• During this process, your Apple Watch must be in charge.
• Now turn off the watch using the Side button only. Press the same button, until you notice the turn-off slider shown on the device’s screen.
• Now, press the Digital Crown button to get the Erase all content and settings option. 
• Choose the Erase button to jump to the next screen.
• Now, confirm the Reset button with the message “Are you sure you want to continue? All Media, Data, and Settings will be erased. This cannot be undone.”
• Tap on the Erase button to start erasing the Apple Watch process. 

This option restores your watch to factory settings. So, pair it with your iPhone and then, create the new passcode. 

How Do I Pair My Apple Watch Again?

Once you’ve reset your Apple Watch after too many passcode attempts, you’ll need to pair the watch to the iPhone again. Before pairing, make sure that your Apple Watch is compatible with the iPhone model you’re going to pair with. 

You should also make sure that your iPhone is up-to-date. To check your current software version, go through the following steps:

• Launch the Settings app.
• Go to General > About.
• Check out the Software Version section. Here you can see what iOS version you’ve installed.

Once you’re confirmed to pair the Watch again with your iPhone, here’s the guideline to follow:

Step 1: Check your internet connection

First, turn on the Bluetooth. Next, connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. 

Step 2: Locate the Watch app

Now, launch the Watch App on your iPhone. Next, turn on your Apple Watch. To do so, press and hold the right side button of the watch until the white Apple logo comes on the screen. 

Step 3: Set language and region on your Apple Watch

On the next screen, select the info button on your watch. Now, select your language and region. Then the watch will prompt you to open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone again. 

Step 4: Start the pairing process

Once you open the app, click Start Pairing. Then you have an option to set the watch for myself or for a family member. Next, an animation will appear on your watch. Now, set the iPhone’s camera on your watch. Make sure that the window has pointed at the center over the watch’s screen. 

Step 5: Complete settings

On the next screen you’ll have to decide whether you want to restore your Apple Watch for backup or set it up as a new Apple Watch. The apple will now connect and activate your watch. 

frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

By now, we know how you can reset your Apple Watch after too many passcode attempts. Now, we’ll address the most common questions you may have about resetting Apple Watch passcodes. 

Conclusion 

When you get the error message “Too many passcode attempts reset Apple Watch and pair again” it’s because you forget your passcode. In this case, you’ll have to reset it either by the paired iPhone or by the watch itself. 

But if any of these solutions don’t work due to an enabled Activation Lock, it’s better to get help from the support.apple.com website. They will help you out very easily.

So, we hope that you’ve got this tutorial article very helpful in case of how to reset Apple Watch after too many passcode attempts? But remember that once you reset your watch, you’ll need to pair it again and set a new passcode.