Reset a forgotten passcode on the Apple Watch

Passcode – To Protect Information on Device

The main purpose of passcode is to protect information on the device. Forgotten password is a common error committed by users and hence need to be changed frequently which could be different for each service. This could be difficult to remember or recall.

 However there is no need to panic if one tends to forget their passcode on the new Apple Watch since it would only take a couple of minutes to reset it once again. If one enters the wrong passcode on Apple Watch, six times, they tend to get locked out and will find a message prompting them to try again later. Should one forget the passcode, one would need to take a few steps to erase their Apple Watch after which they can pair it with their companions’ device once again and restore from a backup if they tend to have one.

Apple finds it essential to create a PIN at the time of initial Apple Watch setup process. The user is asked to enter the code to unlock the watch every time it is taken off the wrist. To reset the watch from a paired iPhone, one should click the Apple Watch app which is on the phone’s home screen and then select General.

Reset – Erase All Content & Settings

On scrolling down to the end of the page, one could tap `reset’ and opt for `Erase All Content and Settings’. This would take the watch to the original out of box state though it would mean that everything on it would also get deleted.

 The brighter side is that the iPhone automatically tends to create a backup of the watch when the same is unpaired on using this method. Once the user is ready to re-pair the same, they can select the` restore from backup’ choice at the time of the setup process. One can reset the watch even though the iPhone is not with the user though they would need the watch’s magnetic charging cable to be nearby.

To get started, one could hold and press the side power button of the watch and perform a Force Touch that is the hard press on the Power Off option. Thereafter choose Erase All content and Settings.

Unlock with iPhone Feature

During this time, the watch needs to be connected to the charger and confirm that one would want to reset the same. It is recommended to use passcode which will not be forgotten easily like a date of an anniversary or birthday. It would also be helpful in making a note of the code on the iPhone or in another secured place.

However, the best and easiest option to ensure that the user is not locked out of the Apple Watch, is to enable `the Unlock with iPhone feature’, which would let one unlock the Apple Watch with the iPhone instead of entering the PIN.

To enable this feature, the user needs to open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, select Passcode and toggle the `unlock’ with iPhone switch from `off’ to `on’. It could also be enabled on the Apple Watch directly by going to the Settings, and tapping the Privacy and then slide the switch from `off’ to `on’, position.