I have seen quite a lot of our readers have issues resetting their Apple Watch Series 3, and we decided we were going to write a detailed article sharing a few key steps and tips on how to reset Apple Watch Series 3.
While we try as much as possible to create some exciting tips and ideas, we think only one or two of these will work just fine for you. Should one not work for your specific issue, you might try others on this list as we try to give a pretty detailed list of tips.
So, don’t let a forgotten passcode keep you from using your Apple Watch Series 3; follow this step-by-step guide on how to reset your Apple Watch Series 3 and start enjoying all its features again.
How to Reset Apple Watch Series 3
The top working way to reset an Apple Watch Series 3 is to Press and Hold the power button and crown together while the Apple Watch Series 3 is mounted on a charger >> press and hold until the logo appears on the screen (when the Apple Watch restarts) >> take your hands off the power button while still keeping your hands on the crown for 10 seconds (you’d probably notice the Apple Watch flashing and restarting quite a few times) >> when the red exclamation mark shows up on the screen, press the side button, and it’ll flicker again until a graphic shows on the screen instructing you to bring your iPhone near the watch and follow the onscreen instructions.
- Contact support
Something else I’ll suggest you try is to contact Apple support using the Apple Support App. When I needed to reset an Apple Watch Series 3, simply reaching out to the support team was all I needed to reset the Apple Watch. They will generally try to verify that the Apple Watch Series 3 actually belongs to you, which would likely mean they’ll try to check that the name, IMEI, and the Apple ID on the Apple Watch all lead to the same person.
- Try a factory reset
A factory reset is something else I’ll recommend, especially if you’re unable to send the device in to have AppleCare look at it. A factory reset would mean losing all of the data, info, and settings you already have on the watch.
To do a factory reset, turn off the Apple Watch Series 3 as you usually would >> connect the Apple Watch Series 3 to a charger, and ensure you keep it connected until you’re done with the factory reset >> Press and Hold the Digital Crown until it shows an option to erase all content and reset on the screen >> as soon as the Apple Watch completes the factory reset, you should try to re-pair it with your iPhone, but please don’t restore from any backups.
Note: You might have issues trying this option if your watch is on OS6 since the OS6 is from 2019 and wouldn’t be easily compatible with the Apple Watch app and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. I’d generally recommend that you upgrade the Apple Watch Series 3 to the OS8.
- Upgrade your iOS
One of the reasons why many customers are having issues like the Apple Watch Series 3 in a restarting loop is the iOS version they are using.
It seems that users using the older iPhones and iOS versions cannot update the Apple Watch Series 3 OS because of the OS versions of their iPhones. We updated our iPhones to iOS 16.1 a month ago, and we were finally able to update the Apple Watch Series 3 to iOS 7.8.1, so we can say that the restarting loop issue was fixed on iOS 16.1.
- Upgrade your Apple Watch
If all of the fixes we suggested here haven’t worked, it might be time to upgrade the Apple Watch 3 to something higher.
Generally, suppose most of the fixes in this article don’t work. In that case, Apple Care might charge you as high as $200 as most Apple Watch Series 3s are already past the warranty period. On the other hand, it might be cheap to get a new one instead of trying to reset Apple Watch Series 3.
With a few extra bucks, you might be able to swap it for an upgrade or even sell it. If you decide to sell your Apple Watch Series 3, you can shoot us an email, and we’ll place a value on your Apple Watch and buy it from you for a reasonable price.
John follows everything happening in the tech industry, from the latest gadget launches to some of the big-name moves in the industry. He covers opinionated pieces and writes on some of the biggest names in the industry. John is also a freelance writer, so he shares articles on freelancing every now and then. email: john@tekpip.com Learn more about tekpip and the team here on our about us page.