How to upgrade your Pixel Watch or connected phone without losing data

Note: Requires Wear OS 4.

You may want to change the phone connected to your Pixel Watch if you've recently gotten a new phone or a new Pixel Watch. Learn how you can change the phone linked to your Pixel Watch without the need to reset your Watch or lose data and saved settings.

Pair your Pixel Watch with a new phone

Transfer your Watch to your new phone.

From your Watch: On Google Pixel Watch, swipe down tap Settings System Transfer watch.

From your phone: On your old phone, open the Google Pixel Watch app tap System Transfer watch Start Transfer Done.

On your new phone, open the Google Pixel Watch app. Follow the steps to add a new Watch.
After pairing, confirm the Pairing code on both the Watch and your new phone.
If you have not signed into the Google Account on your new phone, you may be asked to sign into your Google Account now.
Tap Done to complete the Watch transfer.

Note: The Watch will unpair with the old phone only after it has been successfully transferred to the new phone.

eSim Setup

If you have eSIM and LTE activated and enabled on your Watch, it will check if the new phone has the same number.

Same number: Your Watch will continue to be twinned with the phone number.

Different numbers: You will be prompted to set up twinning with the new number for your Watch.

Note: Watch faces may take some time to sync after Watch Transfer is completed.

Pair your phone with a new Pixel Watch

Back up your existing Watch

Before you make any changes, we recommend backing up your existing Pixel Watch so that settings and other data are saved.

Note: Backup can take up to a few days to complete so be sure to back up your Watch a few days before you begin the transfer process.

Make sure your Watch is connected to Wi-Fi and place your Watch on its charger.
On your phone, open the Google Pixel Watch app .
Tap Google Backup Turn on.

Connect a new Watch to your phone

On your phone, open the Google Pixel Watch app .
If you've had a previously paired Watch, scroll up and tap the two watches icon called Show my devices Add watch.
When you Set up Google Pixel Watch, select the backup you want to restore.
If you had a passcode on your old Pixel Watch, enter it on your new Watch.
Keep your new Watch on its charger and tap Ok. Your new Watch will automatically restore the apps, data, settings, watch face, and tiles that were set on your old Watch.

Pair a new phone with a new Pixel Watch

To pair a new Watch with a new phone, follow instructions in Set up Google Pixel Watch. You can also restore your existing watch backup to a new Pixel Watch.

If you tried these steps and your Pixel Watch still won't pair with your phone, follow the tips in Fix Pixel Watch setup and phone pairing issues.

"Can't connect" error message

There are a few reasons you may receive a "Can't connect" error message when you're trying to pair or transfer your Watch:

You're trying to pair your Watch to the same phone it was previously paired to, after factory resetting the phone
You're trying to pair your Watch to a previously paired phone without having paired it to a different phone first

In these cases, follow the instructions below to successfully pair your Watch and phone:

Back up your existing Watch.
Factory reset your Watch.
Pair your Watch to your phone again, and optionally restore it from the backup.

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