Why Is My Apple Watch Stuck On Signing Into Your Account

When setting up and pairing your Apple Watch it is not uncommon for it to get stuck on the screen that says “signing into your account.” If this is happening to you, keep reading to find out how to fix it.

This might happen because the Apple Watch app on the phone may not be up to date. Luckily, there are ways to fix this error. The solution that typically works for most people is to delete and redownload the watch app on the phone. This provides a reset to the watch itself.

Why Is My Apple Watch Stuck On Signing Into Your Account

Although this seems to be the most common case for customers, there seem to be other causes of the problem as well as other solutions to it. All of these will be discussed below.

Causes of the Problem

Although the exact cause of the problem may be different depending on the situation, the Apple website shows that nearly 6,000 people have had this problem.

The first potential issue could be that your iPhone does not have the iOS 16 update or newer which is required to pair it to an Apple watch. This should be one of the first things you check for when trying to find the root of the issue, mainly because it is an easy and quick fix.

Due to the fact that many people have found various different ways to fix this issue, it is hard to say what the definite cause of the problem is. However, it seems that the most common reason behind this issue is that the Apple Watch app is not updated to the latest version.

Several customers and even a former Apple store employee stated that they found this to be the cause of the problem.

How to Fix it

A YouTube video from Apple TechPage goes through several different things that you can try to fix this problem.

If your phone simply does not have the necessary iOS update, you can easily fix this. To have the most current version of iOS, first, start off by making sure that you are connected to Wi-Fi. After you have completed that step, go to the settings app on your phone, then press the tab named General.

At the top of the screen, you should see the option that says Software Update. Click that option, then if an update is available, tap on the button “Download and Install”. After the download is complete, try to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again.

It was also suggested that you reset your network settings. You can do this by going to the settings app on your phone, clicking on the tab that says general, then scrolling down to the bottom of the screen and pressing reset. This will take you to several options, press the one that says reset network settings.

This will prompt you to enter your iPhone’s password. Once you do that, the phone will warn you that the settings are going to be reset to the factory defaults, continue ahead and press reset network settings.

Another suggestion was to reset all settings. However, this will change every setting on your phone back to default, so this should probably be a last-resort type of solution. To do this, go to your settings app on your phone, and then press general again.

Just like before you should scroll to the bottom of the screen and press reset. Then at the top of the screen, you should see the option to reset all settings, if you are prompted to enter your phone’s password go ahead and do so. Then press reset to confirm it.

Their last suggestion is to update your watch by going into the watch app on your phone and going to settings. From here press general, then software update, if there is a new version available go ahead and update the watch to the newest version. After this, you may try to pair the devices again.

Other Suggestions to Fix the Problem – From Customers

On Apple’s website, one customer stated that all they had to do was restart the watch and conduct a “soft reset” on their iPhone. After that the problem was fixed, at least 40 people found this advice to be helpful.

One person stated that after they waited for several hours, the watch finally changed its screen and started working again. Although this does not seem to be the case for most users, it is possible that it might just take a long time, but it is likely a different issue.

Another user responded that they tried to just wait but it did not work for them, they stated that the app just reset itself after about 30 minutes of waiting.

Several potential ways to fix the issue of signing in include unpairing the watch from your phone and then trying to pair the Apple Watch and iPhone again, exiting out of the app and all other open apps then trying again, and lastly restarting both devices another safe bet.

Another user reported that what worked for them was to skip the suggested update by pressing update later, then continuing with the process. They stated that this immediately fixed the problem for them. Another user responded to them saying that they had the same problem and they also did that and it fixed the issue for them.

One person explained that the answer to the problem for them was to just turn off the Wi-Fi and set up the device using data.

As previously discussed, the most common cause of the problem is that the watch app is not updated on your phone. Thankfully, this is a pretty simple fix! All you have to do is press and hold the watch app on your phone, then three options should appear.

Press the button that says remove the app, then press delete the app. From here, go to the app store and redownload the app, this will give you the latest version of it. Then try again to pair your watch and phone. This worked for a handful of people according to the site, so hopefully, it works for you!

When in doubt, contact Apple customer support for direct help and guidance.