How to prepare your old Apple Watch for sale
- sep
- 03
Ready to upgrade to a new Apple Watch? Here's how to reset your old one and prepare it for sale.
With a new Apple Watch around the corner, it might be time to consider what you'll have to do to sell or give away your old smartwatch. The majority of your Apple Watch's data lives on your iPhone, so it's not a particularly complicated process to prepare your watch for a potential buyer or relative. Here's how to go about it!
When to prepare your old Apple Watch for sale
If you're still actively using your Apple Watch, you'll want to wait to follow these steps until you have your new Apple Watch in house — otherwise, you risk breaking Activity streaks or other records by having days between when you last sync your current Apple Watch and set up your new one.
If it's an Apple Watch you're not currently using, you can get it ready for sale at any point — there's no risk of lost data.
How to unpair your Apple Watch and make a backup
When you unpair your Apple Watch via your iPhone's Watch app, it automatically syncs the latest data from your smartwatch before restoring it to factory settings. It's the best and smartest way to save your most recent data while preparing your old watch for sale.
How to unpair your Apple Watch via the Watch app
- Go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap your active watch at the top of the My Watch screen.
- Tap the info button to the right of your current watch.
Select Unpair Apple Watch.
- Confirm the process by pressing Unpair [watch name].
- Disable Activation Lock by entering your Apple ID password and pressing Unpair.
Your watch will now begin backing up your watch's latest data to your iPhone. Once it's finished, it will unpair itself from your current iPhone, delete all active Bluetooth accessory pairings, remove any Apple Pay cards used on Apple Watch, and wipe the passcode. Finally, your watch will restore itself to Apple's factory settings.
- Once this has finished, make a backup of your current iPhone if you want to make sure your Apple Watch data is safe and secure.
It'll take a few moments to back up your Apple Watch and complete the sync and wipe process. Once finished, however, the Apple Watch will have been reset to its factory default, and is ready for its next step.
How to unpair your Apple Watch directly on the smartwatch
You can unpair your Apple Watch from the smartwatch itself, but I don't recommend it, as it won't sync to your iPhone and requires an extra step to disable Activation Lock. (And remember, while Activation Lock is enabled, a new user won't be able to set up the Apple Watch.)
- Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap on the General setting.
Select Reset.
- Tap on Erase All Content and Settings.
- Type in your passcode (if enabled).
Tap on Continue to confirm the reset.
- Once the Apple Watch has finished restoring, navigate to iCloud.com from your computer's web browser.
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
Click on Settings.
- Select your Apple Watch under My Devices.
- Click on the X next to your Apple Watch to remove it.
Click Remove to confirm.
Finish preparing your Apple Watch for sale
Once you've reset your Apple Watch's software, it's time to make it look nice for a potential buyer. You'll need to decide if you're selling it or giving it away with its current band setup, clean the casing, bundle cords, and figure out where to sell it.
Clean up the casing
Simply cleaning the data on your old Apple Watch isn't enough: You should clean the casing as well. Whether the steel is as stainless as the day it shipped or your aluminum shows some well-worn chips, you want to make the best of your Apple Watch's situation.
Take a few minutes to carefully, considerately wipe that watch down with a damp cloth and make sure all dirt, oil, lint, and other stains, debris, and even fingerprints are gone from every nook and cranny.
How to clean, buff, and remove scratches from your stainless steel Apple Watch
This is especially true if you intend to sell your Apple Watch yourself and need to take photos. In that case, don't just polish it up, but put it in great lighting and make sure every angle shines.
Don't be dramatic, and don't try to hide anything. That way is where refunds lurk. Simply make it look as good as possible and take good photos. An honest sale is a good sale.
Collect cables and bands
If you're selling your Apple Watch yourself, we suggest including its magnetic charger, AC Adapter, and even the original box if you still have it — it'll give you an edge over other sellers. We also recommend including its original band or an effective substitute if the original is no longer in usable condition.
How to swap out your Apple Watch band
Also, if you have any bands that you no longer wear or won't be using, you can add them to sweeten the deal and declutter your accessories drawer, too.
Put it up for sale
Once you're finished virtually and physically cleaning your Apple Watch, it's time to sell it (or give it away). Not sure where to go about that? We've put together a list of the best places to get the most bang for your buck.
Any other questions about preparing your Apple Watch for sale?
If you have any questions about unpairing your Apple Watch or otherwise getting it ready for sale, let us know in the comments below!
