How to Fix Apple ID Activation Problems on Apple Watch

What are some common features that we often use in every Apple products?

• Find My iPhone
• iTunes Store
• Photos Syncing (between Mac and iOS device)
• and much more

All of these features are powered by your Apple ID and iCloud. This is why you always have to type in your password before making changes to these settings.

Everything from the App Store to Find My iPhone, you are required to enter your login credentials to proceed further.

I can’t activate my Apple Watch

It’s become a bit complicated when some users are having trouble using their Apple ID to activate the Apple Watch. This has happened before on the iPhone and iPad as well.

To be more specific, the issue occurred after pairing your watch and iPhone together. A lot of people noticed that the device no longer accept their Apple ID.

So how do we come about solving this problem? After several hours, we were able to find some possible solutions.

Close All Running Apps on iPhone

The first thing you want to do is make sure that the Apple Watch app on your iPhone is cooperating. There is no way to check this, and so I recommend that you just go ahead and force quit it.

To kill an iOS app, double-press on the Home button and then swipe up on the application. When done, tap on the home screen and launch the Watch app again.

Removing iCloud account

This is a bit odd, but we found that this method also works as well.

1. From your iPhone, go to Settings > iCloud > Sign out (at the bottom).
2. Activate your Apple Watch with the new password.
3. Once you’re signed out, log back in using your email address and new credential.

This can actually resolve the problem.

Restart both iPhone & Apple Watch

This is my favorite solution of all time, and it work for most of the problem I’ve encountered with my Apple Watch.

Restart your iPhone first and then your Apple Watch after.

Reset to Factory Settings

Before we begin with this, be sure to backup your Apple Watch.

1. Go to Settings > General > Reset (on your watch).
2. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings”.
3. Enter the passcode of your device to continue.

That will allow you to put your watch back to its default settings.

File a Claim on eBay

If you happen to buy a stolen Apple Watch on eBay and the seller doesn’t respond back or can’t give you the right Apple ID and password, then your best bet is to file a claim and hopefully get your money back.

Again, the activation lock feature is On to ensure that thief doesn’t setup and use someone’s else watch. I hope that at least one of these solutions will help you fix the Apple ID problems when activating your Apple Watch.

Here’s what happen to one of our readers, Steve:

I just purchased a used Apple Watch online (Craiglist). I met up with the guy, and he seems real friendly. I asked him if the watch is in good condition and he said yes. I took it home and find out that it has some kind of activation errors. What should I do?

Thanks,

Let us know in the comment issue if you have a better way to solve the issue.

How to Turn Off iCloud Settings After Selling your Apple Watch

Selling and buying Apple Watch will always be easy for buyer and seller if both parties do it properly, especially the seller. A lot of users have mistakenly left their iCloud account on after selling the watch. As a result, the buyer is now stuck in Activation Lock and not knowing what to do with the Watch.

We just talked about this feature earlier and what customers need to do when the previous owner hasn’t turned off their iCloud account. The first thing you must do is contacting the seller and request them to log out of their iCloud entirely. This will ensure that you as the new owner have full control over your Apple Watch.

For the seller, if you received a request or something similar from the person you sold the Watch to but don’t know how to do it. See the instructions below.

Removing Activation Lock and iCloud

1. Go on your computer and open Safari or any browser you want
2. Visit the iCloud web page and sign in with your Apple credentials
3. Click on Settings > My Devices > Apple Watch > Choose the “X” button > click on Remove

This should remove the entire iCloud account from your Apple Watch.

If you just want to turn off individual Settings such as Find My iPhone, select the device and go to its dedicated page then click on “Remove from Account” option.

It’s crucial not to share your iCloud ID to anyone or any features related to the service as it can always be turned off remotely through a computer.

Forgetting your Apple ID & Password

When you first purchase an iOS device, be it an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you will be required to enter your Apple ID (email address and password) to setup the device. If you don’t have it, you can create one for free.

One beautiful morning woke up and decided to forget either one credentials. So far, I have seen more people forgetting their Apple password than their ID. But that’s okay because you can always reset them.

How to Reset your Apple Password

1. Click here to go to the Manage my Apple account page
2. Select “Forgot Apple ID or password?”
3. You will be asked to the email address associated with your Apple ID
4. Click Continue and choose how you want to recover your Apple ID’s password

If you wish to reset it via an Email, the new password will be sent to the email address on your Apple ID.

What If I Forgot my Apple ID?

Well, you can still reset it, but the process will be a bit harder.

Go back to the Forgot Apple ID page then click on Forgot Apple ID? It will ask for the first name, last name, and email address. If one of the field aka answer is incorrect, it will say:

No Apple ID Found

We can’t find an Apple ID matching the information provided.

So yeah, finding your password is not that hard but if you forgot your Apple’s email address, it would require a bit more thinking to recovery it.