Does the Apple Watch Series 3 Work with iPhone 12?

Confirming Compatibility With the iPhone 12

The Apple Watch’s Series 3 minimum iOS requirement is iOS 11 or later. At the same time, it works with all iPhone models starting from the iPhone 6s and later. So, as long as your Apple Watch is kept up to date, you should be able to use it with an iPhone 12.

Steps to Pair an Apple Watch Series 3 With an iPhone 12

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Pairing your Apple Watch Series 3 with an iPhone 12 is a relatively simple process.

To start the Apple Watch setup with your iPhone 12, wear the Apple Watch on your wrist. Press and hold the side button to turn on your Apple Watch.

With both your iPhone and your watch turned on, hold your iPhone next to the Apple Watch. Your Apple Watch will connect to the iPhone 12 automatically, and you will see the pairing screen show up on your iPhone. Click on Continue, and then click on Set Up For Myself.

Finally, to pair and connect the Apple Watch to your iPhone 12, position the Apple Watch in the viewfinder on your iPhone using your iPhone’s camera. This will complete the pairing process, and you can then follow the on-screen instructions to customize and set up your Apple Watch.

Troubleshooting Common Pairing Issues

If you’re experiencing Apple Watch Series 3 pairing issues, try the following Apple Watch pairing troubleshooting steps.

First, make sure the watch is not already paired. If it indeed isn’t, and you can’t pair it, try to erase the Apple Watch. You can do that by going to the Settings on your Apple Watch and navigating to General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Once you have erased your watch, try to pair it again.

Another option is resetting the Apple Watch. While this won’t remove Activation Lock, it could be a good option if you don’t remember the watch’s passcode and can’t get to its settings.

To do that, you will need to place the watch in its charger and press and hold the side button until a screen with a power icon or a power off slider appears. When you see that, let go of the side button and press and hold the digital crown until a red reset screen appears. Then, click on Reset to reset the watch. Once you have reset the watch, try to pair it once again.

Usually, erasing or resetting your watch will fix Apple Watch connection problems. However, if you still can’t pair your watch with your phone, try contacting Apple Support.

It is important to note that if the watch was owned by someone else, it may have Activation Lock still active, in which case you will not be able to pair the watch with your iPhone and Apple ID. In that case, you will have to contact the previous owner and ask them to remove it from their iCloud account.

Features Available on the Apple Watch Series 3 With an iPhone 12

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The Apple Watch Series 3 offers numerous features with an iPhone 12. You can enjoy fitness tracking with your Apple Watch and iPhone 12. When your phone is locked, you can also view notifications from your iPhone 12 directly on your watch.

The Series 3 also offers a host of other features, such as cellular connectivity (with the GPS + Cellular model), an accelerometer, a gyroscope, GymKit, Apple Pay for easy payments, and a lot more!

Limitations With the Apple Watch Series 3 on iPhone 12

The Apple Watch Series 3 features limitations such as limited storage space (8 GB on the GPS model and 16 GB on the GPS + Cellular model). While this doesn’t have to do with the iPhone 12 specifically, it’s important to know about. The most significant compatibility issue and limitation, though, is that Apple no longer supports the Apple Watch Series 3.

It will still work – don’t get me wrong. However, you won’t be able to get new software updates, which means security may be compromised. Furthermore, almost any Series 3 you will buy on the market today will be used many times over, as it was first released in 2017, so it will show some wear and tear and the battery life might not be so good.

Updating watchOS on an Apple Watch Series 3

To update watchOS on your Apple Watch Series 3, open the Watch app on your iPhone and click on the My Watch tab. Then, navigate to General > Software Update and download any updates that are available. If you don’t see any updates, it means you have the latest watchOS version that is available for the Series 3.

Conclusion

To summarize, the Apple Watch Series 3 and iPhone 12 are indeed compatible with each other. The benefits of using the Apple Watch with an iPhone 12 include fitness tracking, shared notifications, and more. However, as the Apple Watch Series 3 is no longer supported by Apple, it might be a good idea to upgrade to a newer model.