How To Fix ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ in Fitness+

Are you frustrated to see the error ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ in Fitness+?

Many users had been awaiting the release of Apple Fitness+. It is a new fitness service that Apple launched, which is powered by Apple Watch. It offers world-class workouts which are led by expert trainers. What’s great is that it has even workouts that can be done by beginners.

Apple has really outdone itself this time. However, some users are not happy with it. These users claimed that they are seeing the error ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ in Fitness+ while it is trying to find the Apple Watch. This can happen whether you are using an iPhone or an iPad.

If you are also affected by this issue, we have good news for you! We have arranged a list of fixes that will surely resolve this issue. 

If you are ready, let’s get started!

1. Restart Your Devices.

To start it off, you should restart your devices. If your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone, you should restart both your Apple Watch and iPhone. However, if your Apple Watch is connected to your iPad, then you should restart both your Apple Watch and iPad.

But if the magic did not work, try it again. Try it at least twice since malfunctions can happen anytime. There are some instances that one restart will not do the trick, so try it again just to be sure.

Here’s how you can restart your iPhone that has Face ID:

  1. Begin by removing your phone case if you have one (optional).
  2. Now, simultaneously press and hold the Side button and either the Volume Up or Volume down button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
  3. Then drag the Power Off slider to the right.
  4. After that, press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo on the screen to turn your iPhone on.

Here’s how you can restart your iPhone that has a Home button:

  1. Begin by removing your phone case if you have one (optional).
  2. Now, press and hold the Side or Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
  3. Then drag the slider to the right.
  1. After that, press and hold the Side or Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo on the screen to turn your iPhone on.

Here’s how you can restart your iPad that has Face ID:

  1. Begin by removing your iPad case if you have one (optional).
  2. Now, press and hold either the Volume Up or Volume Down button and the Top button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
  3. Then drag the Power Off slider to the right and wait for a few seconds for your iPad to turn off.
  4. After that, press and hold the Top button again until you see the Apple logo on the screen to turn your iPad on.

Here’s how you can restart your iPad that has a Home button:

  1. Begin by removing your iPad case if you have one (optional).
  2. Now, press and hold the Top button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
  3. Then drag the Power Off slider to the right and wait for a few seconds for your iPad to turn off.
  4. After that, press and hold the Top button again until you see the Apple logo on the screen to turn your iPad on.

Here’s how you can restart your Apple Watch:

  1. Begin by taking off your charger on your Apple Watch if it is charging.
  2. Now, press and hold the Side button for a few seconds until the slider appears.
  3. Then drag the Power Off slider to the right and wait for a few seconds for your Apple Watch to turn off.
  4. After that, press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo on the screen to turn your Apple Watch on.

Once you are done with all of that, check if the error ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ in Fitness+ will now disappear. Hopefully, restarting your devices is all it takes. But do not worry, as we still have some other fixes for you!

2. Toggle Bluetooth Off And On.

In some instances, toggling your Bluetooth off and on does the trick. It makes sense since Fitness+ will try to connect to your Apple Watch to work. If it cannot locate it properly via Bluetooth, then it will show us the error.

To fix this, you have to turn off the Bluetooth on your Apple Watch, then on your iPhone or iPad. After that, turn the Bluetooth back on for all devices. It is not a convenient solution, but it has worked for some users. So just give it a try!

Here’s how you can turn off Bluetooth:

  1. Start by opening your Apple Watch’s Settings app.
  2. Now, select Bluetooth to toggle it off.
  1. Next, go to your iPhone or iPad’s Settings app.
  2. Then select Bluetooth to turn it off and wait for a few seconds before turning it on again.
  3. After that, turn the Bluetooth back on your Apple Watch.

With that out of the way, Fitness+ should now be able to connect to your Apple Watch. Try it out, and let us know if it worked in the comments section!

3. Install Home App.

Unexpectedly, some users claimed that they were able to resolve this issue by installing the Apple ‘Home’ app on either their iPhone or iPad. This can also work whether your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone or iPad. 

The Home app allows you to easily and control your HomeKit accessories securely. Plus, this can also be accessed from all your Apple devices. You can download it in the App store.

Now, check and see if it had fixed the error ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ in Fitness+. We’re hoping this has already fixed your issue, as it garnered positive results for some users.

4. Re-login To Apple Account.

If installing the ‘Home App’ did not work, you should try relogging into your Apple account. Similar to installing the ‘Home App’, it has quite some good results from most of the affected users.

Relogging in is like resetting your Apple account, but it will not delete any of your data. What it will do is to reset and resync your connectivity to your iCloud Library. This is somehow similar to clearing your caches.

Here’s how you can re-login to your Apple account:

  1. Begin by opening your iPhone or iPad’s Settings app.
  2. Now, select your name at the top of the screen.
  3. Next, scroll to the bottom and select Sign Out.
  4. Then a window should open up on your screen asking for your ‘Apple ID’ and ‘Password’. Select the option to keep a copy of the information that you store in iCloud to enable it. 
  5. After that, select Sign Out and tap it again to confirm.
  6. Now, wait for a few minutes before you reopen your iPhone’s Settings app.
  7. Next, select Sign In and enter your ‘Apple ID’ and ‘Password’.
  1. Finally, you will receive a six-digit authentication code. Enter the code once you are prompted to do so.

Once you are done with all of that, Fitness+ should now detect your Apple Watch. We’re excited to know if this resolved the issue for you!

5. Unpair And Pair Apple Watch.

Unfortunately, if you are still seeing the issue after trying 4 out of our 7 suggestions, try unpairing your Apple Watch on your iPhone. This will mean that it will restore it to its factory settings.

In case you are using your Apple Watch with a transit card in the Wallet app, make sure to remove the transit card from your Apple Watch first. This will prevent any sudden issues that may appear if you leave it after unpairing your Apple Watch.

Here’s how you can unpair and pair your Apple Watch:

  1. Begin by putting your Apple Watch and iPhone next to each other.
  2. Now, open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  3. Next, go to the My Watch tab and select All Watches.
  4. Then select the i button next to your Apple Watch.
  5. After that, select Unpair Apple Watch.
  1. For GPS + Cellular models, a window should open up on your screen asking for you to choose or remove your cellular plan. Select Keep Your Plan to pair your iPhone and Apple Watch again.
  2. Now, tap it again to confirm.
  3. Next, enter your ‘Apple ID password’ to disable Activation Lock
  4. Then your iPhone will create a new backup of your Apple Watch. Once your Apple Watch unpairs, the ‘Start Pairing’ message will appear.
  5. Finally, re-setup your Apple Watch.

With that out of the way, you should no longer be seeing the ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ error. But if it still appears, let’s proceed to our next fix.

6. Try Dr. Fone.

If nothing still works and you are running out of patience, then try Dr. Fone!

Dr. Fone is one of the most popular and trusted brands for repairing Apple and Android devices. This is because it has many available tools that you can use to maintain your device. Dr. Fone’s toolkit caters to every users’ needs. 

In fact, one of these tools is called the ‘System Repair’ tool. This can repair both iOS and Android system issues, which you can also use for the ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ error.

Dr. Fone was also recognized among the top 50 IT management products for 2020 by G2 Crowd Fall 2020 Reports. Why not? Dr. Fone deserves to be recognized because of the expertise and trustworthiness that it has continuously proved to its users for the past 17 years.


Try Dr. Fone Now! 



7. Contact Apple Support.

Unfortunately, if none of our suggestions worked, it’s time to contact Apple Support. It is important to reach out to them to let them know that an issue like this exists. They may also be able to fix the issue for you, so there is no need to go to any of their Apple stores.

Nonetheless, if you still want to go, check out your nearest Apple store to have your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch checked by Apple-certified technicians. But before you go, check your service and support coverage first.


At last, we have gotten to the last part of our list. We’re positive that one of these fixes worked for you! So keep us posted in the comments section as to which of the fixes we provided resolved the ‘Apple Watch Unavailable’ error in Fitness+!


If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter) Website

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