Keep getting a ‘Log in from the paired iPhone’ error message every time you try to access Facebook Messenger on your Apple Watch?
This can be an annoying experience and, in fact, this has also been happening for a number of users as well.
The extent of this error is that it is usually received on the watch with a message saying, “Log in from paired iPhone”. Some users have claimed that they can’t specifically open their Facebook Messenger; Others have said that even though the notifications for Facebook Messenger come up, but for some reason, they still can’t even open the app on their watch.
The possible causes of this issue are usually down to the settings of your device or a flaw in the software itself.
This guide will go into depth on how to solve this issue as well as provide reasonable solutions that should once and for all remove the ”Log in from the paired iPhone” message on Facebook Messenger on the Apple Watch.
Alright, enough talk. Let’s jump right in.
1. Check Bluetooth Settings.
Your Apple Watch and iPhone need to be connected so that your Messenger notifications will work on your watch.
This connection is made possible because of the Bluetooth feature.
You may have disabled the Bluetooth on your devices to conserve battery or due to it not being in use. However, if you’re not constrained for battery life or perhaps you may have had even forgotten to enable it back, then it’s worth making sure that your Bluetooth is enabled on both your iPhone as well as your Apple Watch settings.
On your iPhone, simply tap on the Bluetooth icon within the Control Center to enable Bluetooth. Alternatively, you can also go into your Settings app and turn it on from there.
On your Apple Watch, you can turn on Bluetooth via its Control Center too. Simply tap on the Bluetooth icon as well. To make sure that your Apple Watch and iPhone are connected, check for the green phone icon (as shown below) on your watch which indicates that both devices are connected.
2. Powercycle All Devices.
It’s a common issue where devices such as your iPhone and Apple Watch tend to get overloaded with tasks that end up causing the devices not to work correctly.
Due to our busy daily schedules, we tend to leave the phone or watch running for days without restarting it. By giving your device the restart every now and then, it does help to get things back in order as well as remove any unwanted tasks from running in the background.
Here’s how you can restart your iPhone and Apple Watch:
- First, go to the Settings on your iPhone, tap on General, and then the Shutdown option.
- Then, drag the Slide to Power Off button to power off your phone.
- Wait for a minute and turn it back on using the power button. If your phone is frozen, try to force restart it instead.
- Now on your Apple Watch, press and hold the Side button until you see the Power Off button.
- After that, drag the Power Off button to power off your Apple Watch.
- Finally, give it a minute, then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Once after you’ve restarted your devices, try checking to see if the “Log in from paired iPhone” message still persists.
3. Enable Background App Refresh.
Another feature on your Apple Watch that would likely be disabled as part of our efforts to conserve battery is the “Background App Refresh” setting.
Since this feature automatically refreshes apps such as your Facebook Messenger in the background for incoming notifications and activity, it is possible that if the setting is disabled that it will block any recent information of the app from being shown to you.
So if your devices are now connected, you will need to enable this feature. The below steps will guide you on how to do so:
- Go ahead and open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Then, tap on the General option, and then Background App Refresh.
- Finally, check the button beside Facebook and Messenger if it is enabled. If not, toggle the button to enable the feature for each app.
4. Update to Latest OS Version.
A conflict in codes of the app or software may cause the application to malfunction.
These bugs and glitches can happen too because devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch are constantly being developed for improvements. It is necessary to update everything to the latest version so you can apply the latest bug fixes.
Here’s how you can update your iPhone:
- First tap on the Settings, and then the General option.
- Then, tap on Software Update. If an update is available, tap on Download and Install option.
- Finally, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. If an error occurred, learn more about what to do.
Here’s how to update your Apple Watch:
- First, open the Settings on your Apple Watch.
- Then, tap on the General option and then the Software Update option.
- Now, if an update is available, tap on the Install option.
- Finally, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update process.
Here’s how to update Facebook and Messenger App on your Apple Watch:
- Go ahead and launch the App Store in your Apple Watch.
- Tap on the Accounts options and then Updates.
- Finally, tap on the Update option next to the Facebook app and Messenger app.
Now that you have updated both your OS as well as the app, the new patches from the updates should stop the “Log in from paired iPhone” message from appearing. However, if the issue still persists, then keep reading.
5. Remove App and Install Again.
Sometimes, the data corruption of the application can cause it not to work correctly.
This usually happens when the app update process was interrupted, or an undetected error happens during the update process.
A good example of this is when you lose an internet connection, or you interrupted the process by doing force restart during the update. But don’t worry, you can always uninstall and install the app again to fix it.
Here are the steps on how to uninstall and reinstall the Messenger app:
- First, go to the home screen of your Apple Watch and search for the Messenger app.
- Then, tap and hold on the app icon until it jiggles and until the ( x ) icon displays in the upper-left corner of the app. Tap the ( x ) icon to remove the application.
- Next, go to your iPhone this time and find the Messenger app on your home screen.
- Tap and hold the app to view the drop-down menu. Tap the Delete App option from the menu.
- Go back to your iPhone’s home screen and tap on the My Watch app.
- Then, tap on the General option and disable the Automatic App Install.
- Now, open the App Store on your iPhone, then search for the Messenger app to download and install the app.
- This time, open the App Store on your Apple Watch, then search for the Messenger app using Dictation.
- After that, download and install the Messenger app on your watch.
- Make sure that your Apple Watch and iPhone are connected via Bluetooth.
- Launch the Messenger app on your Apple Watch, and a “Log in from the paired iPhone” message will display.
- Finally, launch the Messenger app on your iPhone and log in to your username and password. Wait for the app sync between devices, and the issue should be resolved.
6. Reach Out to Facebook’s Support.
If you continue to receive the same error after you have gone through all the above methods, it would be better to contact the Facebook app support.
You can do so by heading over to the Facebook Help Center, where they have their own support community. Similar to Apple, it is a community where you can interact with users that use the Facebook application and probably use the same device as you.
Now, you have reached the end of this article, and we hope this has helped provide the solutions to fix your “Log in from the paired iPhone” on Facebook Messenger on your Apple Watch. If you have other questions related to this article, please feel free to leave a comment below.
If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂
