[Apple Watch] Unable to Check for Update - Not connected to the internet error

Hi, I solved this problem after repeated incorrect attempts by unlocking my watch, which was not on my wrist at the time. I hope this helps, because it is lousy when things that should work, don't.

Wes

Has there actually been an update from @apple yet on how to fix this? My sons Apple Watch just will not connect and we are getting the same error as everyone else. I’ve been trying for HOURS to fix it and tried everything listed here. Much like others my patience is wearing very thin now.

Does anyone else have any ideas on how to fix this problem 😞

Same problem here, tried every tip in this thread. Chatted with Apple 2x and was told I could send it in for repair for $250. Watch is currently completely unusable. Hoping that Apple will solve this unacceptable issue.

The fix for me was going to General>Reset>Reset Network Settings> once I signed back into WiFi the download started immediately. Took around 2 hours to download and install. Hope this helps. I tried every other method here and this was the only one that did it.

I was literally trying to figure this thing out for about 4hours now and i stumbled upon this thread. Tried everything as well but this worked for me! For all of you who are still trying, please give this a shot!

What i did was: Reset to factory settings the apple watch (mine was series 3) On iphone - uninstall watch app > reset network settings > connect to internet > reinstalled app> followed thread instruction > paired the watch then update started working!

Or maybe you can just skip all of what I did and jump to threads instructions!

Here's the thread but to save you time I will try to upload a photo.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/ix5pg9/series_4_unable_to_check_for_update_because_not/g6y1kaq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Upvote so everyone can see! Wishing everyone a good day!

The problem MAY be related to being connected to 5GHz Wi-Fi. I was stuck in the reported loop and tried several of the suggestions to no avail. After resetting Network Settings on the phone, the problem persisted on the 5GHz connection (which I tried first), but on the 2.5GHz connection, the update download proceeded.

iPhone 11, watch series 4.

disable 5G on ur phone!!!

I solved the problem by just simply unpair and pair the apple watch again. It shouldn’t take too long to do that ….

All you need to do is install the update via the watch. Place the watch on the charger, make sure you have at least 50% charge, press the button below the crown, then on the screen, swipe up and enter your passcode. Click the crown and open the settings App, click General and then 'software update' and it should update successfully. If the update stalls, go back to Settings and click Wifi, disconnect and reconnect. Make sure both the phone and the watch are on the same Wifi connection. Bare in mind that if it's a big update it may take a while to complete.

Concur - the accepted solution may not work for most. Once you ensure you are on a 2.4 network connection, the approach that works for my particular form of this problem (failure to pair Series 3 Watch with iPhone X Max) is to disable Bluetooth once you have started the pairing process. Others have posted that low power mode also works (it should, it too disables Bluetooth).

Nothing is working for me and the only thing I haven’t tried is the hard reset of the iPhone itself.. I don’t want to end up erasing everything and not everything is saved to my I cloud. I don’t want to end up with a $300 watch that doesn’t even tell time.. any one have any other ideas on what I could do?

I did the unpairing, the resetting, and the restarting a few times, but nothing worked until I changed my language and country on the apple watch before pairing. Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 12 Pro

I used this thread to pair my series 3 to my iPhone 11 iOS 14.4.2, after no success with an Apple support agent, 24 hours of unpairing, erasing data and trying different languages, I was able to download the update. I used Dansk as the language and Finland as the country and began installing the update, it did take about two hours to install and go through set up to actually use the watch. Make sure your watch is on the charger for the update. I also followed advice on this thread to not use my phone for anything else during the update. I’m so happy to be able to use my watch again as it was previously paired to my old iPhone that broke a few months ago.

Paired for a family member. Worked the first time after trying everything else on this forum. Must be something to do with iCloud.

i tried using a 2.4 g wifi network and turn on low battery mode on my i phone. and changed language and region on my iPhone to Costa rica and as i know hindi language i chose it. worked foe me and im really hoping works for you as well. also both the devices were charging at the moment.

I tried every potential solution listed here and none of them worked for me. Just as I was about to give up once and for all, I had a thought - “maybe the damage to my screen is introducing an error into the automatic pairing scan process.” So, I decided to try an manual pairing instead of using the automated pairing. Success!!! To perform a manual pair, just keep tapping the “i” on the watch screen and it will guide you. When you’re ready, you will also need to select “manual pairing” on your phone. Good luck!

The ONLY way to fix that issue is doing a repair request with Apple and having them fix and or replace your watch ! NOTHING else works ! Trust me I tried everything on this forum and the repair request saved me .

For anyone still having issues with updating their watch, I combined a few solutions I got from this forum and it worked for me and thought I might share. I was about ready to throw my watch away until I finally figured it out. First, I turned off cellular data and just kept my wifi on. Then, I made sure to hard reset my apple watch (hold down crown and power button then once you see apple logo, hold just the power button for 30 sec until you see red bar to erase all settings, then press that.) Then, I just deleted the watch app and redownloaded it. Just for a fresh start lol. Then, I attempted to pair my watch to my phone, but prior to actually pairing, I changed the language to Portuguese and location to Canada by pressing the “i” icon on the watch in lower right corner. Then, I finally paired and it actually worked. I pressed “update now” and it began to update. Not sure why this has to be so difficult to figure out. But there is a way, don’t give up! Fix it Apple!

What heisenbert posted 11 months ago worked for me but I added one little extra thing.
Hard resetting iPhone. 

Steps are: Press Volume Up and let go. Press Volume Down and let go. Press and hold the side button, this will hard reset your phone. After your phone has turned back on, remove the watch app on your phone- re-install it. Factory reset your watch and pair. It worked for me.

Note: This does not wipe any data from your phone

After more than an hour of trouble shooting this piece of garbage software, all it seemed to end up being was resetting the network settings and the update is now slowly downloading (iPhone 8 latest update and S3 watch). Hopefully the watch, after being completely reset at least 3 times - I lost count - will have enough storage space to update, which hasn't been the case for months

So I sent my series 5 44mm watch to Apple for a screen repair. It came back to me with this issue. I went through 11 pages of recommended fixes. Nothing. I reached out to Apple support they sent me to store. I dealt with awesome people thank goodness. Bc I was so frustrated. it is a software issue. Something about it getting reset and not properly recovering. The guy I dealt with at the store hadn’t seen this issue before. Mine was covered at no cost (I don’t know if it’s limited to newer watches for sure , bc mine is newer. ) & I just received an update … it looks like they’re sending me a replacement device all together. I would definitely recommend getting it checked out by an Apple store (some Best Buy’s can look too!) theyll look at it free. Just set an appointment.

I tried literally everything here and nothing worked. What ended up solving it for me was turning cellular data on my phone off. Once I did that it worked fine.

Came here to say what worked! After nearly throwing my phone and my watch out the window, I found a fix in the answers here and wanted to restate it just in case someone else got as mad as I did. Simply uninstalling the Apple Watch app and redownloading it from the App Store fixed the issue. I tried everything else I found on all the other forums and this was all I needed to do. Good luck!

It appears that the best solutions for getting your Apple Watch Update (and avoiding the "cannot connect to internet issue " is:

• 1. Confirmed working for me - Reset your watch and set language to Portuguese and country to Afghanistan. When you press update watch in the app it should actually work.
• 2. Alternative 1: Switch your wifi from 5ghz to 2.4ghz, saw several posts confirming this workaround
• 3. Alternative 2: Try when Iphone is in Low Battery mode

Hello,

to anyone still searching for answers I’ve been at this for months but recently today for hours I’ve even been on the phone with apple’s technician. I’m due for a call back in 15 minutes they asked me to try & connect my watch to another phone, however my other phone was locked after attempting to unlock it from iTunes so I could connect my watch to the other phone. I ended up needing to use find my iPhone. I actually still had my old device in my find my iPhone app. So I went to forget that device & it instantly let me pair my watch with my current phone. I highly suggest that. When you erase that device from your find my iPhone app it actually drops everything you ever had paired to the device & that was what causing me from not being able to pair & my internet to “connect” for the update!

hope this helps