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How to correctly connect your fitness watch to a smartphone


How to correctly connect your fitness watch to a smartphone
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Do you want to learn how to pair a smartwatch or fitness tracker with an iPhone or Android? Although for many users this can be a bit tricky, our easy-to-follow tips will save you time and energy. How can you easily set up a fitness watch?

First, access your smartphone and go to Settings. Turn on the Bluetooth so it can communicate with your fitness watch. Then, open your fitness tracker or smartwatch application on your phone and go to the main menu. Add your device to your application and follow the instructions on your smartphone’s screen.

If you have never connected a fitness watch to your iPhone or Android before, no worries. We’ll share expert recommendations that will be of great help. You will learn what to do prior to, during, and after binding your fitness tracker or smartwatch to a phone to ensure a successful connection.

Do fitness watches have to be connected to a phone?

You may have wondered whether it is necessary to pair a fitness tracker or smartwatch with a cell phone. I have asked myself the same question.

Although they are not required to be paired with another device you may miss many of their great functionalities depending on the brand or model. Most fitness trackers or smartwatches work with an application to access, analyze, and transfer the data collected from them. So, to see a detailed report of your progress, it is advisable to connect your fitness watch to your phone by following our below tips.

How to pair a fitness watch to your smartphone the right way

Whether you have an Apple or Garmin watch, these very effective steps will assist in setting up your device without any problems. Follow these helpful expert tips to get started:

Before the setup

Have in mind the following before connecting your fitness watch to your smartphone:

  1. Check your user manual to become familiar with your fitness watch or your phone since the settings vary from one device to another.
  2. Then, make sure both have a good battery charge.
  3. Go to your phone’s Settings and enable Bluetooth.
  4. Ensure that your phone is not in Airplane mode.
    • For Android phones, tap on Settings and choose Network or Internet. Check that the Airplane mode is off.
    • For iPhone, go to Settings and turn off Airplane Mode if applicable.
  5. Verify that your fitness watch is near the phone (around 2 inches).
  6. Keep in mind that the stronger the Internet (wired or WIFI) and phone signal the better to achieve an uninterrupted connection.
  7. Check if your phone system needs an update.
    • Android phones – go to your phone’s Settings and then About phone. Go to System update.
    • iPhones – Acess the Settings of your iPhone and then Software update.
  8. Also, ensure the fitness watch app is up to date.
    • Android phone – tap on the fitness tracker app or go to Settings. Choose Applications and tap on the application. You will receive an alert if it needs an update.
    • iPhones – Go to the application or go to the App Store. On the top of the screen tap on your profile avatar. Check for any pending updates. Tap on Update next to the fitness watch. Scroll to see pending updates and release notes.
  9. Then check that your phone is running the later versions of mobile operating systems.

Minimum requirements:

    • Android 5.0 (Lollipop or higher)
    • iOS 10 or later (iPhone 5s or higher)

Related reading: How do I update firmware on my fitness tracker or smartwatch

During the setup

Once you have followed the above tips you can proceed to pair your fitness watch with a smartphone:

  1. Download the application or tool that corresponds to your fitness watch. You may need to open an account.
  2. Give the app permission to access at least your phone’s location, phone, and storage so the Bluetooth and app features can work.
    • For Android phones, go to Settings, tap on Apps, go to the fitness application, and tap on “Permissions” to allow them. Tap the switch next to each app to allow or deny access. Select an app, then turn Precise Location on or off.
    • If you have an iPhone access the Settings and tap on Privacy. You will find Location Services and the applications that you wish to allow or deny permission.
  3. Open it and add your fitness tracker or smartwatch. If the Bluetooth is not enabled you will be prompted to turn it on.

After the setup

If you were able to set up your fitness watch, congratulations! Now you should be able to monitor your progress and enjoy your device’s features. Also, depending on the device you may navigate and configure settings right from your wrist.

In addition, any data collected from your fitness tracker or smartwatch will automatically transfer to your phone. To make sure it is synched without any issues verify the Bluetooth is on and the internet signal is strong enough.

Still unable to set up your fitness tracker or smartwatch? Then try these bonus tips.

Sometimes we may encounter problems that can affect the pairing process. They may be caused due to poor signal to a low battery charge. If you are having trouble setting up your watch please follow the below steps that have helped me resolve this issue:

  1. Turn off both your phone and fitness watch. Wait a couple of seconds and turn them on. Some phones have a restart option that can be used as well.
  2. Unpair your smartwatch or fitness tracker with your smartphone. Go to Bluetooth, tap on the device name, and tap on Forget.
  3. Remove your fitness device from the fitness application.
  4. Uninstall the application and install it again.
  5. Connect your fitness watch to your smartphone once again by following the above steps.
  6. If it does not work you can contact the manufacturer. If the watch is defective they can fix it for you for a fee, give you a new one or issue a refund depending on the merchant’s policy.

Final words

Now you know how to connect your fitness watch to your phone the easy way. We hope that our tips have solved any issues in a flash. You can resolve much fitness watch connection problems by making sure Bluetooth is on or checking the Internet signal. Also, the fitness watch application must be updated every time you receive an update notification. If you follow our suggestions you should be fine.