How to Set Up an Apple Watch for Kids, Family Members Without iPhones (2024)

Apple Watch owners usually need their own iPhone to pair with the watch during the setup process. However, a feature called Family Setup offers a way around that requirement so you can set up an Apple Watch for a child or another family member who doesn’t own an iPhone.

There’s no limit to the number of family members you can add. For school-age children, you can also enable an option called Schooltime to set limits to determine when and for how long a child can use their watch.

Any Apple Watch you set up through this process can make and receive calls, send and receive messages, and use a variety of watch features, including Health, Activity, App Store, Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, and Noise Notifications. Here's how to set up an Apple Watch for someone else.

Requirements for Family Setup

Even though an iPhone isn’t necessary for everyone involved in this process, there are still certain conditions that must be met. You’ll need an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or higher for the initial setup process. On your phone, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Your phone will indicate that your software is up to date or prompt you to download and install the latest update.

Each person will need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular or an Apple Watch SE with cellular and watchOS 7 or higher.Open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to General > Software Update. Your iPhone will either indicate that you have the latest update for your watch or it will prompt you to download and install it.

A cellular plan isn't required to set up the watch for a family member but is necessary for certain features. Further, everyone will need an Apple ID with Family Sharing enabled.

Pair Your iPhone to Their Apple Watch

(Credit: Lance Whitney / Apple)

Power up the watch you want to set up and place it near your iPhone. Wait until you see the notification for Use your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch on your iPhone and then tap Continue. If this message doesn’t appear, open the Watch app on your phone, tap the All Watches link at the top, and then tap the Add Watch link. Tap Set Up for a Family Member. At the next screen, tap Continue.

Read the Data & Privacy screen. Tap Learn More to read additional information about Apple’s data and privacy. If you’re comfortable continuing, tap Continue, read the screen on “How Family Setup Works,” and then tap Continue again.

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On the Apple Watch, select the language and region, then tap the Start Pairing button if necessary. Move your phone above the watch until the swirling circle is captured through the camera. You should then receive a message that the Apple Watch is paired. Tap the Set Up Apple Watch button.

Set Up Their Apple Watch

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Choose the orientation of the Digital Crown and determine whether the watch will be on the left or right wrist. Tap Continue and agree to the Terms and Conditions. Move the slider to select the size of the text and decide if you want to turn on Bold Text. Tap Continue, tap Create a Passcode, and type a passcode on the watch.

(Credit: Lance Whitney / Apple)

You must then choose the family member for whom you’re setting up this watch. Here, you can also opt to add a new family member. At the next screen, ask the family member to sign in with their Apple ID password and then tap Next.

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If the family member is already using an Apple device such as an iPad, a temporary verification code is sent to that device. Type that code to continue. If the person has set up iCloud, another screen pops up titled Continue Setup on Apple Watch to deal with backups and encryption.

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You can click the Learn More link to find out more about restoring personal data in iCloud. Otherwise, continue the setup on the watch by entering the passcode the person uses for their Apple device. This action will sign into their Apple account and restore all of the saved passwords and other encrypted data stored in iCloud.

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The screen for Cellular Setup explains that if the watch is not connected to a Wi-Fi network, the user can still make and receive calls and use cellular data for apps such as Siri, Messages, and Mail. Tap Set Up Cellular and sign into the person’s cellular account with their carrier. Otherwise, you can tap Not Now to skip this process for now.

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Next, tap the Share button to share the Wi-Fi password for your local network with the watch. You can then enable or disable location services and opt to use Siri. You can also choose to share analytics with Apple and enable or disable Messages in iCloud.

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At the next screen, tap the Request Health Data button to let the family member view their health information on the watch. Tap Continue at the Emergency SOS screen. Tap Choose Photo Album to set up a photo album to use as a watch face. Tap Continue to allow the person to add and manage contacts via iCloud.

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Finally, click OK at the Welcome to Apple Watch screen to complete the setup process. The watch is now ready and accessible for the family member.

Customize Your Relative's Apple Watch

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After the setup, you can customize, control, and manage the watch through the Watch app on your iPhone. To do this, open the Watch app. The All Watches screen may automatically pop up. If not, tap All Watches.You should see both your own watch and your family member’s watch. Tap the one for your family member and then tap Done.

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You’ll now see the full screen for managing your family member’s watch. From here, you can tweak options for Activity, App Store, Contacts, Handwashing, Health, Messages, Workout, and other apps and features. Go to General > About to change the name; tap Software Update to update the watch.

Enable Schooltime on Your Child's Apple Watch

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If you want to eliminate distractions on the your child's watch by enabling Do Not Disturb mode and displaying a watch face that can’t be changed, you can turn on Schooltime. Choose the Schooltime option from the Settings screen, then enable the switch and tap the Edit Schedule..

Here, you can enable the Schooltime schedule for every day, every weekday, or on a customized basis. Then choose what time the feature should turn on and off each day.

Unpair Apple Watch

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If the family member ever does get an iPhone and wants to use it with their watch, you can unpair it from your own iPhone. To do this from the Watch app on your phone, go to All Watches and tap the Info icon next to the other person’s phone.

Tap Unpair Apple Watch, then enter the person’s Apple ID password. Wait for the watch to be unpaired, and the other person can then set up the watch with their own iPhone.