Either because of its usefulness when it comes to managing notifications or because of its many functionalities related to health or physical activity, the Apple Watch has become an essential element of daily life for many users. That is why it is considered important to make backup copies of your data and in this article we will tell you everything you need to know about them.
Previous requirements
Before knowing the backup process, you must comply with a series of things such as having the latest software version available for both iOS and watchOS. This is not strictly mandatory unless they are versions that are already very old, but it is always better to have the latest versions of the operating system to avoid errors and do everything more safely. To check if you have pending updates you must follow a few simple steps.
On the iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Go to General.
- Click on Software update.
- If a more recent update appears you must click on “Download and install”.
On the Apple Watch
There are two ways to update the software on Apple Watch. The first one is through the iPhone Watch application .
- Go to the My watch tab.
- Click on General.
- Go to Software update.
- If a more recent update appears you must click on “Download and install”. You must have the watch charging and with a minimum of 50% battery.
The other method to update the clock is from the device itself.
- Open Settings.
- Go to General.
- Click on Software update.
- If there is a new update, you must click on “Download and install” as long as the clock is charging and with at least 50% battery.
Back up watchOS
Once this is done, it is necessary to know the steps to follow to make a backup of the Apple watch. Actually the process is identical to that of the copies of iOS, since there is no way to make a copy of watchOS as such but it is linked to that of the iPhone software. Therefore, you will have to take the iPhone to which you have linked the watch and make a copy of it, for which there are several methods.
From the iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Click on your name at the top.
- Go to iCloud.
- Now go to Copy to iCloud.
- Click on “Back up now”.
From a Mac with macOS Catalina or later
- Via cable, connect iPhone to Mac.
- Open Finder and click on the iPhone icon on the left. If this is the first time you connect it to your Mac, you must click on “Trust” and enter the security code on your iPhone.
- Go to the General tab.
- Choose one of the following options:
- “Please backup all iPhone data to this Mac.” This option will save the data on your Mac.
- “Back up your most important iPhone data to iCloud.” This option is the same as the one you do from the device itself, having the copy stored in the Apple cloud.
- Now click on “Back up now”.
From a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier or a Windows 10 computer
- Connect iPhone to computer via cable.
- Open iTunes and click on the iPhone icon at the top of the window. You must click on “Trust” and enter the iPhone security code if it is the first time you connect it to the computer.
- Go to the Summary tab.
- Choose one of the following options:
- “This team”. This option will save the data on your computer.
- “iCloud”. Same option as the one that can be done from the device itself to store the copy in the Apple cloud.
- Now click on “Back up now”.
What data is being backed up
As we have already said before, when you make the backup on the iPhone you also do it of the data of the Apple Watch that you have linked to it. The copy is very complete, since it allows you to store all these clock data:
- Data related to native and third-party applications.
- Dials and complications included in the watch, including the order in which they are placed.
- Applications menu and their order.
- Established dock settings, such as search for favorites or recent apps.
- System settings such as brightness, sound, vibration or notifications.
- All data related to health, available in the app of the same name.
- Activity Settings in which workouts and other physical activities are included (rings are included).
- Playlists created on Apple Music.
- Siri settings.
- Photos synced from iPhone.
- Time zone and region.
It should be noted that there are other data that are not saved in the backup copies and these are the Bluetooth links that have been established with accessories such as AirPods, the cards linked to Apple Pay, the watch’s security code or those messages that are not iMessage.
How to restore a copy of Apple Watch
The moment you want to load a copy of watchOS on your watch, you won’t need to restore the iPhone or anything similar. To do this, having the clock restored, as if it came from the factory, you must link it to the same iPhone to which you had previously linked it. After this, a message will appear informing you that there is a backup available, which you can restore. This is also valid if you want to restore a copy to a new Apple Watch where you want to keep the same data as the previous one.
