How to connect Apple Watch to Wi-Fi without your iPhone

Learn how to manually connect your Apple Watch to an open or password-protected Wi-Fi network when your iPhone isn’t around.

Apple Watch connected to standalone Wi-Fi

You almost never have to worry about directly connecting your Apple Watch to a Wi-Fi network. This is because as long as you have your iPhone with you, you can connect it to the new Wi-Fi, and your watch piggybacks the connection through the phone.

In other words, when your iPhone and Apple Watch are connected via Bluetooth, your watch can use the Wi-Fi or cellular connection of your iPhone.

However, even if you’re somewhere without your iPhone, you have the option to directly connect your watch to a Wi-Fi network like a regular smartphone, computer, or TV.

But there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Your Apple Watch must be on watchOS 5 or later.
  • Apple Watch Series 6 and later can connect to both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. But Series 5 and earlier, including Watch SE, can only connect to 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks.
  • No Apple Watch can connect to captive Wi-Fi networks found in public spots like hotels, libraries, schools, airports, and such. These Wi-Fi networks load a login or payment page after connection, and that’s not yet supported on the watch (even though it has a hidden web browser).

How to manually join Wi-Fi networks on Apple Watch

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Select Wi-Fi from the list of options.
  3. Wait a few seconds until your Apple Watch has finished scanning nearby Wi-Fi networks, then tap one from the list under the Choose Network heading.
  4. If the selected wireless network is password-protected, you’ll be prompted to type in the Wi-Fi password using the Qwerty keyboard or Scribble.
  5. Enter the correct Wi-Fi passcode and tap Join.
Connecting Apple Watch to Wi-Fi

When the watch joins the selected network, it moves from the Choose Network section to just under the Wi-Fi option. Additionally, you’ll see the tiny Wi-Fi icon at the top of the Control Center.

Apple Watch connected to Wi-Fi

Any Wi-Fi networks your iPhone has previously joined continue to be shared with the watch, too. Additionally, your watch maintains its own list of known Wi-Fi SSIDs and saved passwords.

The watchOS software still attempts to prioritize known networks: if you have previously joined a Wi-Fi network on your iPhone while the handset was connected to the watch with Bluetooth, watchOS will continue to use those saved credentials when switching its Wi-Fi connection.

Furthermore, according to Apple, the watch will only attempt to join a Wi-Fi network when not in proximity of the companion iPhone.

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