How To Fix Galaxy Watch Not Connecting To Phone (2026)

Your Galaxy Watch shows “Disconnected” in the Galaxy Wearable app, or it never finishes pairing with your phone.

Most cases come down to battery or power-saving settings, permissions, Bluetooth, or an app that needs an update, and all of them are fixable at home.

The fixes below follow Samsung’s own support pages and go from the quickest to the most disruptive.

Which fix matches your symptom?

Does your phone work with your watch?

Samsung’s Canadian compatibility page lists these minimums, and every listed model needs at least 1.5 GB of RAM.

Samsung says Watch4 and later models rely on Google Play services, which iOS does not support, and tablets are not supported.

If your phone does not meet the requirement for your watch, no fix below will work.

Fix 1: Charge both devices and switch off power-saving modes

Samsung’s sync guide says transfers can fail when either device is below 25%.

• Phone: open Settings, search for Power saving, and turn it off.
• Watch: turn off Power saving from Quick settings, or tap Turn OFF if a Power saving screen appears.
• Watch only mode: press and hold Power for 3 seconds and wait for the logo screen.
• Airplane mode: turn it off on both devices, then switch Bluetooth back on manually.

Airplane mode disables Bluetooth and does not always turn it back on by itself.

Fix 2: Restart both devices

Restart the phone and the watch, then open the Galaxy Wearable app after both have finished starting.

If the watch is frozen, Samsung’s Canadian page says to hold the Home (Power) and Back buttons together for at least 7 seconds and release when the Samsung logo appears.

Fix 3: Check Bluetooth and distance

1. On the phone, open Settings > Connections > Bluetooth and turn it on.
2. On the watch, open Settings > Connections > Bluetooth and turn it on.
3. Keep both within the Bluetooth range of 10 m (32 ft) that Samsung lists, with no walls or electronics between them.

If the Galaxy Wearable app shows Remotely connected to watch or Disconnected from watch, these are the first settings to check.

Fix 4: Grant the right permissions

Samsung lists two permission checks on the phone.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Google Play services > Permissions, and allow every category under Not Allowed, such as Nearby devices.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Galaxy Wearable > Permissions and turn on each permission.
3. Go back to the Apps page, open Galaxy Watch Plugin, and turn on the functions listed.

On the watch, open Settings > Apps > Permissions (or Permission Manager) and allow Music or Gallery if sync is the problem.

Fix 5: Update the Galaxy Wearable app and the watch software

Update the Galaxy Wearable app from the Play Store first.

1. Open Galaxy Wearable and scroll to Watch settings.
2. Tap Watch software update.
3. Tap Update if one is available, or confirm that it says your software is up to date.

A Samsung Community thread describes a Galaxy Watch Ultra that stopped connecting to a Galaxy S24 Ultra after a One UI 8 Watch update, and a watch factory reset was the accepted solution.

Fix 6: Unpair and pair again

1. On the phone, open Settings > Connections > Bluetooth, tap the gear next to the watch, and tap Unpair.
2. Open Galaxy Wearable and tap Start, or tap the Menu icon and then Add new device if another wearable is connected.
3. Tap Confirm on both the phone and the watch, then follow the prompts.

Samsung notes that after a reset you can pair with the same phone by opening Galaxy Wearable and tapping Connect.

Fix 7: Clear the Galaxy Wearable app data

A corrupted app can fail even when Bluetooth is fine, and a community user in the thread above cleared the watch cache and reinstalled Galaxy Wearable before resorting to a reset.

On the phone, open Settings > Apps > Galaxy Wearable > Storage and clear the cache first.

Clearing data removes the pairing, so expect to set the watch up again.

Fix 8: Reset network settings on the phone

1. Open Settings > General management > Reset.
2. Choose Reset network settings and confirm, entering your PIN if asked.

You will need to reconnect to Wi-Fi and pair your Bluetooth devices again, including the watch.

Fix 9: Factory reset the watch

This erases the watch and should be your last fix, so back up first.

Samsung says a reset removes all personal data and returns the watch to default settings, and an LTE watch may need reactivating through your carrier.

After a recovery reset, you must sign in to the same Samsung account that was on the watch.

Samsung also warns that resetting from the watch can leave some watch data on the phone, which unpairing in Bluetooth settings can remove.

For model-specific steps, see our Galaxy Watch 7 factory reset guide.

What if it still will not connect?

If the watch fails to connect to any phone, or its Bluetooth fails entirely, the cause may be hardware and Samsung support is the next step.

Samsung’s warranty page cites a 1-year limited warranty period for wearables serviced outside the country of first sale.

The warranty checker needs your model number and either the serial number or IMEI, and repair costs vary by model, so ask Samsung for an estimate.

If the watch connects but drains quickly, read our Galaxy Watch 7 battery drain guide, and for charging faults see Galaxy Watch 9 not charging.

If other Bluetooth devices also drop on your Samsung phone, see Galaxy S26 Bluetooth disconnecting.

Official references: Samsung: watch will not connect, Samsung: sync between phone and watch and Samsung: reset your watch.