How to Connect Apple Watch to WiFi Without iPhone

Last Updated: April 13, 2022

Do you want to connect to a different Wi-Fi network but your iPhone is too far away? Fortunately, you can connect to almost any Wi-Fi network you want if you have watchOS 5 or later. If, however, you have an earlier Watch than that, you can only connect to networks that your paired iPhone has connected to in the past. This wikiHow article teaches you how to connect to a Wi-Fi network on your Apple Watch without an iPhone.

Steps

1
Open Settings. This app icon features some gears on a light grey background.
- You can only connect your Apple Watch to Wi-Fi without your iPhone nearby if you have watchOS 5 or later. Earlier Apple Watches will only connect to networks that the paired iPhone has connected to.^{[1]
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- Your Apple Watch will also not connect to public Wi-Fi networks that redirect you to a web browser login page.
2
Tap Wi-Fi. It's next to a Wi-Fi logo and you may need to scroll down the menu to find it.

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3
Tap the name of the network you want to join. If you have an Apple Watch Series 6, you can connect to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz networks. If you have an earlier Watch, they can only connect to 2.4 GHz networks only.
4
Enter the password (if prompted). You can use the Scribble feature (where you can draw directly on the screen) or type on the keyboard to continue.
5
Tap Join. It's in the upper right corner and will let you connect to the network if you entered the password correctly.^{[2]
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