iOS 14 has made it possible for users to set up and manage Apple Watch for a family member, who doesn’t have an iPhone to set it up with. Combined with watchOS 7’s capabilities, your family member can then use it to send messages, phone calls, and share locations with you.
While the user can get the most out of their Apple Watch features, things like irregular heart rhythm notifications, ECG, Cycle Tracking, Home, Blood Oxygen, and Sleep don’t work without a companion iPhone.
If you have a child or an elderly person in the house, it’s an excellent solution to keep track of them and make communication seamless. In this guide, we will cover how to set up an Apple Watch for a family member.
Requirements
- You at least need an Apple Watch Series 4 (or later) with cellular connectivity and watchOS 7 installed.
- For the initial watch setup to work, you need to have an iPhone 6s with iOS 14 installed.
- Make sure that your family member has his/her own Apple ID. Furthermore, two-factor authentication should be turned on for your Apple ID.
- The person who will use the Apple Watch needs to be in your Family Sharing group.
Setting up Apple Watch for a family member
If you meet the requirements, follow the steps below to set up the Apple Watch for your family member. It’s a simple and straightforward process.
1. Power on the Apple Watch
Assuming the Apple Watch is used and has been erased for the new user, tell your family member to put it on first. After that, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo shows up.
2. Hold the Watch near your iPhone
Once it’s powered on, hold the Apple Watch close to your iPhone and wait until you get the “Use your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch” option. You can then tap Continue.
On the first screen, tap Set Up for a Family Member, followed by Continue on the next page.
3. Pair the Watch with the iPhone
The Apple Watch should display an animated watch face. All you have to do is hold your iPhone over it and center the watch face in the camera viewfinder.
Once your Apple Watch is paired, tap the Set Up Apple Watch option to continue.
4. Set up a passcode
Make sure to tap Agree on the Terms and Conditions screen, followed by selecting the preferred text size for the Apple Watch.
After that, tap Create a Passcode to keep the Apple Watch secure. Make sure that the passcode is memorable to both you and your family member.
5. Choose a family member
After you set up the passcode, you will be prompted to choose the family member who will use the Apple Watch.
As long as the member is in your Family Sharing group, you should be able to see them on the page. Otherwise, tap Add New Family Member and go through the on-screen instructions.
It’s worth mentioning that you need to enter your family member’s Apple ID password to link the account to the Apple Watch. You will also be asked whether you want to enable purchases on the Apple Watch or not.
6. Set up cellular and Wi-Fi on the Apple Watch
If your current cellular provider supports the Family Setup feature, you can add the watch to your plan. Otherwise, you may use an alternative carrier.
After that, you can set up cellular connectivity on the watch. Click here to check out the official list of supported carriers.
Once you set up cellular on Apple Watch, you can select to share your existing Wi-Fi network with the device for internet-enabled features to work.
7. Enable additional features
You can set up other Apple Watch features from the screens that follow. These include Apple Cash Family, Activity, Health Data, Siri, Location Services, Messages in iCloud, Workout Route Tracking, and many more. You will be able to set up a daily move goal as well.
8. Finish the setup
Before you finish setting up your Apple Watch, you will be prompted to set up contacts on the device. Make sure that you have Contacts enabled in iCloud.
You can now choose trusted people from your Contacts app on the iPhone to share with the Apple Watch. Furthermore, you can set up Screen Time restrictions for the Watch directly from your iPhone.
Once you set up a Screen Time passcode for the Watch, you can enable Schooltime if you want. It can help a child stay focused during school hours by limiting access to all apps and notifications.
To finish the setup, tap OK. Your family member can now start using the Apple Watch.
Conclusion
This is how you set up an Apple Watch for a family member. Note that it enables features like high and low heart rate notifications, fall detection, and other health and fitness-related functions on the Apple Watch, which you can manage from your iPhone later.
If the family member is under 18, you can set up Apple Cash Family from your Apple ID account settings to allow them to make purchases using Apple Pay.
Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.
