Apple Watch techies, I need help!

[itsmemuffins]

Hi all and Merry Christmas!

my wife has my old iPhone X. For Christmas she wanted an Apple Watch. I knew it wouldn’t pair if it had the latest watch os.

So, I got her a new old stock Apple Watch 6. Trying to pair it and it wants to update. It gives me no option to continue pairing without updating the Watch.

Is there any way to pair without updating? If it updates will it update to the latest watch os 11, thereby making it impossible to pair to the iPhone X?

thanks.

EDIT: So it looks like it only installs the last compatible os. Crisis averted.

 

[Apple_Robert]

The watch won't pair if it isn't already running a compatible OS for the phone being paired to. That is why it won't give you the option. I don't believe (although I could be wrong) it is possible for the watch to be updated past that which the phone is capable of updating to. At this point, you have to update to find out.

 

[kitKAC]

watchOS 10+ requires an iPhone Xs and up, an iPhone X should install watchOS 9 on the device.