Better to unpair an old previous AW with cellular then do phone-to-phone migration and then pair with new AW with cellular?

[Luba]

What’s best practice? Is it better to un-pair an old previous AW with cellular then do phone-to-phone migration and then finally pair with new AW with cellular?

 

[Frankfurt]

If you change both phone and watch, then in my experience it’s smoothest to:
1. Unpair old watch from old phone.
2. Pair new watch to old phone with restore from watch backup
3. Transfer to new phone (wired quick start is fastest). That includes the watch transfer.

 

[4sallypat]

If you change both phone and watch, then in my experience it’s smoothest to:
1. Unpair old watch from old phone.
2. Pair new watch to old phone with restore from watch backup
3. Transfer to new phone (wired quick start is fastest). That includes the watch transfer.

4. Create an iPhone backup on your Mac in case the wired option does not work (16 Pro to 17 Air) due to USB compatibility and use the Mac to restore.

 

[Luba]

4. Create an iPhone backup on your Mac in case the wired option does not work (16 Pro to 17 Air) due to USB compatibility and use the Mac to restore.

You mean create iPhone backup on Mac before the transfer?

 

[bruinsrme]

New cellular attached with new phones.
Set up one.
Watch - wiped old watch kept the cell plan. Set up i17, the set up the watch. 1.5 hours with Verizon trying to get that number share to work. Had to setup a brand new number share.
Setup 2 wiped old watch kept cellular paired new watch to old phone. Set up the new phone, wiped new watch the paired with the new phone. No issues.
Setup 3
wiped old watch kept cellular paired new watch to old phone. Set up the new phone, didn’t touch the watch. Didn’t re-paired but 3 hours later I was fully paired. I have no idea if that is a new feature.