429 Too Many Requests

Fixed: What actually fixed it: a hard reset from the watch's physical buttons, not through the Watch app or Settings.

1. Press and hold the side button until the power-off icon appears in the top right.

2. Press and hold the Digital Crown until "Erase All Content and Settings" appears.

3. Tap Reset, then confirm by tapping Reset again.

After that, pairing and setup went through without the update loop. Apple chat/phone support and in-store Geniuses couldn't resolve it any other way — this button-based reset was the one thing that worked.

Hello everyone,

I recently struggled with an update loop on my son's Apple Watch SE 2 (managed via Family Sharing on my iPhone 17). After updating my phone to iOS 27, I couldn't connect to the watch (which was on watchOS 26.2) through the Watch App.

When I tried unpairing and setting it up again, I got stuck in a loop where it forced a watchOS 26.6 update but repeatedly failed with an "Unable to install update" error.

Here is how I finally solved it:

1. I paired the watch with a friend's iPhone running iOS 26.6.1.

2. On that iOS version, I was able to skip the update during setup. This option is presented.

3. Once set up, I went into the watch's storage menu and deleted the partial watchOS 26.6 download.

4. I unpaired the watch from my friend's phone.

After that, I was able to pair it with my own iPhone successfully. The update still took about 1.5 hours to complete, but it worked without any errors. It seems like a corrupted partial download was the root of the issue.

I hope this helps anyone else experiencing the same problem!

Dave

Solved for me by updating the iPhone to iOS 27.2 (no iOS 26 phone needed)

Adding my case since it may help.

Setup:

• Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS) 45mm, was on watchOS 26.x
• iPhone 13, on iOS 27.0 (or 27.0.1) when the problem started. Note: iOS 27.1 was iPhone Duo only, so 27.2 was the first fix available for other iPhones.

What happened:

• After the iPhone update, the Watch stopped connecting.
• Tried to update the Watch to watchOS 26.6 from the Watch app about 10 times. Every attempt failed. The last error was “Installation Paused: Apple Watch must be connected to its charger and charged at least 50%”, with the Watch on its charger at 99%. The message was not the real cause.
• Unpaired the Watch (which erases it). Could not pair again: iOS 27 required watchOS 26.6 first, and the update kept failing.

What worked:

1. Updated the iPhone 13 to iOS 27.2.
2. Started pairing again, Watch on its charger, iPhone next to it on Wi-Fi.
3. This time “Downloading to Watch...” actually started (it never had before), showing “about 2 hours remaining”.
4. Left everything untouched. The update completed. Watch now on watchOS 26.6 (23U67), paired and working.

No second iPhone on iOS 26 was needed. I had an iPhone 14 on iOS 26.6.2 ready as a fallback, but did not use it. Note the original poster reported that the iOS 26 route failed for him, so 27.2 may be the simpler first thing to try.

Two notes:

• The “charger / 50%” error was misleading, both conditions were met.
• If you are still on iOS 27.0 or 27.0.1, try 27.2 before any further resets. Repeated resets did nothing for me.

I have fixed the issue another way

Okay so first step is to switch to a device running ios 26

Then pair the Apple Watch to that device

Go to storage on watch app

There will be a corrupted file named watchOS version name

Delete the file from watch from the storage menu in Watch app

Then unpair switch back to original device and download and install the update

if you don’t have an ios 26 device visit your nearest Apple Store they may have few, the one I visited in Saket, New Delhi had one

This is exactly what worked for me on two watches. Wouldn’t update to 26.6 on an iOS 26 phone, would not let me bypass the update when pairing with an iOS 27 phone. Hard reset did not work.

I had to pair to a phone with iOS 26-something.

Then ON THE WATCH (not in the watch app) go into SETTINGS > GENERAL > STORAGE and delete the corrupted watchOS 26.6 update file.

Then start the update to 26.6 process again on the iOS 26 phone through to completion.

Once it’s updated to 26.6 on the older iOS phone, unpair from that phone.

Then pair with the newer iOS 27 phone, and it’s clear sailing! But what a PITA!

Here's what worked for me on a Series 8 watch. No need for an older iPhone or a full reset:

1. Turn off phone (maybe turning off bluetooth is enough, but I turned off my phone just to be safe)
2. Put your watch on the charger.
3. On the watch, go to Settings -> Storage -> iOS 26.6 - delete the file.
4. On the watch, go to Settings -> Wifi - make sure it's connected to wifi
5. On the watch, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update, download and install 26.6 directly on the watch, without going through the phone. This might take quite a while. I had to hit the "install" button once after downloading, and after that it took a good 45 minutes to complete.
6. Turn your phone back on after the update completes. Notifications etc. will work again.

Well after a few weeks of trying to update watch. I updated iOS to 27.2 that’s out there now then I got passed the loop and had it download the update to the watch which took an hour went thru setup and finally success hope it works for all of you

Finally, I was able to resolve the issue.

After updating my iPhone to iOS 27, I could no longer update my Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation) from watchOS 26.2 to watchOS 26.6. I repeatedly received the attached error message.

Here is what worked for me:

1. I used my wife’s iPhone running iOS 26.5.2.
2. I paired and activated the Ultra 1, then chose to skip the watchOS update during setup. (This option was not available when setting it up with iOS 27.)
3. I deleted broken watchOS update package in watch storage.
4. Once setup was complete, I updated the watch to watchOS 26.6 without any issues (I managed update on my watch, not via iPhone Watch app).
5. I erased the watch and unpaired it from my wife’s iPhone.
6. I then paired and activated it again using my iPhone running iOS 27. Since the watch was already updated, the problematic update step was skipped.

I also noticed several issues with the Watch app on iOS 27. For example, I could not configure the Modular watch face smoothly in the app. Configuring the face directly on the watch worked correctly.

My general advice: don’t rush to update to iOS 27. It may be worth waiting a couple of months - perhaps until iOS 27.2 or 27.3 - before upgrading.

This is exactly what worked for me on two watches. Wouldn’t update to 26.6 on an iOS 26 phone, would not let me bypass the update when pairing with an iOS 27 phone. Hard reset did not work.

I had to pair to a phone with iOS 26-something.

Then ON THE WATCH (not in the watch app) go into SETTINGS > GENERAL > STORAGE and delete the corrupted watchOS 26.6 update file.

Then start the update to 26.6 process again on the iOS 26 phone through to completion.

Once it’s updated to 26.6 on the older iOS phone, unpair from that phone.

Then pair with the newer iOS 27 phone, and it’s clear sailing! But what a PITA!

I was stuck on that update loop but I was able to use my moms iPhone that had iOS 26 and I paired my watch with her phone , it worked , I was able to bypass the update, I then went into storage on watch and cleared that watch os 26 update that was stuck in a loop. I then unpaired on my phone, paired it back to mines and it updated it took like 1 hour , make sure Bluetooth is off so it wont slow down process , once it starts to install turn it back on . This worked for me , I hope it helps someone else.

This is exactly what worked for me on two watches. Wouldn’t update to 26.6 on an iOS 26 phone, would not let me bypass the update when pairing with an iOS 27 phone. Hard reset did not work. I had to pair to a phone with iOS 26-something, then go into storage ON THE WATCH (not in the watch app) and delete the corrupted 26.6 update file. Then start the update to 26.6 process again on the iOS 26 phone. Once it’s updated to 26.6 on the older iOS phone, unpair from that phone, pair with the newer iOS 27 phone, and it’s clear sailing! But what a PITA!

I just updated my iPhone to OS 27.2 and it DID fix this issue for me. My watch is working again after being dead for several weeks.

New IOS update works. Start to pair your watch, and it will going into the same loop as before but this time exit the watch app but don’t close it and go to settings. Then storage and search watch. Open and delete downloads and backup files. Go back to your watch app and try the software update and it will work now.

I recently updated my iPhone to iOS 27 before updating my watch to 26.6 had the same issue, was in the update error loop, I called Apple Tech support. It was useless. They had no idea. They just kept telling me to do the same things I had already done, and the next Apple Genius appointment wasn’t until Friday.

The only thing that worked was I had older iPhone at home. I reconnected that, paired my watch with that phone, and then unpaired and paired to current phone.

The only way this ended up working for me after hours attempting was resetting the watch and pairing/back up with my sons phone running the old system to get the watch on again.

It attempted to update which gave the error message i had to delete the new watch update on the watch manually then redownload it and it finally worked.

I then did the same to all our watches, deleted the update manually on the watch (as it was giving the error message) redownloading the update on the watch then updating it manually on the watch and our other two watches updated too.

but honestly what a stuff around hours and weeks wasted trying to get the watch running again and also my son without his watch or a way to contact him for weeks was very frustrating.

When I called to the genius team they couldn't even help me. They had no clue.

I hope this helps someone else.

The existence of the corrupted watchOS 26.6 file was altogether preventing the update to 26.6. By pairing it with the 26 iOS phone (which allows pairing without requiring update to watchOS 26.6 to complete the pairing) I was able to delete the corrupted watchOS 26.6 file from within the watch storage and then re-do the update on the 26.x phone without the corrupted file interfering. The iOS 27.x forces update to watchOS 26.6 in order to pair the watch to the phone, but it couldn’t update with the corrupted file still existing on the watch. Hope that helps!

Updated my phone to IOS 27.2 & was finally able to update my series 8 watch. Updating to OS 26.6 took longer than usual but it's done & watch is working normally.

Thank you, THANK YOU, Luheesa. This worked for me! FINALLY! I’ve been extremely frustrated and exhausted running around the house to different phones and my watch plugged into their chargers and trying unsuccessfully all the other advice on this forum. But the one step I think the rest were leaving out is what you said: “Then start the update to 26.6 process again on the iOS 26 phone through to completion.” Thanks for leaving such clear instructions that work.

Exactly,i called apple support in Greece and they told me to visit an apple store to solve this.so i made my complaints and told them to make them known to apple and ask them to make a new update solving these problems .I have also sent mail to apple support,even message on instagram .Fortunately in one day they released the new 27.2 update and everything is good

Update : I was stuck on that update loop but I was able to use my moms iPhone that had iOS 26 and I paired my watch with her phone , it worked , I was able to bypass the update, I then went into storage on watch and cleared that watch os 26 update that was stuck in a loop. I then unpaired on my phone, paired it back to mines and it updated it took like 1 hour , make sure Bluetooth is off so it wont slow down process , once it starts to install turn it back on . This worked for me , I hope it helps someone else.

mine eventually worked after I left my watch off for almost the whole day! It was just a retry

This worked for me with one significant change, I had to delete my watch app and then reinstall it. Only then would it update my watches os and allow pairing. Thanks!

Update: I’ve even pulled out an old iPhone 13, updated it to iOS 26.7, and I still get the same error message the OP of this thread is getting when I try to pair (which REQUIRES am install of Watch os26.6 update) to iPhone 13 and iOS 26.7. I’m not a tech-savvy guy, but that makes me think it’s a WatchOS 26.6 update issue, not an iOS 27 issue. To further that belief, I have two watches - a Watch series 6, and a Watch Ultra series 1. Both of them WERE paired to both of my iPhones, but now neither of them will pair to *either* phone (running either iOS 26.6 or iOS 27) - unless I update to WatchOS 26.6 - which gives me the error code and won’t install. But….why did my Watch 6 stop paring with my iPhone 13 Pro Max and 17 Pro Max in the first place when I haven’t even tried to update IT to WatchOS 26.6 like I did my Ultra 1? I’m confused, and broke from all the Apple products I buy.

I spoke with Apple Support 2 days ago after taking my watch to Best Buy Geeks to get it fixed but they couldn’t fix the problem. Apple support said they would send me a new watch since mine is under warranty and I will send the old one back. It hasn’t arrived yet so I hope I will not have the same problem.

Hello!

Have the same problem. iPhone 16e, iOS 27 and Apple Watch SE 2gen.

I can’t pair my watch because of update. It seems need to wait for iOS update with fix this bug.

these forums are user helping other users like yourself, it's sort of going to a physical apple store and asking other customers their advice

This is a user helping users with tech questions forum, we are not apple and apple do not read your posts here

You can provide them with feedback using Product Feedback - Apple

Or reach out to their official support channels

Get Support (apple.com)

And or

Contact - Official Apple Support

And or

Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

Or

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Same problem. Trying to restore from an older iPhone on iOS26 but not having a ton of success. WatchOS 26.6 just hangs on Verifying.

Things I've tried:

• Unpair, re-pair on iPhone 17 Pro w/ iOS 27 (fail)
• Unpair, re-pair on iPhone 16 Pro Max w/ iOS 26 (works, hangs on Verifying)

I've tried all manner of combos of resetting, restarting, restoring, and it just isn't working. I hope Apple addresses this soon because I don't want or need a new watch (this one is barely four years old!).

Another option is, I did it without unpairing

1. connect to power
2. connect to wifi
3. from the watch itself, go to storage and delete the watchOS
4. the watch will recognize there is an update and it will download the watchOS. Or should be 1.4GB.
5. the all process will take a while

The only thing you need to do is to remove the broken download using Storage option on watch. It is one and only remediation on official support page for Apple Watch Update process: Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support so hard to believe someone did not get help from phone support.

No need to unpairing, pairing with older OS, magic combinations of hard resets, or other destructive methods. Once the download is removed operation can be performed from iPhone without any issues.

It doesn’t work if you already unpaired your watch. If you unpaired the watch and reset it completely to factory default settings, you don’t have access to the storage and you can’t delete the broken download. you’re stuck in de update loop.

And I already tried to pair with another iPhone with iOS 26. Doesn’t work.

Updated to 12.0.1, still no luck, my S7 watch is unusable due it is unlinked and reseted, I tried removed storage , I completely uninstalled the watch application, I reset holding the crown on the watch to hard reset, nothing seems to work...

BTW the other S6 I had, I enabled wifi and installed directly from watch and it worked fine.

I tried so many things last night while trying to resolve the issue with my iPhone 27. I did still have an older device that had iOS 26.0 on it (large capacity music player? yes, please).

In case it makes a difference (although it shouldn't), I went back to iPhone 13 Plus to get things going.

When you try to run the Watch app and attempt to install WatchOS 26.6, the iPhone will tell you that you need to update your phone, and you get caught in a different vicious cycle. At least pairing goes smoothly, so the deleting of the corrupted file and upgrading via the Watch instead goes smoothly.

This the same issue happening to me today. I bought the 17 pro max yesterday and it has been updated to iOS 27 during its first setup. Now, I have the Apple Watch Series 7 with watchOS 26 and I’m not able to pair it with my new phone. Same error as mentioned above when I select install. There is no way out to bypass the update and get to start the watch where we can delete the watchOS File from the storage. Such a pain. I’ve tried the hard reset and erase option. It did not work. I’ll try the other workaround with some iPhone which has ios 26.

All the users with this problem need to give Apple feedback. The more feedback they get on a subject the more likely it is to move up the priority list. If you haven't done so yet, here's a link........

Product Feedback - Apple

Here's what worked for me on a Series 8 e-sim watch.

1. Turn iphone bluetooth and wifi off. I tried first with wifi ON and because watch and iphone were on same wifi upgrade steps failed.
2. Put your watch on the charger & Make sure watch is on wifi
3. On the watch, go to Settings -> Storage -> iOS 26.6 - delete the file.
4. On the watch, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update, download and install 26.6 directly on the watch, without going through the phone. This might take quite a while. I left it overnight.
5. In morning I checked watch and it was upgraded. I checked watch application on iphone and it didnt prompt for upgrade. I tested and notifications etc were working on the watch.
6. Validate latest software on watch.

One other note , now that iOS 27.2 seems to have solved the loop problem. In addition before I tried the download update I turned off connection assistant in WiFi. Which in the event of flacky wifi goes to cellular That may have caused the corrupted download update for the watch that first started my problem. ?

After multiple attempts I was able to update Apple Watch Se2 to 26.6 with IPhone 12 running 27.2. I tired all the steps mentioned in this article for almost 10 times. Service center team - conquer technologies in Hyderabad also not able to help. They simply said Apple stopped supporting SE2.

See post from emon_ganguly; this worked for me

Thank you. Deleting the watchOS worked. Even the authorised Apple service centre did not know this. They declared the watch dead! Almost bought a new one.

I have totally the same issue with my iPhone 13pro on iOS27 and Apple Watch 8 that don’t won’t to start working even after reset before installing Watch OS26.6, but that is unable to install for a dozen tries. Now I have totally unusable Apple Watch and I’m really upset that I can’t find a solution for this.

I’m not criticizing your point, because it’s likely true, but the fact that it’s likely true. An “Apple Support Community” that doesn’t include Apple itself in that support isn’t even like going to an Apple Store and speaking to customers - its like going to a McDonald’s drive-thru and asking if they have an iPhone and can help you. I mean, the OP of this thread even said they contacted all the links you post here, and even went into an Apple Store, but no Apple employee in any of those outlets could fix the problem for them. So, although you’re likely right (Apple’s not present here) it feels like you’re sending them to the McDonald’s drive through.

Neither watch will pair to either phone, so I can’t get to the storage area in the Watch App. to remove the file. The Ultra was reset, so I can’t do anything on it because it wants to pair to setup (and I get the same error you got even trying to pair on iOS 26.6). My Series 6, which I have not reset - won’t pair to the iOS 26.6 because it thinks it’s paired to the iOS 27 phone - but it doesn’t show up in the Watch app on either phone.

Just spent the last 40 mins with Apple tech. If you have an Ultra ( first gen) and already updated your phone to iOS 27, you are done. The watch will never connect to your phone again. They suggested pairing it with another iPhone with iOS 26 on it but it wont let it update until they have updated their phone to 27. Cheers Apple.

I have the same issue - same phone (except mine's a 17 pro) and same watch (SE 2nd gen). Watch is now a brick and the phone won't even recognize that it exists when trying to pair it. I did the whole unpair / reset watch / uninstall app / restart phone loop so many times, always failed at the starting to pair + installing required update point, except for this last time when the phone couldn't even tell the watch existed.

Happening to me as well. Unfortunately, I restored my watch and now I'm unable to pair or revive it due to the update loop. I was actually thinking about getting a new watch since mine is a Series 7, but really? Not like this

Same thing happened to me as well. I did everything I could to make apple watch to work. I even tried with old iphone 11 with ios 26. However, still I was unable to update and pair my apple watch series 7. Now it is useless. The most frustrating thing is apple support also didn’t know how to fix it.

I had my watch since April and I use the SE3. As soon I wanted to update to the new iOS 27, it didn’t allow me to. I did the whole reset thing and nothing came out of it. And now my watch can’t even get to the Home Screen. It is stuck on a continuous loop of pairing/reset/checking for updates. Help

Eu também não consigo mais emparelhar o relógio com o telefone porque resolvi reinstalar o watch, achando que fosse resolver o problema, e piorou! Pois agora não consigo mais instalar o relógio no celular!

What about an Apple Watch that has been reset to factory settings and needs to be paired again?

I have an older Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) that has not been used for about four years by my father. I unpaired it from his iPhone and reset it to factory settings before trying to pair it with another iPhone to give it to my sister.

I have tried pairing it with an iPhone 14 Pro, 16 Pro, and 17 Pro, all running iOS 26, but I still have the same problem. I can't access the storage on the Apple Watch because it has already been reset to factory settings. I also can't delete or reinstall the corrupted watchOS, assuming that the problem is actually caused by watchOS.

We even went to the Genius Bar in an Apple Store, where they tried to help us for several hours. Unfortunately, the only answer we eventually got was that the Apple Watch is too old and that we should replace it with a new one.

Will there be an update to fix this issue?

Day 5 and I have tried everything beside pairing with a phone that’s running iOS 26, I don’t know anyone ! I do not need or want another watch like I don’t know what else to do at this point , literally about to throw this piece of crap away it’s annoying

I have paid 750rs in advance for fixing the issue to apple support in India. But now i got response they cannot fix the issue and the 750rs cannot be refunded. Insane ...!!!!!!!. The fix they are mentioning is to stepdown my ios 27 in iphone to previous version or to buy a new iwatch. How come they say these kinds of fix.

Steve wouldn’t have stood for this. Same issue. After updating to iOS 27, cannot update Watch Series 7 to watchOS 26.6 and am stuck in update loop after resetting both phone and watch. Apple Support has hung up on me twice in the last hour.

It does not help in my case and makes my situation even worse. It left me stuck while setting up the "new" Apple Watch. The update still fails, and it won't let me set up my watch without updating it.

You can't "always" have access to Storage. I reset my watch according to instructions in top-ranking reply and now my watch has no OS. The watch just says "Please continue setup on iPhone" but iPhone install fails (same as before reset).

Hi Luheesa,

I’m a bit confused. You write “Wouldn’t update to 26.6 on an iOS 26 phone” and later “I had to pair to a phone with iOS 26-something”. Could you clarify why it worked in the 2nd case, considering that both cases were with an iPhone using iOS 26?

I have the exact same problem and it is a lot of users now. Is Apple going to fix it for all of us? I do not have another iPhone I can pair my watch with and I actually think it should just work. I have reset the watch and I cannot even use it now.

hroca wrote:

I have the exact same problem and it is a lot of users now. Is Apple going to fix it for all of us? I do not have another iPhone I can pair my watch with and I actually think it should just work. I have reset the watch and I cannot even use it now.

No one here in this user-to-user forum knows what Apple will do in the future. You should contact them directly. You can start with the support link at the bottom left of every page of the forums.

Luheesa, 2 “genius”es at the store (including senior) and an hour on the phone with support before that.. They all told me I was SOL and needed to get a new watch because “the new 18pro is not compatible with Series 8 watch”. Then I came here and followed your directions. All fixed! WOW. THANK YOU!

The problem is that I never get the option to "Erase All Content and Settings", I only get the reset option which does not solve the problem, as you know. Is there another way to do a complete hard reset?

I’ve bought a new Apple Watch, but I cannot pair it with my Iphone thats on IOS 27.

I’ve tried in my old iPhone with IOS26, but still the same issue. I cannot go to the settings on the watch because it’s new.

Now I have a useless Apple Watch at home… thanks Apple