Your Apple Watch probably updated to a newer watchOS that your iPhone doesn’t support. If your iOS is older, it won’t pair.
You need at least iOS 18. The iPhone 8 only supports up to iOS 16, so it won’t work.
Why are you getting a new Apple Watch while still using an iPhone 8?
Bennie said:
Why are you getting a new Apple Watch while still using an iPhone 8?
Maybe because their phone still works fine for what they need? Not everyone upgrades every two years.
Bennie said:
Why are you getting a new Apple Watch while still using an iPhone 8?
Personal choice?
Bennie said:
Why are you getting a new Apple Watch while still using an iPhone 8?
Personal choice?
That’s one way to spell ‘bad decision’
Bennie said:
Why are you getting a new Apple Watch while still using an iPhone 8?
Personal choice?
Compatibility matters more than preference in this case. If your devices don’t work together, one of them is useless.
Did you check if the new Apple Watch even works with older iPhones?
It won’t work. You need iOS 18. Always check before buying.
An iPhone 8+ is almost 8 years old. It’s slow, buggy, and overheating all the time. Might be time for an upgrade.
Just get an iPhone SE2 or XR instead.
Apple Watch Series 5 on watchOS 10.6.1 needs at least iOS 17.4 to pair normally. If you really want to make it work, you’d need to jailbreak and use Legizmo.
You’re using an iPhone 8? Well, there’s your problem.
Series 5 updated to watchOS 10, which doesn’t support iOS 16. You’ll need a Watch running watchOS 9 or older. If you want to be 100% sure, a Series 3 is your safest bet.
You can’t pair an Apple Watch with a phone from 2017. Not happening.
Might be time for a new phone.
If your watch updated beyond your iPhone’s iOS, it won’t work. If you had the watch from the start and never updated it, it probably would. Downgrading watchOS is tricky, but you might find something online.
I went to an Apple reseller last year and asked if they could downgrade my watchOS to pair with my iPhone X. Cost me about €20 and took a few days.
Your iPhone is just too old. Only way to make it work is jailbreaking and using Legizmo (costs about $5). I did it on my 12 Pro Max before, no issues.