What should I do if an Apple device requires restoration because it will otherwise become unusable? Apple has taken precautions for many of these cases and has given the user tools to restore the iPhone via a computer and reinstall the software. However, for some devices, good advice is expensive: In stubborn cases, users have no choice but to visit the Apple Store or a service partner. The Apple Watch even has to be sent to a service center. This cumbersome process should now come to an end. Restoration possible on site in store
Apple introduced the ability to restore the Apple Watch with an iPhone with iOS 15.4 and watchOS 8.5. However, in some cases this method fails. Users then have to send the watch to a service center, which is of course inconvenient: shipping there and back as well as the actual repair take some time. As MacRumors has learned, the situation will change at the end of the month: customers will then have the opportunity to visit an Apple Store or an authorized support workshop. In the future there will be repair stations there that are connected to a Mac in order to restore the Apple Watch software.
In less serious cases, the iPhone can help you out
Previous Apple Watch models allowed wired recovery via a dedicated port. The watches could therefore be taken to the stores in order to reinstall the software. Since the Series 7, however, the port has become a thing of the past. This is extremely problematic in severe cases, such as a failed update with an accompanying bootloop. However, there are situations in which Apple does not have to help out and, as mentioned above, the watch only needs an iPhone to restore it. To do this, the iPhone must be placed next to the watch, be on WiFi and unlocked. Then you have to place the Apple Watch on the charger, press its side button twice and follow the instructions on the iPhone.
