Apple Watch Says “Verification Failed. An Unknown Error Occurred”? What to Do

Trying to pair an Apple Watch with a new iPhone should be simple. But for many users, the process grinds to a halt with a frustrating message:

“Verification Failed. An unknown error occurred.”

From the Apple Forums and users reports, it appears that this issue has been widely reported, especially by those using older models like the Apple Watch SE or Series 4 and pairing with iPhones running iOS 18.5 or newer. Even when the correct Apple ID password is used—confirmed to work on other devices—the error persists on the Watch, which is pretty strange.

In this article, I explain what you can do based on what other users experiences.

The “Verification Failed” error is fairly common and can appear in various situations—not just on Apple Watch. Users may also encounter it when trying to download apps, sign into their Apple ID, or even unexpectedly on devices like Apple TV.

Why This Is Happening

There appears to be a compatibility issue between older Apple Watch models (like the first-generation SE or Series 4) and newer iPhones (like iPhone 16e) running the latest iOS versions. Some users reported that Apple Support acknowledged the issue, citing outdated watchOS versions and limited update support for older devices.

As a result, even if the Watch successfully pairs, full functionality—like Apple ID sign-in, iMessage, Find My, and App Store access—may not work correctly.

Fixes

1. Skip Apple ID During Setup — Then Sign In Later Through the App Store
This workaround has helped multiple users, especially those using an Apple Watch Series 4 or SE.

Here’s the exact steps:

1. During the initial setup, skip the Apple ID sign-in step completely.
2. Set a passcode on the Watch when prompted.
3. Once setup is complete, open the App Store on the Watch itself.
4. Download any free app (such as the Nike app).
5. This triggers a sign-in prompt on the iPhone—enter the Apple ID password and the two-factor authentication code.
6. In many cases, this allowed the sign-in to complete successfully, bypassing the original “Verification Failed” error.

It’s a roundabout method, but surprisingly effective.

If the above steps do not work for you, you can try this:

2.Install a Watch-Compatible App on iPhone Before Pairing A few users reported success by doing the following:

1. Before pairing the Watch, install or update any Watch-compatible app on the iPhone.
2. Then start the pairing process as usual.
3. For some, this prevented the Apple ID prompt from appearing during setup altogether.

If the issue still continues, while the reasoning is unclear, this step helped avoid the verification issue.

3.Reset All Settings on iPhone. One user reported that resetting all settings on their iPhone resolved the problem:

1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings (note: This won’t erase content, but will reset Wi-Fi, keyboard, and other settings, we previously explained what exactly occurs.)
2. Afterward, go through the Watch pairing process again, skipping Apple ID sign-in initially.
3. Then attempt sign-in later via the Watch’s App Store prompt.

It’s an extra step, but for some, it worked where nothing else had.

If none of these options work, reaching out to Apple Support is the next best step. And if a solution of your own worked, consider sharing it—others are likely still looking for answers.