Pairing your Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones or speakers allows you to enjoy playback of music, podcasts, and audiobooks without the iPhone being nearby.
Not only is this the best option for workouts, but it also gives you another source to play from if your phone happens to run out of battery. It's not just audio from third-party apps that you'll hear, either - responses from Siri, incoming calls or notifications, and other watchOS tones will also be audible once you pair.
Even better is the fact that pairing any Bluetooth device to the Apple Watch is very straightforward. Follow our step-by-step guide below.
1. Prepare your Bluetooth device for pairing
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The trickiest part of the pairing process is generally in finding the pairing instructions for your Bluetooth device.
Each manufacturer will prescribe different methods for placing the device in a pairing mode - most likely a variation of holding buttons for a certain amount of seconds - and you'll have to seek out your individual Bluetooth headphones or speaker before trying to pair it to the Apple Watch.
In our example, we've found Sony's pairing mode instructions for the XM4s. Once you know what to do, you can move on.
2. Head to the Apple Watch's settings
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From the Apple Watch, find the Settings app by pressing the Digital Crown and scouring the grid of apps.
3. Find the Bluetooth menu
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In the Settings app, scroll down to find the 'Bluetooth' section between 'Wi-Fi' and 'Display & Brightness'.
4. Put the Bluetooth device into pairing mode
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At this point, we would recommend putting your Bluetooth device into pairing mode.
You can do it earlier, of course, but oftentimes these periods are time-limited and your device may not appear in the list of devices available to pair if you don't time it right.
5. Tap to pair
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Your Bluetooth device should show it's in pairing mode with something like a flashing, neutral light. Once you're confident it is, you should see the name of it appear in the list on the Apple Watch's Bluetooth settings screen.
The Apple Watch will keep refreshing its search, so keep attempting to pair until you see it appear.
How we test
Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.
Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides.
He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror.