There are loads of reasons you might need to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy Watch.
If your smartwatch isn't working properly or has encountered a major bug then it's a good way of overcoming problems. But most people will do it when selling the device or giving it to a relative.
If you have a newer Galaxy Watch 4/5/6 which runs on Wear OS there's actually a function built in to help you get the device ready to be paired with a new phone, if you change or upgrade.
Alternatively, you can simply reset the device and have the data erased, but you will still need to unpair it from your smartphone.
Read on for a step-by-step guide.
What you'll need:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4/5/6
How to reset your Samsung Galaxy Watch
1. Head to the app screen
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Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to summon the app menu.
2. Tap Settings
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The Settings menu is indicated by a cog icon within the app screen.
3. Choose General
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Scroll or swipe down until you get to General settings. Tap on this option.
4. Tap Reset
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If you're looking to factory reset the watch for yourself then tap Reset. Your data will be backed up to your smartphone and the watch reset.
If you're doing this to set your watch up with your new phone choose Transfer to new phone instead. See below.
5. Transfer to a new smartphone
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If you've changed your smartphone and you want to transfer your Galaxy Watch to it without doing a reset you can tap Transfer to New Phone.
Make sure your new handset has the Galaxy Wearable app installed and logged in with the same Google ID as the one on your Watch. It should be picked up when you bring your new phone close to the Watch.
Reset Samsung Galaxy Watch 3/Active 2
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For older Samsung watches is the one you likely want. A 4G data connection is the one part it does not touch, so, again, skip to the last section if you want to reset that in a 4G-capable Samsung Galaxy Watch.
To factory reset the Samsung Galaxy Watch:
1. Flick down from the top of the watch face and select the Settings cog icon.
2. Scroll down and select General.
3. The Reset option sits at the bottom of this menu.
4. You'll be prompted to back up your data to Samsung Cloud before hitting that reset button.
4. Tap Reset and wait for the watch to reset.
We recommend trying this if your Samsung Galaxy Watch starts to feel unstable or slow. It’s not as drastic as resetting your phone, either. You will have to reinstall apps, re-transfer any music and link your Samsung account.
However, all your fitness data is kept safe in the cloud, so you won't lose any tracking history.
Reset Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 network
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This reset method only really applies if you have the 4G/LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Watch. It wipes out all mobile network connection configurations and any Wi-Fi login details you’ve registered on the watch.
This is the reset style you are least likely to need. However, it may come in handy if you created a custom APN, and it's refusing to work for whatever reason. An APN, if you're wondering, is a profile that tells your watch or phone how to connect to a mobile network.
To reset your Samsung Galaxy Watch's mobile network:
1. Flick down from the top of the watch face and select the Settings icon.
2. Scroll down the Settings menu and select Connections. Select Mobile Networks in this sub-menu then scroll down again and tap Reset Mobile Networks.
There’s an important caveat here: this is not what you need to do if you want to stop paying for the data plan you signed up to.
To do this, you need to get in contact with your data provider. You can’t do it from your watch. Switch 4G off and you’ll continue paying regardless. After all, turning mobile data off doesn’t save you from any mobile phone charges.
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