What is theater mode on an Apple Watch?

Theater Mode prevents your Watch screen from brightening every time you raise or roll your wrist. To use Theater Mode on Apple Watch , tap the screen and swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center . Swipe up until you see Theater Mode (two masks), and then tap it.

What is the digital crown on an Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch digital crown is the side button on the Watch. This rotating button controls various functions, such as scrolling, zooming, viewing the Watch face, using Siri, and more. If you have an app open, the digital crown will also scroll up or down within the app.

What is the red dot on my Apple Watch?

The red dot on your Apple Watch means you've received a notification that hasn't been read. Swipe down to read it. If you don't want this visual reminder, hide the red dot on Apple Watch by turning off the notification indicator.

Smart & Connected Life > Smart Watches & Wearables

What Is the 'i' Icon on the Apple Watch?

It's there for information and to help you with pairing and unpairing the watch

By

Tyler Hayes

Updated on December 10, 2022

What to Know

The circled i on an Apple Watch stands for Information and is used to pair or re-pair Apple Watches & iPhones.
To unpair with the i: In the Watch app, tap the i icon next to the watch you want to unpair. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
Re-pair: Tap i > Start Pairing on watch; tap i by QR code. In app, tap Pair Apple Watch Manually; follow prompts.

This article explains what the i is on an Apple Watch and how to use it for pairing. Instructions apply to all Apple Watch models and watchOS versions.

What Is the 'i' icon on the Apple Watch?

The circled i icon on an Apple Watch stands for Information. When you tap it, you'll get code information to manually pair your watch to your iPhone.

When and Where Will I See the 'i' Icon on Apple Watch?

You'll see the i icon in the lower-right corner of the Apple Watch during the pairing process.

Apple Watch pairing process with scannable code highlighted

Typically, you'll tap Start Pairing on the watch to guide you through an automatic pairing. However, if the automatic process is not working, tap the i icon to manually pair your iPhone and watch.

The floating, swirling series of dots in a circle acts as a QR code that passes information to the phone when scanned for automatic pairing.

How to Unpair Your Watch Manually Using the 'i' Icon

Here's how to erase and reset your Apple Watch and unpair it from your iPhone.

You can erase and reset your Apple Watch from the watch itself, but it will still be locked to your iPhone. To sell it or give it away, you'll also need to unpair the watch from your iPhone.

On the Apple Watch, press the digital crown and open the Settings app.
Tap General.
Tap Reset.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Tap Erase All to confirm.
On iPhone, open the Watch app and tap the My Watch tab.
Tap All Watches.
Tap the i icon next to the watch you want to unpair.
Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
Tap Unpair [name] Apple Watch to confirm. Enter your passcode when prompted to start the unpairing process.

The lowercase i inside a circle is not unique to Apple Watch. It's a common symbol indicating a place to get more information across different software applications.

How to Manually Re-Pair Your Watch Using the 'i' Icon

Re-pairing your Apple Watch is easy and only takes a few moments.

On the Apple Watch tap the i icon. Choose your language and region as prompted.
Tap Start Pairing on the Watch.
You'll see a swirly QR code on the watch. Tap the i icon.
The watch will display a device number for manual pairing via the Watch app.
Tap Start Pairing on the Watch app.
Tap Set Up for Myself.
Tap Pair Apple Watch Manually.
Select the Apple Watch device number that matches the device number from your watch.
Enter the code displayed on your Apple Watch.
You've manually paired your watch and iPhone. You can choose to restore from a backup or set it up as a new device.

FAQ

What is theater mode on an Apple Watch?

Theater Mode prevents your Watch screen from brightening every time you raise or roll your wrist. To use Theater Mode on Apple Watch, tap the screen and swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center. Swipe up until you see Theater Mode (two masks), and then tap it.
What is the digital crown on an Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch digital crown is the side button on the Watch. This rotating button controls various functions, such as scrolling, zooming, viewing the Watch face, using Siri, and more. If you have an app open, the digital crown will also scroll up or down within the app.
What is the red dot on my Apple Watch?

The red dot on your Apple Watch means you've received a notification that hasn't been read. Swipe down to read it. If you don't want this visual reminder, hide the red dot on Apple Watch by turning off the notification indicator.

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