As with any electronic device, you should erase your Apple Watch before parting with it permanently. Here's how.

If you're getting rid of your Apple Watch , there's one thing you absolutely must do before selling or trading it: Erase it completely to remove all of your personal data . This is an absolutely necessary step, whether you have “things to hide” or not. Here's how.

Technically, there are two methods to do this. You can use the Watch app on your iPhone or you can perform a factory reset directly from the Apple Watch (in Settings > General > Reset). That being said, if you do this from the watch, it won't remove Activation Lock, meaning the watch will still be linked to your Apple ID and iPhone. (This connection is fine when your Apple Watch misbehaves, but that's about it.)

For this reason, we recommend resetting your watch from the iPhone app; this will disable Activation Lock and Find My Watch – and remove the Apple Watch from the Find My app.

To do this, open the Watch app on your iPhone. In the My Watch section, tap the “All Watches” button in the upper left corner. Find the watch you want to reset and tap the information “i” icon next to the watch name.

Then tap “Unpair Apple Watch” and choose “Unpair Apple Watch " from so and so" ” in the confirmation window. If you have a GPS + Cellular model, choose whether you want to keep or delete your mobile data plan – practical in case you change your watch -.

Next, you will need to enter your Apple ID password to remove the activation lock. The Apple Watch will then start the reset process. First, the system will make a full backup of the Apple Watch and then start erasing your data.

After a few moments, the Apple Watch will be reset to its factory configuration, which means you can resell or trade it risk-free.