KeepMyWatchiPhone to Samsung: the switch checklist
Short answer
Before you switch, keep the watch set up and teach it your Wi-Fi networks. Move your data and WhatsApp chats to the Galaxy, turn off iMessage for your number, then pair KeepMyWatch and set the app’s battery use to Unrestricted.
Before: while you still use the iPhone
- Update the watch to the watchOS version you want to keep, from the iPhone’s Watch app.
- On the watch, join every Wi-Fi network you use, such as home and work. Later it joins them without the iPhone.
- Don’t unpair or reset the watch. A reset watch needs an iPhone again to be set up.
Moving to the Galaxy
- Copy contacts, photos and messages with Samsung’s Smart Switch when the Galaxy first starts.
- Move WhatsApp with its iPhone to Android transfer. It needs both phones at hand.
- Turn off iMessage and FaceTime on the iPhone before you move the SIM. If the iPhone is gone, use Apple’s deregister page, or texts from iPhone users may not reach you.
Keeping the Apple Watch
- Install KeepMyWatch on the Galaxy and on the watch, and pair them by scanning the code (step by step).
- Allow notification access once, when Android asks.
- Set battery use to Unrestricted and add the app to Never auto sleeping apps (battery guide).
- With a Wi-Fi watch, set up the hotspot routine for when you leave home (hotspot guide).
After: a quick test
- Send yourself a WhatsApp message and a text. Both should reach the watch within seconds.
- Tap Find my phone on the watch, and the Galaxy should play its melody.
- Leave the phone still for half an hour, then test again. If alerts are late, see late or missing alerts.