You likely already know that the content on your Apple Watch backs up automatically to your iPhone, so you can then restore from that backup, if needed. But what exactly is included in that backup? And does it get eventually get backed up into the cloud?
Apple was kind enough to publish a support document on all of this on Tuesday, we’ll give you the short version here.
First off, since your Apple Watch is backed up to your iPhone, every time you backup your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes, it includes your Apple Watch data, so you’re double-covered.
Here’s what comes along for the ride when your Apple Watch is backed up:
- General system settings, such as your watch face, known Wi-Fi networks, brightness, sound, and haptic settings
- Language
- Time Zone
- Settings for Mail, Calendar, Stocks, and Weather
- App-specific data and settings, such as Maps, distance, and units
- Health and Fitness data, such as history, achievements, and user-entered data (To back up Health and Fitness data, you need to use iCloud or an encrypted iTunes backup.)
Now, here’s what ISN’T included in your Apple Watch backup:
- Workout and Activity calibration data from your Apple Watch
- Playlists synced to your Apple Watch
- Credit or debit cards used for Apple Pay on your Apple Watch
- Passcode for your Apple Watch
Backups of your Apple Watch are created automatically when you unpair your Watch from your iPhone. Unpairing then erases all the data from your Watch. If you pair it again, you can restore it from the backup. Note: if your Apple Watch is unpaired while the iPhone is out of range, the backup is not created. Keep that in mind.
(Thanks to iMore for the original post.)
