Apple Watch SE and Series 6 Include 'Family Setup' for Pairing Multiple Watches to a Single iPhone

Apple today announced Family Setup for Apple Watch Series 4 and later and Apple Watch SE, describing the feature as a way for parents, guardians, and carers to pair Apple Watch models worn by others to a single iPhone.

f1600190460
Currently, every Apple Watch needs to pair with its own ‌iPhone‌, but Family Setup will allow users to pair watches for children or older members of their household who might not have their own iPhones.

Apple is pitching it as a new way for families to use Apple Watch in a novel way, allowing parents to specify who kids can call, and set up automatic location notifications.

‌Family Setup‌ also includes a "Schooltime Mode," which sets up Do Not Disturb on kids' watches with restricted interaction and a special watch face.

This story is part of our ongoing coverage of Apple's virtual "Time Flies" event today. Refresh for more details and follow our live blog.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

phgreer Avatar
50 months ago
I think this is the best announcement today. I have elderly parents and dad has been having more and more fall issues. The SE would be perfect and it's also a sneaky way for them to sell more watches too. I love they recognize we may have elderly folks who are not tech savvy at all and do not need an iPhone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
[AUT] Thomas Avatar
50 months ago
The fact that you have to pair the watch at all is a joke in first place... then that is limited to iPhones. Can't even use an iPad.

Can't innovate my...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wackery Avatar
50 months ago
So far this seems like the parts bin keynote
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
50 months ago
This is kind of a game changer.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jmausmuc Avatar
50 months ago
This keynote is boring.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aaroncon Avatar
50 months ago

Where are you seeing this, aside from the incorrect headline of this article?



Where are you seeing that it is 4 and up? This is a watchOS 7 feature. watchOS 7 works with Series 3 and up. I don't see anything on Apple's site that limits this feature to certain models.



I think this article is wrong.



Where are you seeing that this only works with Cellular models? It is possible but I can't find that on Apple's website.



I don't think it is limited to the new watches.



Where are you seeing cellular is a requirement? I haven't been able to find that on Apple's site.
Family Setup lets you use your iPhone to pair watches for family members who don’t have their own iPhone. Only available with GPS + Cellular. Learn more ('https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/overlay/watch/family_setup')

From Learn More link:
Compatibility
Family Setup is only available with GPS + Cellular models for Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 or later.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)