Reset Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Turn off, re-pair and factory reset

Every now and then you're tech can start misbehaving. While we haven't encountered any major issues with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, that's not say everyone will have the same experience.

One way to kick things back into action is to perform a factory reset. This will take your watch more-or-less back to the state it was in when you first took it out of the box, keeping software updates alive but not much else.

Read this: What is the best Samsung smartwatch?

If you're wondering how to reset Samsung's latest smartwatch, we've explained the best way to address that sluggish performance.

Samsung Galaxy Watch off and on

It may be unlikely to solve most user's issues, but you should try the traditional off-on approach first if your Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 seems slower than usual, or has an erratic moment or two.

The watch is a miniature computer. If there’s an issue with its RAM handling, which can be the result of a bug, it may start to feel sluggish. Powering off is a good way to flush this out.

To turn the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 off and on:

1. Long-press both physical buttons on the watch.

2. Wait until the Power off tab appears, then tap it.

3. Long-press the lower physical button again and wait until the Samsung Galaxy Watch turns back on.

Samsung Galaxy Watch factory reset

This method is the one you likely want, unless you're simply switching phones – in which case, go to the next section. The full reset gets rid of all your data and linked accounts.

A 4G data connection is the one part it does not touch, so, again, skip to the last section if you want to reset that in a 4G-capable Samsung Galaxy Watch.

To factory reset the Samsung Galaxy Watch:

1. Flick down from the top of the watch face and select the Settings cog icon.

2. Scroll down and select General.

3. The Reset option sits at the bottom of this menu.

4. You'll be prompted to back up your data to Samsung Cloud before hitting that reset button.

4. Tap Reset and wait for the watch to reset.

We recommend trying this if your Samsung Galaxy Watch starts to feel unstable or slow. It’s not as drastic as resetting your phone, either. You will have to reinstall apps, re-transfer any music and link your Samsung account.

However, all your fitness data is kept safe in the cloud, so you won't lose any tracking history.

Pair Samsung Galaxy Watch to a new phone

Many wearables make you perform a factory reset if you want to pair with a new phone. The Samsung Galaxy Watch does not. So if you've bought a new phone or want to let someone use your Galaxy Watch for a while, you need this reset method.

It gets rid of most of the data on the watch, like your watch faces and apps, but it doesn’t wipe any data you’ve transferred manually, like songs.

To pair Samsung Galaxy Watch to a new phone:

1. Flick down from the top of the screen to bring up the shortcuts menu, then tap the cog icon in the bottom-right to bring up the Settings menu.

2. Scroll down and you’ll see the Connect to new phone entry.

3. You'll be prompted to back up data or Continue to delete all data except for media files and settings.

Reset Samsung Galaxy Watch network

This reset method only really applies if you have the 4G/LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Watch. It wipes out all mobile network connection configurations, and any Wi-Fi login details you’ve registered on the watch.

This is the reset style you are least likely to need. However, it may come in handy if you created a custom APN, and it's refusing to work for whatever reason. An APN, if you're wondering, is a profile that tells your watch or phone how to connect to a mobile network.

To reset your Samsung Galaxy Watch's mobile network:

1. Flick down from the top of the watch face and select the Settings icon.

2. Scroll down the Settings menu and select Connections. Select Mobile Networks in this sub-menu then scroll down again and tap Reset Mobile Networks.

There’s an important caveat here: this is not what you need to do if you want to stop paying for the data plan you signed up to.

To do this, you need to get in contact with your data provider. You can’t do it from your watch. Switch 4G off and you’ll continue paying regardless. After all, turning mobile data off doesn’t save you from any mobile phone charges.