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 Roundups: Apple Watch 11, Apple Watch SE 3
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday October 31, 2025 8:52 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about Apple's foldable iPhone so far. Ove...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...
iOS 26

Apple This November: iOS 26.2 Beta, Rumored New Products, and More

Thursday October 30, 2025 12:42 pm PDT by
Tomorrow is Halloween, and then November is upon us. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple next month, as the slower holiday season approaches. Apple is expected to kick off November by releasing iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1. With beta testing now wrapped up, the updates will likely be released this Monday, November 3 or Tuesday,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Revamped Siri on Track to Launch Next Year

Thursday October 30, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Apple CEO Tim Cook today said that a more personalized version of Siri remains on track to launch at some point next year, with the new set of features expected to debut on the iPhone as part of iOS 26.4 in March or April. "We're also excited for a more personalized Siri," said Cook, on Apple's earnings call for the third quarter of the 2025 calendar year. "We're making good progress on it,...

Top Rated Comments

phgreer Avatar
67 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
67 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
67 months ago
So far this seems like the parts bin keynote
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
67 months ago
This is kind of a game changer.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jmausmuc Avatar
67 months ago
This keynote is boring.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aaroncon Avatar
67 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)