How to Safely Backup, Reset, and Restore Your Samsung Galaxy Watch

Galaxy Watch is an incredible device, but dealing with the hassle of resetting it every time you want to link it to a new phone can be frustrating. Additionally, Galaxy Watch doesn't have an automatic backup feature of its own. So, if you're planning to upgrade to a new watch or phone, it's essential to know how to safely back up your data, reset your Galaxy Watch, and restore it to a new device. In this article, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of backing up, resetting, and restoring your Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Backup, Reset, and Restore Samsung Galaxy Watch

Unfortunately, you cannot directly back up your Samsung Galaxy Watch from the watch itself. You can only do it through a connected phone using the Galaxy Wearable app. However, the good news is that you have the option to back up manually and set up auto backups every 24 hours, so you don't have to repeat the process repeatedly.

How to Setup Auto-Backup on Samsung Galaxy Watch With Samsung Cloud

1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app and tap on the “Watch settings” option. Scroll down and select “Accounts and backup”.
2. To set up auto backup, enable the toggle beside “Auto back up” under Samsung Cloud. This will back up your data every 24 hours to your Samsung account. The backup includes apps, quick settings panel, health data, watch faces, tiles, alarms, and settings.

Note: Your Galaxy Watch will only back up when connected to Wi-Fi, your phone has more than 30% battery, and your watch has more than 15% battery. Also, both device screens should be turned off.

How to Backup Samsung Galaxy Watch With Samsung Cloud Manually

To take a manual backup, ensure that your phone and watch are connected to Wi-Fi networks and paired via Bluetooth.

1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app > Watch Settings > Accounts and backup. Select the “Back up data” option under Samsung Cloud.
2. On the next page, choose the data you want to back up. By default, it selects all data, but you can choose specific items if needed.
3. Once selected, tap on “Back up” to start the backup process immediately.

How to Backup Samsung Galaxy Watch With Smart Switch

Instead of using Samsung Cloud, you can also back up your Galaxy Watch using the Smart Switch app. The advantage here is that you don't need mobile data or Wi-Fi since the backup is stored on your phone. However, please note that this process is only available on Samsung Galaxy phones.

1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app > Watch Settings > Accounts and backup. Select the “Back up data” option under the Smart Switch section.
2. If you haven't installed Smart Switch yet, it will prompt you to install it on both your phone and watch. Once done, return to the Galaxy Wearable app and tap on the same option again to start the backup.
3. On the next page, choose the data you want to back up. Tap on “Back up” to start the process.
4. The backup should be completed in a few seconds. Tap on “Done” to finish.

Note: Unlike the Samsung Cloud option, Smart Switch does not support auto-backup.

How to Reset Samsung Galaxy Watch Directly From Watch

Unlike the backup process, you can reset your Galaxy Watch directly from the watch itself without the need for Wi-Fi or a phone connection.

1. Swipe up on the home page of your Galaxy Watch to open the app drawer. Tap on the cog icon to open the Settings app.
2. In Settings, select “General”, then choose “Reset”.
3. The watch will prompt you to back up your data, but you can continue the process directly from the watch. Scroll down and tap on the “Reset” button.
4. The watch will power off and begin the reset process, which may take up to 5 minutes. Once completed, you can set up the watch by connecting it to any phone.

How to Reset Samsung Galaxy Watch From Phone

The process of resetting the watch is similar on the phone.

1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app and select “Watch Settings”.
2. Tap on “General” and choose the “Reset” option.
3. On the next page, tap on the “Reset” button.
4. Your Samsung watch will restart and enter the reset mode. The Galaxy Wearable app will log out and start searching for new devices.

How to Restore Samsung Galaxy Watch From Samsung Cloud

During the initial setup process, if you have a backup available, you will be prompted to restore data from Samsung Cloud. Choose the device data you want to restore and select the specific data types. Tap on “Restore” to begin the process.

1. To restore data after the setup process, open the Galaxy Wearable app > Watch Settings > Accounts and backup > Restore data. Select the data you want to restore and tap on the “Restore” option.
2. It may take a couple of minutes to download the data from Samsung Cloud and transfer it to your watch. Once completed, your watch will display the restored data.

Note: Restoring data will not remove the old data but will add apps, watch faces, tiles, etc., to the existing data.

How to Restore Samsung Galaxy Watch From Smart Switch

You can also restore your old data from Smart Switch, but this process is only available on Samsung Galaxy phones.

1. During the initial setup process, open the Galaxy Wearable app > Watch Settings > Accounts and backup > Restore data under the Smart Switch option.
2. Make sure to enable the checkmark next to the data you want to restore. Tap on the “Restore” button at the bottom.
3. The restoration process may take a few minutes. Once completed, you can access your restored data. Restoring data will not replace the old data but will download apps, watch faces, etc., if they are not already installed.

Backing Up, Resetting, and Restoring Your Galaxy Watch

Whether you're switching to a new watch or phone, or facing any issues with your current watch, there are many instances where you may need to reset your Galaxy Watch. Since no automatic backups are made by default, it's important to keep auto backup enabled or perform manual backups regularly. If possible, use Samsung Cloud instead of Smart Switch, as it works on all Android phones and ensures your data remains safe even if something happens to your device.