iOS 14.6 is prompting some users to restore their Apple Watch before trying to install the latest version of watchOS 7. The problem is related to the GPS version of the Series 3 as it has just 8GB of internal storage, 9to5 Mac reported.
With the latest versions of iOS and watchOS, Apple seems to have given up trying to force users to delete apps and media manually, which almost never solves the problem. As shown by a 9to5Mac reader on Twitter… iOS 14.6 simply asks the user to unpair and restore the Apple Watch Series 3 in order to install watchOS updates… Previously, the message only recommended that the user should delete some content before trying to install the update again.
Check It Out: iOS 14.6 Tells Apple Watch Series 3 Users to Restore Device Prior to Updating watchOS
The first time I updated to WatchOS 7 on my Series 3 I was able to delete my music files and successfully install OS 7. When I got to the 7.5 update that’s when the update process failed and warn me to remove files. Then the message changed to say that I needed to restore (unpair, erase, whatever). I had a good backup so went ahead. It worked but then you have to unpair again and restore from backup to get your data back. It was time consuming and resulted in multiple messages about a “new” watch on my system. By the way, I have a Series 5 and have kept the Series 3 as a backup in case the 5 has problems (as it did for a several month period until I figured out that a rewards card added to the wallet was bricking ApplePay on the Series 5 running WatchOS 7+ though not on the Series 3. After updating the Series 3 to WatchOS 7+ I discovered that ApplePay was failing like with the Series 5. Trial & error ensued and I finally found the culprit (Starbucks added to the wallet). Culprit removed and problem solved (the Starbucks app installed to the watch does not seem to cause the issue to recur. It was only the rewards card added to wallet that caused problems).
Last month I bought a series 6 watch because the iOS update half bricked my series 3 watch. A week later I bought a new iPhone because the battery in my X wasn’t lasting half a day.