The current shipping Apple Watch Series 3 and 5 models require an iPhone 6s, SE, 7 or newer running iOS 13. It will Not pair with the iPhone 6 Plus or older.

Do you need iOS 13 for watchOS 6?

watchOS 6 was released to the public on Thursday, September 19, 2020. The watchOS 6 update also requires an iPhone that’s running iOS 13 to work, so those with a newer Apple Watch but an older iPhone that can’t run iOS 13 or later won’t be able to install the software and will need to continue to use iOS 12 or earlier.

What iOS does Apple Watch require?

Apple Watch Series 6 require an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later.