No way to set up an Apple Watch without using 2FA these days?

[Hattoi]

As in the title really.

Is there really no way to set up an Apple Watch without using it?

what is 2FA

facial recognition?

Two factor authentication?

We’ve only ever had a pretty straightforward pairing with iPhone - not sure at what point in the process 2FA would come in. Why is it an issue anyway?

Apparently it’s a new thing now, no Apple Watch can be used unless the phone it’s paired to has 2FA. What a pain. I’ve successfully managed to evade it for years!

But why?

I’ve got an Apple Watch and I don’t know what you mean by ‘the phone it’s paired with has 2FA’. I do know what 2 factor authentication is, just not what exactly you mean in this context.

Who knows why!

You need an Apple account to set up the watch, and this account (/phone) must have 2FA enabled. Bonkers!

I am furious! I cannot use 2FA because a family member has a disability and it would completely freak him out.
Has anyone found a way not to use it for Apple Watches? I am desperate. He opened his present tearing the box to shreds...

I'm afraid it isn't possible to set up an Apple Watch without 2FA. It is a mandatory security feature, designed to protect users from having their account hacked. Apple is not alone in this. More and more companies are making 2FA mandatory.