Apple Watch does not appear in Xcode 27 Beta and Developer Mode option is missing despite paired iPhone on iOS 27

Developer Tools & Services Xcode
Lukascxpan OP
Created 2w
Replies 1
Boosts 2
Views 292
Participants 2

Environment:

  • MacBook Air M4
  • macOS 27 Golden Gate Beta
  • Xcode 27 Beta
  • iPhone running iOS 27 Beta
  • Apple Watch paired to the iPhone

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Install macOS 27 Beta and Xcode 27 Beta.
  2. Pair an Apple Watch with an iPhone running iOS 27 Beta.
  3. Enable Developer Mode on the iPhone.
  4. Connect the iPhone to the Mac and launch Xcode.
  5. Open Window → Devices and Simulators.
  6. Attempt to locate the paired Apple Watch or enable Developer Mode on the watch.

Expected Result:

  • The paired Apple Watch appears in Xcode for development purposes.
  • A Developer Mode option is available on the Apple Watch.
  • Xcode is able to recognize and communicate with the watch through the paired iPhone.

Actual Result:

  • The Apple Watch does not appear in Xcode.
  • No Developer Mode option is visible on the watch.
  • The iPhone is successfully paired and running iOS 27 Beta, but the watch remains unavailable for development workflows.

Additional Notes:

  • The iPhone and Apple Watch are already paired and functioning normally.
  • Developer Mode is enabled on the iPhone.
  • Restarting devices and reconnecting the iPhone did not resolve the issue.
  • Unsure whether this is a limitation of the current beta builds or a regression in Xcode/watchOS development tooling.
Replies  1
Boosts  2
Views  292
Participants  2
brycesteve OP
6d

I've been fighting with this for a week. I've finally got it to work.

I re-paired the watch to the iPhone, as a new watch, rather than from a Backup. I'm not sure if this step was necessary, but it's what I did.

In Device Hub, I have to click the add button, then choose nearby device. The developer mode option on the watch wouldn't appear until I did this.

After enabling developer mode on the watch, I had to go back into the developer mode menu. At the bottom of that page, there is an option that says paired devices. After a couple of minutes, a button appeared there saying "Pair with MacBook Pro". When I tapped the button, pairing codes appeared on the watch, and in Device Hub. I confirmed the codes matched, and all of a sudden everything just started working.

So, I'm not sure if that is just my experience, or the new way of pairing is initiating it from the watch end.

Hope this might be of help to you.

Apple Watch does not appear in Xcode 27 Beta and Developer Mode option is missing despite paired iPhone on iOS 27
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