Telegram on Apple Watch stuck on "Preparing QR" or "Invalid QR code"? Here's how to fix it

Before you start: quick checks

1. Is the watch online? Open Control Center on the watch and check the Wi-Fi or cellular status. If your iPhone isn't nearby, the watch needs its own Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
2. Is the watch on watchOS 26 or later? The official app needs it. Check in the Watch app on your iPhone under General › Software Update.
3. Is Telegram up to date on your iPhone? An older iPhone version may not handle watch sign-in correctly. Update it from the App Store.
4. Are the date and time set automatically on both the iPhone and the watch? A wrong clock can break secure connections and make codes look expired.
5. Is your iPhone signed in to the Telegram account you want on the watch?

Fix 1: Get a fresh code

Login QR codes are short-lived by design and are replaced after a short time. If the screen has been sitting there, or it got stuck while loading, start over:

1. On the watch, press the side button to open the app switcher.
2. Swipe left on Telegram and tap the X to close it.
3. Open Telegram again and wait for a new QR code.

Fix 2: Scan with Telegram's own scanner

The code is meant for Telegram's device-linking scanner, not the iPhone Camera app.

1. Open Telegram on your iPhone.
2. Go to Settings › Devices and tap Link Desktop Device (the wording can vary a little between versions).
3. Turn the brightness up on the watch, hold it steady and fill the scanner frame with the code.
4. Scan as soon as the code appears. Don't wait until it's about to refresh.

Fix 3: Change the network

• If the watch is on cellular, try a known Wi-Fi network, or the other way round.
• Turn off any VPN, proxy or ad-blocking DNS on the iPhone for a moment. When the phone is nearby, the watch often uses its connection.
• Avoid hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi with a login page. The watch usually can't get past those pages.
• Turn Airplane Mode on the watch on, wait ten seconds and turn it off again to force a reconnect.

Fix 4: Restart, then reinstall

1. Restart both the iPhone and the watch. This clears most stuck connections.
2. If it still hangs, remove Telegram from the watch. In the iPhone's Watch app, open Telegram and turn off "Show App on Apple Watch", wait for it to disappear, then turn it back on. Or delete it on the watch and reinstall it from the App Store.
3. Open it and try a fresh QR code again.

Why it says "Invalid QR code"

Telegram's QR sign-in works with a one-time token, and the QR code is simply that token. The iPhone rejects it if:

• It expired. Tokens only last a short time. Scan right after the code appears.
• It was already used. A code can only be used once. If a scan half-worked, generate a new code.
• It was misread. Glare or a tilted screen can cause a bad scan. Brighten the watch and hold it flat.
• The clock is off on one of the devices, which makes a valid code look expired. Set the date and time to automatic.

Getting past the cloud password

If you've turned on Two-Step Verification, Telegram asks for your cloud password on the watch after the QR scan. Typing a long password on a small screen is the next sticking point:

• Type it on the iPhone. When a text field is active on the watch, your iPhone usually shows an Apple Watch Keyboard notification. Tap it and type on the phone instead. Passwords saved in your iPhone's password manager can be filled in there too.
• Use the watch keyboard on models that have one, or Scribble. Avoid dictation for passwords because it often gets symbols and capital letters wrong.
• Forgot it? Use the password reset option on your iPhone (Settings › Privacy and Security › Two-Step Verification). If you set a recovery email, Telegram can send a reset code to it.

After you sign in, the watch appears in Telegram on your iPhone under Settings › Devices. That's how you can confirm it worked, and where you can end the session later.

Still stuck? Sign in with your phone number instead

If QR sign-in won't work, for example because you don't have your iPhone with you, your phone camera is broken, or your network blocks it, a third-party client may help. WristGram, our independent Telegram client for Apple Watch, lets you sign in with your phone number and the code Telegram sends you, typed right on the watch, with your cloud password if you have one. It also supports QR sign-in and handoff from an optional iPhone app. It runs on watchOS 11 and later, so it also works if you can't update to watchOS 26 yet. See how it compares in WristGram vs the official watch app.