Watch doesn't automatically install iPhone apps

After the watch repeatedly refused to install the apps, even though I shut down and restarted both the phone and the watch again, one time suddenly the apps started installing, quickly! I noted that some instruction said to touch the watch with the phone to pair them, and I made sure to do that this time. Maybe it made a difference? The apps all installed, but the watch Dexcom app told me to check my iPhone Dexcom app, so I phoned Dexcom. A rep spent quite a while on the phone with me, going through a restart that didn't work, but finally telling me to shut both down, wait a couple minutes, restart them both, wait 15 minutes, and then try. That worked! I took the watch to another room to show my wife, and the app quit working. I started to phone Dexcom again, then realized that I have to keep the watch and the phone together (apparently within 30 feet of each other) for the app to work, as when I brought the phone back near the phone, the app started working again.