Set up and use cellular service on Apple Watch (2024)

FAQs

Set up and use cellular service on Apple Watch? ›

Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Cellular. Your Apple Watch should automatically switch to the carrier that your iPhone is using. If you need to add a new plan, tap Add a New Plan, then follow the onscreen steps. If your previous plan still appears in the Apple Watch app, you can remove it.

With Apple Watch with cellular and a cellular connection to the same carrier used by your iPhone, you can make calls, reply to messages, use Walkie-Talkie, stream music and podcasts, receive notifications, and more, even when you don't have your iPhone or a Wi-Fi connection.

Check to see if Airplane mode is activated on your Apple Watch or paired iPhone. If Airplane mode is on, turn it off to reactivate cellular connectivity. Check for updates to your carrier settings. Check your cellular carrier settings are up to date.

The provider's cellular service lets you connect your family member's watch to the cellular network with its own mobile service plan, so the family member can stay connected even without your iPhone nearby.

You only have to pay if you want to use your watch as a phone, independently of your iPhone. No, you do not have to pay a monthly charge to use your watch. As long as you have your paired iPhone with you, you can answer and make calls from your watch, send messages, etc., without paying the $10 monthly fee.

On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app. Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Cellular. Your Apple Watch should automatically switch to the carrier that your iPhone is using. If you need to add a new plan, tap Add a New Plan, then follow the onscreen steps.

The cellular-enabled model is more expensive than the non-cellular offerings, plus, on top of that cost, no cellular provider is going to give away data for free, so there will either be an additional monthly data cost, or you will be sharing data with your iPhone, either way, it's likely to cost you more.

When your iPhone is off or out of range, your Apple Watch can use a Wi-Fi network to send and receive data. Your watch can also connect to a cellular network if it's a cellular model. And if you've set up an Apple Watch for a family member, they can use a cellular or Wi-Fi connection with their watch.

Making Use of Your Apple Watches Cellular Connection

If you have your phone with you then it will connect to your phone. If you've left your phone at home it will look for Wifi that you've previously connected to and if there isn't Wi-Fi available either then it will use your cellular plan.

Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby

With Apple Watch with cellular and an activated cellular plan, you can stay connected even when away from your iPhone. For all other models of Apple Watch, there are still things you can do even when you are away from your iPhone and not connected to Wi-Fi.

Does it cost extra to add an Apple Watch to a cellular plan? ›

It is not necessary to get the Watch cellular activated if one intends to have their paired iPhone nearby whenever using the Watch. The additional charge for the Watch should only be around $10/month, not the regular cost for another line.

Any calls placed, text messages sent and/or cellular data used by Apple Watch are provided via the paired iPhone, so are charged as part of your iPhone's plan and bill. Whether or not it will cost you any more monthly depends on your usage.

Any calls or data-related services are routed either via the paired iPhone or via a direct connection between the watch and a compatible Wi-Fi network (when the watch cannot connect to the paired iPhone via Bluetooth). A separate cellular plan for the Apple Watch is not required.

Key Takeaways. Upgrading to a cellular Apple Watch comes with added cost, but it allows you to leave your iPhone behind while continuing to make phone calls and stream music. Both the cellular and GPS-only Apple Watch models have the same hardware, but the cellular version unlocks Family Setup and exclusive watch faces ...

To receive SMS, MMS, or push notifications from third-party apps on your cellular Apple Watch, your paired iPhone must be powered on and connected to Wi-Fi or cellular, but it doesn't need to be nearby. You also need to be signed in to iMessage on your iPhone to use Messages on your watch.

To listen to music over cellular, you must be using Apple Watch with cellular. On your iPhone go to Settings > Music, then turn on Cellular Data. Tap Audio Quality, tap Cellular Streaming, then choose a quality. Note: Higher quality settings consume significantly more data.

If you have iPhone 14 or later (all models), Fall Detection notifications to emergency services may be communicated by the Emergency SOS via satellite system when you're outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, where Emergency SOS via satellite is available. Learn more about Emergency SOS via satellite.