Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support (2024)

FAQs

Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support? ›

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.

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.

Once you set up Apple Pay in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, you're ready to make store purchases—even when you don't have your iPhone with you.

With Family Setup, your family member who doesn't have their own iPhone can use their Apple Watch to do things like make phone calls, send messages, and share their location with you.

Bluetooth on the Apple Watch has a maximum range of 100 meters/330 feet, though the range may be shorter in practice. If the paired iPhone is connected to a known Wi-Fi network, the Apple Watch and iPhone can communicate over Wi-Fi.

Note: If your friend is wearing an Apple Watch with cellular and is sharing their location, but they don't have their iPhone with them, their location will be tracked using their Apple Watch.

Sign in at iCloud.com or use the Find My app to find your watch on a map. If your watch is nearby, you can tap Play Sound to help you find it. Your watch rings until you tap Dismiss.

Do I always need my phone to use my smartwatch? Not always, although your phone needs to be on. Android Wear features such as using your smartwatch as an activity tracker, setting alarms and checking the time work without being paired with your phone. Plus, you can easily manage many of its settings on your phone.

You can set up a cellular Apple Watch for a family member who doesn't have their own iPhone. If your cellular carrier supports the use of a managed Apple Watch, you're given the option to add the watch to your plan during setup. Look for the option to set up cellular, then follow the onscreen steps.

You can set up and manage Apple Watch for someone who doesn't have their own iPhone—your school-aged child or parent, for example. To do so, you must be the family organizer or parent/guardian in your Family Sharing group.

How to receive calls on Apple Watch without phone? ›

If your cellular carrier offers Wi-Fi calling, you can use your Apple Watch to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi instead of the cellular network—even when your paired iPhone isn't with you or is turned off. Your Apple Watch just has to be within range of a Wi-Fi network that your iPhone has connected to in the past.

Update directly on your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has watchOS 6 or later, you can install updates without your iPhone: Make sure that your watch is connected to Wi-Fi. On your watch, open the Settings app. Tap General > Software Update.

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.

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.

How far away can my Smartwatch be from my phone and still be connected? The range of the wireless Bluetooth connection between your phone and your smartwatch can vary greatly depending on the environment. In general, you should have at least 10 meters (or 30 feet) of connectivity.

Normal Bluetooth range is around 33 feet / 10 meters, but this will vary in practice due to wireless interference. Whenever your watch can't connect to the iPhone, it will attempt, as a fallback, to connect to a known, compatible Wi-Fi network.

When you add music to your Apple Watch, you can listen to it wherever you go, even when you don't have your iPhone with you. You can add specific playlists and albums to your Apple Watch using the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

You can set up a cellular Apple Watch for a family member who doesn't have their own iPhone. If your cellular carrier supports the use of a managed Apple Watch, you're given the option to add the watch to your plan during setup. Look for the option to set up cellular, then follow the onscreen steps.

No, the device does not have a camera. However, there is a Camera app on the device. You can set your iPhone's camera timer for a photo using the app on your Watch.