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Activate cellular connectivity on your Apple Watch to stay connected without your iPhone.
It would be unfair to think of the Apple Watch as just another smart wearable device. If you have a cellular Apple Watch model, it’s a full-fledged mini iPhone that keeps you connected even when you’re away from your iPhone. You can make calls, send and receive messages, stream music, and more—all while your paired iPhone stays at home.
However, to use these features, you must first set up a cellular plan on your Apple Watch, as it isn’t activated automatically. Keep reading to learn how.
While the initial set up process for a cellular and GPS Apple Watch is similar, setting up cellular services requires you to meet the following requirements:
Once you meet the requirements, you can move ahead with the set up process:
Use the Watch app to set up cellular on your Apple Watch
To conserve battery life, Apple has designed the Apple Watch to automatically switch to the most power-efficient wireless network. This means that if your paired iPhone is nearby, the Apple Watch will connect to it. Otherwise, it will connect to a Wi-Fi network if available, rather than unnecessarily draining the battery by staying on the cellular network.
Here’s how to check whether your Apple Watch is connected to a cellular network or your paired iPhone:
No one can deny the convenience of using cellular data on an Apple Watch, but managing it effectively is essential to avoid unnecessary charges. Here’s how:
While the Apple Watch automatically prefers switching to Wi-Fi if available, you can manually disable cellular in the Control Center when you don’t need it to save unnecessary data consumption.
Save money
If, for whatever reason, you no longer wish to use cellular on your Apple Watch, you can remove your mobile plan easily. Here’s how:
Go iPhone free…
Setting up cellular connectivity on your Apple Watch adds a new level of convenience, allowing you to stay connected without carrying your iPhone everywhere. It can also help reduce screen time. However, be sure to monitor your data usage to avoid extra charges.
Have any questions? Drop them in the comments, and I’ll be happy to reply!
FAQs
An inactive cellular plan, zero network reception area, or a disabled cellular network might be among the reasons why cellular data isn’t working on your Apple Watch.
No, you can not. Your Apple Watch and iPhone share the same phone number, meaning the watch cannot independently function with a different carrier.
If your Apple Watch has an active mobile plan and is connected to the cellular network, you can make calls and send text messages without the paired iPhone nearby.
Apple Watch cellular support varies by region and carrier. Check with your provider for roaming support.
If you remove your cellular plan from your Apple Watch, it will no longer have independent cellular connectivity unless it is connected to Wi-Fi and your iPhone via Bluetooth. If you switch carriers, you must remove the existing plan and set up a new one in the Watch app under Cellular.
Dear Apple Watch owner, here are some hacks you should know: