How To Set Up Cellular On Apple Watch
With cellular connection on your Apple Watch, you can make calls, reply to messages, receive notifications, and more—even while you’re away from your iPhone.
Before you start:
- Make sure that you have the latest software on your iPhone and your Apple Watch.
- Check for updates to your carrier settings.
- Make sure that you have an eligible cellular service plan with a supported carrier. Your iPhone and Apple Watch must use the same carrier, and you must be within your carrier's network when you set up cellular on your watch.
- If you have an enterprise or corporate cellular service plan, check with your company or carrier to see if they support this feature. Prepaid accounts and some older accounts aren’t currently supported. To make sure that your account is eligible, contact your carrier.
How to set up your cellular plan on Apple Watch:
You can activate cellular when you first set up your Apple Watch. During setup, look for the option to set up cellular, then follow the onscreen steps.
You can also set up cellular later from the Apple Watch app:
- On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.
- Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Cellular.
- Tap Set Up Cellular.
- Follow the instructions for your carrier. You might need to contact your carrier for help.
Connect to a cellular network
Your Apple Watch with cellular automatically switches to the most power-efficient wireless available: It can connect to your iPhone when itʼs nearby, a WiFi network, or cellular. Your Apple Watch uses LTE networks when it connects to cellular. But, if LTE isn't available, your watch will try to connect to UMTS if your carrier supports it.
When your watch connects to a cellular network, you can check the signal strength from Control Center or the Explorer watch face. To open Control Center, touch and hold the bottom of the screen, then swipe up.
Learn what your Apple Watch can do while connected to WiFi or cellular even when your iPhone isn't nearby.
How to transfer your cellular plan to a new Apple Watch:
When you’re ready to start using a new Apple Watch, you can transfer cellular service from your old watch to your new one. Here’s how:
- Remove the cellular plan from your old Apple Watch. You can do this from the Apple Watch app or by erasing your old Apple Watch.
- Pair your new Apple Watch with your iPhone. During setup, tap Set up Cellular to add a cellular plan.
- Some carriers allow you to transfer your existing plan to your new Apple Watch directly from the Apple Watch app.
- If you don’t see an option to transfer your cellular plan, contact your carrier for help.
Learn more:
- To check your cellular data usage, use the Apple Watch app. Open the app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, tap Cellular, then scroll to the Cellular Data Usage section.
- To turn your cellular connection on or off, swipe up from the watch face to open Control Center. Tap the cellular button
, then turn Cellular on or off. - Turning on cellular for extended periods uses more battery power. Also, some apps might not update without a connection to your iPhone.
- To receive SMS, MMS, or push notifications from third-party apps on your Apple Watch with cellular, your paired iPhone must be powered on and connected to WiFi or cellular.
- Learn how to use Dual SIM with cellular models of Apple Watch.