If no matter what you do it seems as if the direct-dial cellular line on your Apple Watch is not able to make calls or texts using your Apple Watch’s dedicated cellular line, here’s how to test whether your Apple Watch is actually connected to its cellular connection.
Having a watch that is enabled with its own cellular connection means that even if your phone is turned off – or heck, even if you left your phone at home – your watch will be able to make and receive phone calls and text messages. People want to have their Apple Watch enabled with its own cellular connection for a number of reasons, including that they sometimes forget or even lose their phone, or that they like to leave their phone in the car when doing certain activities such as sports or hiking.
But by far the reason that we most often hear for people to get their Apple Watch its own phone line is for safety. Starting with the Series 4 Apple Watches, your watch can detect if you fall. And starting with the Ultra and Series 8 watches, your Apple Watch can also detect if you are in a crash. In both cases (fall and crash) you can set up your watch so that if it detects a fall or a crash – and you don’t move for a period of time – your watch will call 911. In addition, if you choose to set it up like this, it will notify your designated emergency contacts (you designate them within the Apple Health app) that it has called 911 and it will include your location in the message to your contacts.
Reddit has many stories of people’s Apple Watches saving their life!
Is Your Apple Watch Cellular Capable?
First, of course, you have to be sure that your Apple Watch is cellular enabled. Nearly all current models of Apple Watch offer a version that includes cellular; in fact the only ones that don’t are the original Apple Watch (“Series 1”) and the Series 2 and Series 3 watches. Put another way, any Apple Watch that is Series 4 or higher will be available in a version that is cellular enabled. This includes the Apple Watch SE (both series) and the Apple Watch Ultra. But that doesn’t mean that your version of any of these watches is cellular-enabled! We can’t stress this enough. All of the Apple Watches which have a cellular version also come in a version that does not have cellular capability!
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Apple calls the watches that have cellular capability “GPS + Cellular”, and the versions without cellular just “GPS” (this is because all Apple Watches come with GPS built in). This is important to know whether you are buying your Apple Watch new at the Apple store, or through an outlet such as eBay (so if you are going through somewhere like eBay be sure to ask the seller whether the watch actually has cellular capability).
So You’ve Ensured that Your Apple Watch has Cellular Capability
Congratulations, you have an Apple Watch with cellular capability. Next you have to set up your Apple Watch with direct-dial cellular service. Most carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) offer this service, and they just add your Apple Watch to your account as a second line. As of the time of this writing, for example, AT&T offers the option to add your Apple Watch, and give your Apple Watch its own cellular line, for $10 a month, plus a set-up fee of $25.
Using AT&T as an example, when you set up your Apple Watch with AT&T, they add a second line to your account, and that second line has its own telephone number (as you would expect with a second line). But if you make a call out or send a text from your watch, it will announce itself as (i.e. the caller ID will be) your primary phone number, in other words the phone number associated with your phone, even if your phone is turned off.
This means that trying to test whether your watch cellular works by trying to call someone from your watch, and expecting the caller ID to be your watch’s line’s phone number if it works, will give you a false negative every time, because it’s not a valid test.
How to Know Whether Your Apple Watch is Actually on Its Cellular Connection
First, the secret to knowing whether your Apple Watch is actually on its own cellular connection, rather than going through your iPhone, lays in the side button, which is the button on the right side of your watch below the digital crown button. (The digital crown button is the round button on the right; the side button is the long, slender button below the digital crown.)
Pressing the side button once opens your control center (pressing it again closes the control center).
Apple Watch Control Center
Look at the above image. The wifi symbol is blue, meaning that the watch’s wifi is on and connected to your wifi network. The cellular radio symbol is white, meaning that the radio is on, and that you have an active cellular plan for your watch, but your watch is not using its cellular connection.
Apple Watch Cellular Turned Off
This image above shows the control center with the cellular radio turned off – this is not the default state, you need to manually turn it off to achieve this, however if this is what you see, just tap on the black radio symbol and it will bring up the switch to turn cellular back on.
Apple Control Center When Watch is Using Cellular Connection
This last image is of an Apple Watch control center when the watch is actually on and using its own cellular connection. If you are not seeing this green icon instead of the radio symbol, then your watch is not on and using its own cellular connection, period. This is the holy grail.
How to Test Whether Cellular Calling and Texting is Actually Working on Your Apple Watch
The very first thing that you need to do is go to your Apple Watch’s control center and turn off the wifi on your watch by tapping on the wifi symbol.
Apple Watch with Wifi Turned Off
When you turn off the wifi on your watch it will give you a “Disconnected” message.
Now you are ready to proceed with the test to see whether your Apple Watch will actually use and is using its cellular connection.
Making a Phone Call or Sending a Text Message from Your Watch
As we just discussed above, simply making a call or sending a text from your watch to see what the caller ID says is not a good test of whether your Apple Watch is actually using its own cellular connection. This is because, again, even though your watch has its own phone line, it uses the caller ID of your primary phone line that is assigned to your mobile phone.
Putting Your Phone in Airplane Mode to Test Whether Your Watch can Make a Phone Call
You would think that putting your phone in airplane mode, so that it is not connected to either your cell carrier (such as AT&T) or your wifi, would stop your Apple Watch from going through your phone, and so that would be a good test of whether your watch is using its own cellular connection. But you would be wrong. Read on.
The Two True Ways to Test Whether Your Apple Watch is Able to Use Its Cellular Connection
There are two ways to test whether your Apple Watch is on and will use its dedicated cellular connection.
First, you can turn your phone completely off.
But that’s a hassle.
So, second:
Put your phone in airplane mode. Yes, we said you were wrong to think that would do it, and we were telling you the truth, because putting your phone in airplane mode is a necessary, but not sufficient step.
Now, go into your settings, and go to your Bluetooth setting.
iPhone in Airplane Mode Does Not Actually Turn Off Bluetooth
Do you see how even though your iPhone is in airplane mode Bluetooth is still on (that sneaky little devil!)? This means that your Apple Watch is still going to connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and so long as your watch is connecting to your phone, it will not use its own cellular connection.
So, to force your watch to use its own cellular connection turn off Bluetooth.
With your phone in airplane mode and Bluetooth turned off on your phone, your watch now is forced to use its own cellular connection, and when you open your watch’s control center you will see that lovely, elusive, green symbol.
What if It Still Doesn’t Work?
The above will work if your Apple Watch is set up correctly with your carrier. If it still doesn’t work, the odds are good that you need to have your watch re-synced to your carrier’s “use one number across all devices” system. AT&T calls it NumberSync, Verizon calls it Number Share, we’re not sure what T-Mobile calls it.
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