I bought my kids apple watches for xmas. They are apple watch 3 GPS non cellular They both have ipads and their own apple ids but they do not have cell phones. My hope was for them to be apple to use imessage on their watches while using wifi so i can communicate with them. How can i set up their watches without them having their own iphones?
You cannot. The Apple Watch requires an iPhone for setup and usage. They are not independent devices. You cannot activate them without an iPhone, they cannot be activated with an iPad, and they will be paired to the iPhone used to activate them. You cannot activate them with your phone, as they would be receiving all of your messages. Have them use the iPads on wi-fi to communicate. You cannot use the watches. Unless you intend to get them iPhones too, I would return the Watches.
if they had the cellular versions would they be able to be set up without an iphone or no?
No, they would not. The also require the iPhone, as the cellular version clones the SIM of the iPhone and uses that number on the Watch.
setup apple watch without iphone
