Can an iWatch 3 sync to a iPhone 7 with no SIM card?

Question

Can an iWatch 3 sync to a iPhone 7 with no SIM card?

Can I link a iWatch 3 to my 12 y/o son’s iPhone 7 that has no plan or SIM card.

Posted on Dec 22, 2019 6:50 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

BobHarris

Level 9

53,231 points

Dec 22, 2019 7:13 PM in response to RobynfromHudson

As long as it is either a GPS only Apple Watch (which doesn't care about your iPhone's cellular capabilities), or you do not want to activate the cellular radio in a Cellular+GPS Apple Watch.

You cannot active a cellular Apple Watch's cellular radio except by cloning the iPhone's SIM to the Apple Watch, because the Apple Watch cellular radio shares the same phone number as the iPhone. No phone number on the iPhone, and no carrier to share the iPhone's phone number with the Apple Watch, then no way to activate the Apple Watch cellular radio.

But the cellular Apple Watch can be used as if it is a GPS only Apple Watch when you do not activate the cellular radio.

Obviously your son can not make phone calls, but he can still use things like iMessage (or similar internet only messaging apps, Facetime audio calls, email, calendar, get the weather, track his exercise, etc...

Reply

Answer 2

Dec 22, 2019 8:38 PM in response to BobHarris

This was very helpful. We are not planning on having him use the GPS or cellular functions on either the watch or the phone. Everything will be done via WiFi. So it sounds like this is entirely possible.

followup question- once synced and connected to the WiFi system at home and at school will the watch continue to connect to the WiFi even if the phone is NOT in range. We would like him to have the watch at school but the school has a no cell phone rule in the classroom.

Reply