Can you use your Apple Watch when outside without your phone
After pairing your Apple Watch with your iPhone can you use the watch alone when the iPhone is not available
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You can use the watch apart from the iPhone. Any functions that specifically require an iPhone connection may not be available. But basic functions work.
Sometimes you may be physically apart from the iPhone but you may be connected over wifi. An example was when I was about 2 miles from home at a store without my iPhone. I was able to use Pay on my Watch because the watch auto-connected with the store's wifi network, a network to which my iPhone had previously been connected. My iPhone at home was connected to my home wifi network.
M1 Mac mini, macOS 13.3; Watch, series 7 GPS/cellular, watchOS 9.4; iPad Pro 2nd Gen, iPadOS 16.4; iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 16.4; TV 4th Gen, tvOS 16.4; HomePods, audioOS 16.4 and Airport Express w/ Airplay 2