Apple Watch not sending or receiving text message
My Apple Watch is cellular. It will call people without my iPhone near but will not send or receive text messages
Question marked as
Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support
Read footnote #2
“2. To receive SMS, MMS, or push notifications from third-party apps on your cellular Apple Watch, your paired iPhone must be powered on and connected to Wi-Fi or cellular, but it doesn't need to be nearby. You also need to be signed in to iMessage on your iPhone to use Messages on your watch.”