Apple Watch standalone plan UK

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Level 1

4 points

Apple Watch standalone plan UK

Is it possible to get an apple watch on a standalone plan?

My situation is that my mum has an iPhone X on a network that doesn't support apple watch. The contract still has 17 months to run. We don't want to have to pay up the contract and move her to a network that does provide apple watch.

Having a different number isn't a problem, and we don't mind if it is not fully paired with her existing phone. We really only want it for fall protection

When I look at ee, vodafone and o2 they all say you need to have an iphone monthly or sim only plan with them, and a compatible iPhone.

My wife and I are on ee, but I have an android, and she has an iPhone SE2. Could we get one and let her use it? Could it then pair with her phone? The reason we want one with a sim card is that often she leaves home without her phone.

Thanks,

Stephen

Posted on May 3, 2024 11:02 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Ingo2711

Level 10

80,193 points

May 3, 2024 11:30 AM in response to Sokratees9

Did you already consider Family Sharing?

Then you could use the iPhone SE 2nd Gen. to set up the Apple Watch without having to have another carrier plan.

...

With Family Setup, your family member who doesn't have their own iPhone can use their Apple Watch to do things like make phone calls, send messages, and share their location with you.

After you set up a watch for a family member, you can use your iPhone to manage some of the watch's capabilities.

...

What you need

An Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular,* or Apple Watch SE with cellular, with watchOS 7 or later.
An iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later for the initial watch setup. Learn more about Apple Watch and iPhone compatibility.
An Apple ID for yourself and one for the family member who will use the Apple Watch. Your Apple ID needs to have two-factor authentication turned on.
A Family Sharing group that includes the person who'll use the Apple Watch. You need to have the role of organizer or parent/guardian to set up an Apple Watch for a family member.

* A cellular plan isn't required to set up an Apple Watch for a family member, but is necessary for some features.

...

copied from: Set up Apple Watch for a family member – Apple Support (UK)

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Answer 2

BobHarris

Level 9

56,819 points

May 3, 2024 1:15 PM in response to Sokratees9

An iPhone is needed, however, it can be your iPhone.

Apple Watch Family Plan

Set up Apple Watch for a family member - Apple Support

Set up a family member’s Apple Watch - Apple Support

*** Some limitations ***: Cannot receive SMS/MMS messages, as that depends on a fully paired iPhone. Messaging is pretty much limited to Apple's Messages, unless the messaging service provides an Apple Watch app. Alarms, alerts, notifications on the iPhone are not sent to the Apple Watch. Apple Pay via a credit card is not available. Also not available: Medications, respiratory rate, irregular heart rhythm notifications, ECG, AFib History, Cycle Tracking, Sleep, Wrist Temperature, Blood Oxygen, Walking Steadiness, Audiobooks, Camera Remote, News, Shortcuts, and the double tap gesture.

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