Will Oxygen sensors work in USA, with an US Apple iCloud account, on Apple Watch 9 (or in a few months Series 10) if purchased in UK and brought into the US?
I plan to be in the UK this autumn, and was hoping to purchase the Series 9 (or 10 if available) in the UK. My Apple account is based on the USA location. Will the Oxygen sensor work for me when I return to the US?
Apple Watch Series 9
... I think so. The only reason for any uncertainty is that I haven't personally purchased a Watch in the UK and brought it to the US.
The US Customs and Border Protection prohibited Apple from importing Watches into the US unless that feature is disabled. That order was not imposed upon you for doing the same. As a personally owned item that you have no intention of reselling I cannot imagine it would be considered an "import" but that's a legal question I can't answer.
For reference: watchOS - Feature Availability - Apple
If you buy an Apple Watch abroad, these devices are supposed to be used in the country of purchase, due to the different built in hardware, that has to support local carriers, especially if it comes to LTE.
So make sure that your carrier in the US supports this model and all its features.
And the watchOS is also country specific. An Apple Watch bought in the UK will always install the watchOS version and all available features for the UK. Features that are specific to the US watchOS will not be supported in that case.
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copied from: Apple Watch - Carriers - Apple
Also remember, that the warranty for an Apple Watch can be restricted by Apple to the country of purchase.
In case of a warranty claim, you will have to bring the watch back to the country of purchase, Apple Support does not ship internationally.
You're welcome 🙂
One point that has not been mentioned yet, depending on the price of the Apple Watch you might have to pay import tax at the customs office at the airport.
If I would buy Apple hardware in the US, which costs more than €430, I would have to pay at least 17,5% import tax at customs.
So, your last link specifically disputes your suggestion that warranty service will be denied.
>>You will be able to receive the remedies available under the One Year Limited Warranty for your Apple product via local Apple service facilities in most parts of the world (please refer to section "How to obtain warranty services").<<
I think the cellular bands the watch offers might be a stumbling block and definitely warrants further investigation.
So, all that’s proven is that the various documents Apple publishes are in conflict. Is GB in the EEA? Much of your quote applies to iPads, China, and iPhones. Only the first sentence specifically mentions Apple Watch and the second word is >may<. How definitive is that?
My point was, that Apple can restrict the warranty for an Apple Watch to the country of purchase, no matter if you buy in the EU, US, or any other region/country. This passage can be found in all those country specific warranty regulations.
Thank you: John, Ingo2711, and Jeff for your all of helpful advice. At this point, I likely will pass on purchasing a Watch in the UK this autumn, however if I do end up purchasing one in the UK I will give an update.
If the Watch is registered in the UK, VAT would be charged, but you get that back by filing for a refund. A $400 watch will have negligible duty coming into US Customs. You’d declare it on the plane and depending on other purchases, it’s minimal or no duty.
On a side note, if I buy the watch in UK, can I purchase Apple Care in US? I’d bet I could.
The Apple Watch warranty document for the US is not that much different in this particular point:
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copied from: Legal - Apple Watch Warranty US - Apple
If the product is purchased in GB, then their warranty would apply, to best of my knowledge. So, US warranty is irrelevant.
Will Oxygen readings work in USA on Apple Watch 9 if purchased in UK?
