Pairing Apple Watch wit car

Phil0124,

Your answer is quite silly for an Apple Watch Series 3, with cellular. A major feature of the watch is to be able to leave the phone at home. If it doesn't work, it is a shortcoming on Apple's side and I hope they consider improving this. in the situation where you don't have your phone and get a call on your Apple Watch, you should be able to use hands free. Some states actually require hands free. You can use bluetooth earphones, you should be able to use hands free. Message to Apple.... Please consider fixing this shortcoming.

I agree with chuckfromchelmsford. I only purchased this watch for the stand alone feature. Imagine my disappointment when I figured out that it wouldn't connect to my car for use as a hands free cell phone. Apple pulled a fast one with this watch. Sale would have been a lot lower if they had advertised the watch like this.

"You can leave you phone home and still receive and make calls/texts but it won't connect to your car".

I am able to make this work on my Acura TL 2008 handsfree. The authentication is that you provide a pin in the car and type it in on the watch.

Only downside is that if the watch pairs before the phone it won’t forward the handsfree through the iPhone to the watch to the car, it will just say there is no service

I have a 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe and 2018 VW Atlas. Those cars auto gen a pin and you confirm on both screens. This feature is broken and it will fail.

I hope this is fixed, finding less and less of a reason to have LTE service for the watch.

Samsung can do it on their gear s 2/3 watches, why can’t Apple?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!

I understand you are wanting to pair your Apple Watch Series 3 to your car stereo system. At this time, the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch are the only devices that can be used with your car stereo. Bluetooth accessories like headsets can be paired to the Apple Watch, but it can't be paired with a car stereo, only with an iPhone.
Get help connecting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your car stereo
About Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular on your Apple Watch​

To enjoy every feature on your Apple Watch, you need to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your paired iPhone. Swipe up on your iPhone to open Control Center. Then make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on.

Your Apple Watch uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate with your paired iPhone, switching between connections as needed

Take care.

You don't pair the watch to the car. You Pair the iPhone the watch is paired to to the car.

The Watch can only be paired to the iPhone, headphones and speakers.

Use Bluetooth accessories with Apple Watch - Apple Support

Also generally the car stereo is what controls the handsfree features. So you pair devices to it.

Follow the instructions for your car's media center / stereo, to set it to pairing mode, and pair it with the iPhone.

Set up and use third-party Bluetooth accessories - Apple Support

Then you cannot use the Car's hands free features. You can use the watch, but not the car.

Better to not forget the iPhone.

this is an issue i have been having and spent many hours taking with apple experts and even had my car in at audi and there seems to be only 2 possible options.

1) get you car upgraded to apple car play and watch handoff do all the hard work for you. costing you about £400 in the uk or

2) i have discovered if you command siri to make the call using you phone then is will come though your car speakers as it's only telling your phone what to do and not making the call on the phone. E.G. "hey siri call the wife using my iPhone" then the phone makes the call instead of your watch.

works great in my car but, i really do fancy CarPlay

Open request to Apple.

Can this get fixed? Is there a plan to improve in a later software update?

Having LTE capable watch and still needing to carry my iPhone to list to Bluetooth music in the car is not great.

Can't u just use the watch and make the call on the watch? I have a Series 2 and I can answer calls on the watch and I think make calls on it but I have to have the phone but with Series 3 can't you just make calls on the watch without the phone or do I misunderstand how this works.

I’ve the Apple Watch 3 with LTE. This allows calls without the phone tethered. It has Bluetooth and I’d like to connect that Bluetooth to the car. It doesn’t tether. Try to connect Bluetooth, it see the car Bluetooth (sync in my case), but then it times out before I can put the full code in.

I know I can carry my iPhone with me but that’s not ideal. The Bluetooth should work without the iPhone.

If you would like to submit a feature request to Apple, then you can do so here:

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

(You are not talking to Apple here - this is a user-based technical support community).

Then be sure to let Apple know via the feedback link in my previous reply.