Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support (2024)

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Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support? ›

Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby

With Apple Watch with cellular and an activated cellular plan, you can stay connected even when away from your iPhone. For all other models of Apple Watch, there are still things you can do even when you are away from your iPhone and not connected to Wi-Fi.

Use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby

With Apple Watch with cellular and an activated cellular plan, you can stay connected even when away from your iPhone. For all other models of Apple Watch, there are still things you can do even when you are away from your iPhone and not connected to Wi-Fi.

Yes, it is true that one can use Apple Watch without pairing to iPhone. However, the complete Apple functionality depends on the cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

If your smartwatch has cellular connectivity and is capable of making and receiving phone calls and texts, then you can leave your phone at home and still use your smartwatch to stay connected.

Once you set up Apple Pay in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, you're ready to make store purchases—even when you don't have your iPhone with you.

You can set up and manage Apple Watch for someone who doesn't have their own iPhone—your school-aged child or parent, for example. To do so, you must be the family organizer or parent/guardian in your Family Sharing group.

What to Know. Bluetooth on the Apple Watch has a maximum range of 100 meters/330 feet, though the range may be shorter in practice. If the paired iPhone is connected to a known Wi-Fi network, the Apple Watch and iPhone can communicate over Wi-Fi.

If your cellular carrier offers Wi-Fi calling, you can use your Apple Watch to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi instead of the cellular network—even when your paired iPhone isn't with you or is turned off. Your Apple Watch just has to be within range of a Wi-Fi network that your iPhone has connected to in the past.

If you don't have your old iPhone or you erased it

Erase your Apple Watch. Set up your new iPhone and sign in to iCloud. If you've already set up and signed in, skip this step. Open the Apple Watch app on your new iPhone, then pair your watch with your new iPhone.

If you don't have the paired iPhone, you can erase your Apple Watch, but Activation Lock will remain. If you're using your Apple Watch with a transit card in the Wallet app, remove your transit card from your Apple Watch before you unpair.

Can you use a smart watch without a phone nearby? ›

Standalone smartwatches have a built-in cellular connectivity that allows then to make calls or send messages without having it connected to a smartphone. How do you use these accessories? You can access the different functions and settings of your smartwatch by using their touchscreen, dials and buttons.

If your Apple Watch is connected to Wi-Fi or cellular

With a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, your Apple Watch can do the following things, even if your iPhone isn't with you. Make and answer phone calls. Send and receive messages. Use Siri to get directions, send iMessages, and more.

If your watch supports Wi-Fi, it can stay connected to your phone at any distance when they're both connected to the Internet. To stay connected to your phone, turn on and connect to Wi-Fi on your watch. Not all watches can connect to Wi-Fi. Try turning on Wi-Fi on your watch.

The watch can then be used with its own phone number and account. The provider's cellular service lets you connect your family member's watch to the cellular network with its own mobile service plan, so the family member can stay connected even without your iPhone nearby.

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.

If your cellular carrier offers Wi-Fi calling, you can use your Apple Watch to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi instead of the cellular network—even when your paired iPhone isn't with you or is turned off. Your Apple Watch just has to be within range of a Wi-Fi network that your iPhone has connected to in the past.

Note: If your friend is wearing an Apple Watch with cellular and is sharing their location, but they don't have their iPhone with them, their location will be tracked using their Apple Watch.

You cannot pair an Android device with an Apple Watch and have the two work together over Bluetooth. If you attempt to pair the two devices as one would typically pair with any other Bluetooth device, they will refuse to connect.

The Apple Watch Ultra is only available with cellular. That's part of the cost, but there are more ways to spend your money. Some networks will charge you extra to get data on your Apple Watch, while others allow you to add it to an existing iPhone contract and share the data you use.