Set up and use cellular service on Apple Watch
On an Apple Watch with cellular, you can set up cellular service with the same carrier used by your iPhone. The cellular connection allows you to make calls, reply to messages, stream music and podcasts, receive notifications, and more—even when Apple Watch isn’t connected to your iPhone or Wi-Fi.
Note: Cellular service for Apple Watch isn’t available in all areas or with all carriers.
If your Apple Watch has an active cellular plan, it automatically uses the best available network connection: your iPhone when itʼs nearby, a Wi-Fi network that you’ve connected to previously on your iPhone, or a cellular network.
Add Apple Watch to your cellular plan
You can activate cellular service during the initial setup of your Apple Watch. To activate service later, do the following:
Go to the Apple Watch app
on your iPhone.
Tap My Watch, then tap Cellular.
Follow the onscreen instructions to learn more about your carrier service plan and activate cellular service.
See the Apple Support article Set up cellular on Apple Watch.
Transfer an existing cellular plan to a new Apple Watch
Move your existing service from one Apple Watch with cellular to another.
While wearing your old Apple Watch, go to the Apple Watch app
Tap My Watch, tap Cellular, then tap
next to your cellular plan.
Tap Remove [name of carrier] Plan, then confirm your choice.
You may need to contact your carrier to remove this Apple Watch from your cellular plan.
Remove the old watch, then put on your new Apple Watch with cellular.
In the Apple Watch app
Follow the onscreen instructions.
Turn cellular off or on
You can turn cellular off—to save battery power, for example.
Press the side button to open Control Center.
Tap the Cellular button to turn cellular off or on.
When your iPhone is nearby and connected to Apple Watch, the Cellular button is white.
When your iPhone isn’t nearby, Apple Watch uses its available cellular connection. The Cellular button is green and indicates the carrier’s network such as LTE or 5G (depending on your carrier and Apple Watch model).
Note: Turning on cellular for extended periods uses more battery power (see the Apple Watch General Battery Information website). Also, some apps may not update without a connection to your iPhone.
Check cellular signal strength
When connected to a cellular network, do any of the following:
Open Control Center; the green bars at the top show the cellular connection status.
Use the Wayfinder watch face (available on Apple Watch Ultra models), which shows green dots to indicate the strength of the cellular signal.
Check cellular data usage
Go to the Settings app
on your Apple Watch.
Tap Cellular, then scroll down to see the amount of data you’ve used during the current period.