User:Brando/cellwatches

In September 2017 Apple announced Apple Watch Series 3, available in two models; cellular Apple Watches being marketed as GPS+Cellular, while Watches lacking cellular capabilities are marketed as simply GPS. Until August 2020, all Apple Watches required, during initial setup, that the owner have an iPhone in order to complete the setup of the Watch.

Starting September 2020, Apple introduced an exception that allows cellular Watches (GPS+cellular models) to be purchased and used by someone who doesn't own an iPhone. The Watch owner must be part of a Family Group, and their family member must own an iPhone. Neither the phone nor the watch needs to have a cellular plan in order to set up the Watch for offline-only use, but in most countries, the watch will become restricted so that it can only accept an eSIM from the same carrier that the family iPhone is on. The only carriers that do not 'lock' family-setup Watches are Truphone (7 countries), Telekom (Germany), and Switzerland's Sunrise and Sunlock.

The carriers available for the watch to be set up on is limited to those carrier(s) that the family iPhone had cellular plan(s) active on; except in the US, Hong Kong, UK, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland.

Stand alone cellwatches

The following models are capable of "family setup" since Sept 2020, provided the model is GPS+cellular (GPS-only models are not permitted to use family setup):

year		initial price (USD)	Display	ECG	int'l emer- gency calling
2018	S4	40mm: $499 44mm: $529		yes	no
2019	S5	40mm: $499 44mm: $529	Always On	yes	yes
2020	S6	40mm: $499 44mm: $529	Always On	yes	yes
2020	SE	40mm: $329 44mm: $359		no	yes

Cellular plans for standalone cellwatches

Truphone

https://go.truphone.com/select-plan

Truphone was selected by Apple as the first multi-country carrier to offer cellular plans for standalone Apple Watches. Truphone offers this service in the following countries:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Poland
• Spain
• Hong Kong

---

Local Carriers

apple.com/watch/cellular/#table-family-setup

bold indicates that the carrier allows the watch on their network even if the associated iPhone is not on that carrier

Americas:

• Canada: Bell
• United States: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, US Cellular, C Spire

Europe

• United Kingdom: EE
• Norway: Telia
• Germany: Telekom
• Switzerland: Sunrise, Swisscom
• Spain: Movistar

Asia and Middle East

• Bahrain:
• Japan: au
• Thailand: AIS, dtac, TrueMove
• Taiwan: Chungwa, Taiwan Mobile
• Hong Kong: 1O1O, csl
• China: China Unicom, China Telecom(in 7 cities)