topic Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan in Apple Devices

999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

matt459 — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 08:48:05 GMT

Hi there,

The answer to this appears to vary from network to network and country to country but I am wondering if I have a cellular Apple Watch but without an active data plan will it still allow me to make 999 calls on EE if my iPhone is not close by?

I don't really use the data or anything on my watch but I like the extra security of being able to make an emergency call if I didn't have my iPhone close by.

Thanks!

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Northerner — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 09:29:12 GMT

Hi @matt459

Dialing 999 without a SIM will connect you to the nearest network which might not be EE.

Thanks

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

XRaySpeX — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 09:44:41 GMT

No, not when your phone is not nearby. You can only make calls from a watch w/out a plan by Bluetooth connection to a phone.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Leanne_T — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 14:40:39 GMT

Hi @matt459

Thanks for coming back to the community.

Please see the Use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK) support page for full information 🙂

Leanne.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 16:53:35 GMT

@matt459 Yes it will. The iPhone doesn’t need to be near by.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

matt459 — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:04:31 GMT

Thanks very much all for the reply's.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

BigJinge — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:25:52 GMT

The answer is yes.

I spoke with Apple today and said "Here's a scenario : If I bought an Apple Watch 9 GPS&Cellular, didn't get a separate call plan for the watch, left iPhone at home, had a fall whilst wearing watch, would watch still call UK emergency services?", they replied yes, it would.

Hope that helps.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

BigJinge — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:42:20 GMT

Whilst Apple Support did give a voice answer when called directly (see further down the page), the scenario about not having the iPhone with you AND not having a call plan attached to the watch, isn't covered on that page.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:12:41 GMT

@BigJinge Yes it is

“Just like when you use Emergency SOS in your home country or region, your iPhone needs to be nearby if your Apple Watch isn't a model that offers mobile data connectivity.”

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

BigJinge — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:06:47 GMT

No it doesn't.

THAT quote / page doesn't state specifically that if the watch model has cellular, it doesn't additionally need a call plan attached to it to be able to call your HOME UK emergency services, regardless if an iPhone is nearby or not. It only states it might not work internationally.

For the paragraph that's near it says "In some countries and regions, international emergency calling works even if you haven't set up a mobile data plan on the watch. Find out which countries and regions are supported."

If you follow through the Find out... section and go to see what International emergency dialing shows for the UK under : https://www.apple.com/uk/watchos/feature-availability/#communications-international-emergency it says UK3 . The 3 sub category proviso states " Device must have been set up for mobile service with a network provider but does not require an active data plan. support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207578"

On that HT208578 page it states, under the Before You Start section, "Make sure that you have an eligible mobile data plan with a supported network provider. Your iPhone and Apple Watch must use the same network provider,* and you must be within your provider’s network when you set up cellular on your watch. *An Apple Watch that you set up for a family member can use a different network provider than your iPhone uses."

Even though I rang Apple directly and gave them a very specific scenario saying that if the cellular Apple watch would be used in the UK without a call plan, that following a fall, would it call the UK Emergency Services, the Genius said yes it would. On Apple's own support pages it says to make sure you have to an eligible mobile data plan.

So, if the Genius is to be trusted, it reads as..

1. If the Apple watch cellular owner lives in the UK on say Vodafone, doesn't need to make non emergency calls on the watch when their iPhone isn't near, as long as the watch is seen as a mobile device on their network, then they wouldn't need to transfer to EE or O2.

2. If the Apple watch cellular owner lives in the UK and wants to make non emergency calls on the watch when their iPhone isn't near, then they need suitable call plan for the watch that only EE or O2 can provide.

All of this infers that someone ALREADY knows if they pick up an iPhone or Apple watch with cellular (without nearby iPhone), which doesn't have an activated SIM / eSim, that you can make an emergency call.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:15:24 GMT

@BigJinge What’s this then.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:19:03 GMT

@BigJinge I even post this for you

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:22:58 GMT

I’ll take my leave now as obviously you didn’t read or understand what was written on Apples own website. Plus the fact the answer was already given before you even made a comment. 2 days before.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

BigJinge — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:33:20 GMT

Chris,

You're just highlighting what I've already mentioned. Nowhere on any of the Apple pages we've seen does it specifically say "If you live in the UK, you do not need an active watch call plan to call the UK emergency services with a cellular Apple watch, if your iPhone is not nearby". It needed a call to Apple for them to confirm that.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 12:48:05 GMT

@BigJinge Again you didn’t understand it.

“Just like when you use Emergency SOS in your home country or region, your iPhone needs
to be nearby if your Apple Watch isn't a model that offers mobile data connectivity.”

So if you have a cellular watch without a wireless plan attached to it you can still make emergency calls because it’s a cellular watch. If it’s a none cellular watch it needs to be connected to the iPhone for that call to be made. That’s in your home country as stated .

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

BigJinge — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 18:41:54 GMT

I do understand it. It is down to the inference.

That "Just like..." paragraph doesn't state that you require a call plan or not. It infers that the user knows that they can make an emergency call without a call plan. That's fine if the person DOES know if they can. Nowhere on Apple's support pages does it state implicitly "If you live in the UK, you do not need an active watch call plan to call the UK emergency services with a cellular Apple watch, if your iPhone is not nearby".

The outcome from this is, we ALL now know.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

Chris_B — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 20:36:49 GMT

@BigJinge I give up. Obviously you do not understand it as it clearly states you can make emergency calls without a plan on a cellular watch and it clearly states that it’s available within the UK. While it does state its availability when roaming within the UK that also implies it’s available within the UK even if your are not roaming and are a user of a uk network or it just wouldn’t work when roaming within the UK.

Re: 999 Calls From A Cellular Apple Watch (series 9) Without a Plan

matt459 — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 16:03:48 GMT

Thanks all, sounds like it's a yes then... Cheers.