topic Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text in Apple Devices

Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 19:46:45 GMT

Can anybody help because I just can’t get a straight answer from the EE shop on chat or on phone calls? I’m going to purchase an Apple Watch or two and a series 10 for a friend tomorrow. I have friends on Vodafone and O2 and found out on the cellular plans they cannot send or receive SMS Unless the phone was with them. These two phone companies say their data plan for the watch doesn’t include Txt which doesn’t make any sense. What’s the point of buying a watch? Have you got to take your phone with you? Can anybody from EE? Let me know if I get a plan with you For the watch, can I send and receive SMS text when my phone isn’t present? I do not mean iMessage I mean SMS text.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 19:47:44 GMT

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Matt_124 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 20:39:43 GMT

Hi @Lee975

I believe you may have asked a similar question on other network providers' fora too (although under a different name but with the same last 3 numbers on your username).

The EE page for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 states this: (image will need to be approved by a moderator first)

It does need to be linked to an EE Pay Monthly Plan and will use the minutes and texts included on this plan. This does not mean the phone has to be physically with you.

The issue with other providers may have been with the watch dropping down to 3G and 2G, causing decreased performance. With EE 4G is typically the base coverage layer with 3G being no longer available and 4G coverage has surpassed 2G in most areas.

If making the purchase online, you will have a 14 day change of mind period to return it from the day you receive the product.

This is a user discussion forum with little EE Employee presence outside of a small moderation and community support team, so is not the correct avenue if you want a response directly from EE.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:01:27 GMT

Hi, thanks for your reply. No idea what you’re on about. Another forum or other provider that wouldn’t make sense so I’m a bit lost what you mean by that. I actually went into O2 shop today and found out that if you buy a data plan that it’s correct you cannot text on it if you’re away from your phone only when you’re with your phone. As for Vodafone my friends going tomorrow so I’ll find out with that one. I asked with EE because I don’t wanna buy the watches and have the problems I’m hearing from other people. Thanks for your answer. Well appreciated.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Chris_B — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:09:49 GMT

@Lee975 from EE you can text from the watch and the phone doesn’t need to get with you. you can also make calls and again the phone doesn’t need to be with you. You can also send iMessage and RCS messages.

I should know I’ve got an Apple cellular watch and I do this.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:27:52 GMT

thanks very much for that. I’ve just had my mate pop round and he actually gone with Vodafone and I don’t understand it because according to Apple they’re saying that all the phone company’s do it but it seems that Vodafone and O2 their data plan you can’t send text if you’re away from your phone only iMessage but if you’re saying hundred percent with EE that I can send and receive text with the data plan that’s fantastic thank you so much I’m unsure what RCS actually is, but thanks again very much appreciated

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Chris_B — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:38:56 GMT

@Lee975 RCS is basically Androids equivalent of iMessage but it’s available to iPhone users to send messages to other RCS users via data.

Let me test this right now, hold on for a moment

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Chris_B — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:46:12 GMT

@Lee975 Just sent a text to an Android user from my watch. I switched off WiFi and Bluetooth on my phone and even put it in to airplane mode to make sure it wasn’t connected to my watch. I then text and received a text from the person I texted all on my watch. No phone was involved in this text exchange.

So that’s a big yes you can send and receive texts on the watch without the phone being with you.

( this was a text not a RCS message)

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 22:09:10 GMT

Thanks for both replies that’s great. I’ll pop down the shop tomorrow and get it sorted. I just can’t understand why O2 and Vodafone are selling data plans but you can’t text if you’re away from the phone. You can only iMessage which doesn’t seem to make sense but thanks for your help very much appreciated.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Rach_H — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 12:10:10 GMT

Hi @Lee975

Welcome to the Community!

We do have a couple of different options for Apple Watch plans, and we want to find the plan that works best for you.

Our Personal Paired plan allows you to receive calls and texts when you are using your watch away from your phone, and does need to be set up on the same account the phone you're linking to is on.

Our Family Sharing plan doesn't give you the option to use calls and texts on your watch when it is away from your phone, but can be added to any account.

Rach

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 12:37:47 GMT

i have literally just got home from the EE shop. No one could tell me 100% they said they think. What we want is to leave our phone at home for example in birmingham drive to cornwall and be able to send SMS text to anybody we want to not iMessage text. Which O2 said would happen so we got the plan with O2 and it doesn’t you cannot text you cannot receive a text or anything unless your phone is with you. It’s not what they said when they sold the products.. all the phone company’s have online what Apple says you can doit. but apple confirmed not all carriers will do it or have it in their plan the carriers are doing different as Apple said you can send SMS text away from your phone as long as wifi or cellular data is on your phone and cellular data switched on the watch. but it all depends on the carrier O2 don’t do it even though the sell the plan saying they do Vodafone are not even sure and when I ask your staff this morning as polite as they were they still was not 100% sure.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Chris_B — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 19:44:14 GMT

@Lee975 100% sure you can leave the phone at home switched off and you can receive and text out from the watch. The watch it’s linked at account level in order to do just this. It’s this linking at account level that makes it possible on a personal watch plan

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 20:39:11 GMT

it’s been a nightmare my friends with O2 and Vodafone they brought the patch plan and you cannot do it so if you’re telling me that you can do it then it’s only EE that can do it because you can’t do it with Vodafone and you certainly can’t do it O2 as soon as you get away from your phone you cannot send or receive a sms text or even notification until you come back back to your phone you can only do iMessage so if EE 100% can do it well done and thank you

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Chris_B — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 21:14:24 GMT

@Lee975 What other networks do and how they operate shouldn’t be compared to how EE do this. The watch is basically a phone on your wrist when not connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth. just remember the battery in the watch is small so prolonged usage via cellular will help drain the battery. Apple even state this on the watch if you switch off Bluetooth on the watch. And you’ll not use Bluetooth when out of range from the phone . It’s also a good idea to switch off Bluetooth if your going to leave the phone at home as it not going to use battery power for no reason. Leaving things on when not needed uses power.

Re: Apple Watch Ultra 2 days sms text

Lee975 — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 07:44:51 GMT

Thank you Very much I’m very up with Apple products. I’ve been with them for 25 years in our house alone we’ve got eight iPads 9 phones, six watches. It’s very rare I use Bluetooth. My point out of the Network is they telling everybody that it works and it doesn’t hence why Apple Head Office actually call me from America wanted to know what’s gone on because all these phone companies are selling on half of Apple but thanks for your information