All iPads Activating Cellular on iPad?

[NJRonbo]

Hey Guys!

My iPhone is bricked. It is being replaced.

I am going away for a week and need some sort of connected device.

I have the 12.9" iPad Pro with cellular. Have a few questions if you guys don't mind answering...


1. Do I need a SIM card to activate cellular on the iPad or is there one embedded in the device? I think I was on AT&T when I bought it two years ago but now I am on VERIZON.

2. How much is a one-month cellular plan? Last time I heard it was $10

3. Without an iPhone nearby, can I make and receive calls with a cellular connection?

4. Can I use the cellular-connected iPad as a hotspot for my laptop while I am on the road?


Thanks in advance for you assistance

 

[AutomaticApple]

1. Do I need a SIM card to activate cellular on the iPad or is there one embedded in the device? I think I was on AT&T when I bought it two years ago but now I am on VERIZON.

Last time I bought an iPad Pro, there wasn't a SIM card already in the slot.

 

[gnomeisland]

Don't know about earlier iPad Pro models but my 2018 iPad Pro uses an e-SIM so you can sign up in the cellular section of the settings app.

Friendly suggestion: if you're in the USA, look at T-Mobile, the offer a pay-as-you-go 5GB good for 150 days for $10. For occasional, but critical, cellular usage I love it. Never pay for data I'm not using and it is a competitive price per-gigabyte. Hoping it doesn't go away with the merger.

Correction: I just doubled checked and it doesn't look like Verizon works with the e-SIM, a physical SIM card should work. The iPad has all the right radios.

 

[jaytv111]

If you want Verizon they don’t participate in Apple SIM so you’ll need to go out and get a Verizon SIM or Verizon eSIM (if you have an eSIM iPad Pro, pre-2018 they did not have eSIM). You can sign up for cellular service through the iPad with another provider, too.

It is $10 a month to add an iPad to a Verizon unlimited plan, similar for their other carriers.

You can get independent T-Mobile service on the iPad, starting at $15 a month.

You can make phone calls, but your iPhone probably needs to be available for the initial setup. You need to setup the “calls on other devices” option on the iPhone first, so I don’t know if you can do that while your iPhone is bricked and not on. You can make FaceTime calls without the iPhone entirely though (Or use a VOIP provider). One thing to note, iPads aren’t the same as phones, one notable difference is it doesn’t ring for phone calls when the screen is off, so you may miss calls if it’s your only phone. You can send calls, it is through FaceTime, it doesn’t have a traditional dialer and you type the number or select a contact in FaceTime.

Yes the iPad has had hotspot abilities for as long as iOS has had it.

 

[rui no onna]

Verizon does not support eSIM on the iPad yet, just on iPhones.

1. As mentioned, what specific model/generation is it?
2. Was it purchased direct from AT&T or is it SIM-free/unlocked?

You can't sign up for other carrier plans directly on the iPad if you got it through AT&T. While the physical Nano SIM slot is unlocked, AT&T has carrier visibility rules set up on their iPads so you don't see other carriers as an option.