Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
can Apple Watch with cellular plan roam in foreign countries?
- Thread starter beerseagulls
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I can't speak for the AW, but I know that with T-Mobile as long as you can dial thru from and to the regular number, there is no charge for roaming. It's when you dial internationally to and from is when they hit you with the charge. I experienced that last year when my wife was visiting overseas.
So how does iW 'fall detection' work or not work when away from one's home country? Would it only work if iP in BT range and connected to Wifi or using roaming cellular data?
In a related note, do you manually put your iW in airplane mode while flying or have the iW set to mirror you iP? I have done neither in the past, but during my recent trip to Rome wondered if iOS 15 had changed something.
That’s not quite true …… if you add an esim in the country you want to use it the AW works fine on cellular assuming the model is compatible with that market.
I’ve used an AW purchased in UAE in the UK with a UK Carrier esim (not roaming)
The reason roaming isn't supported is because apple watches with celluar models are region specific. It is divided between Americas, China Mainland, Europe/Asia Pacific. It's a hardware limitation. Unlike the iPhone, there's no "world wide" capable Apple Watch. This is as per Apple's own support documents.
I've also read from my carrier that Apple Watch plans are nation wide only.
However, the watch can still "roam" when you have your iPhone nearby and your iPhone is on another carrier in another region.
I've also read from my carrier that Apple Watch plans are nation wide only.
However, the watch can still "roam" when you have your iPhone nearby and your iPhone is on another carrier in another region.
Roaming is not supported, but since S6 (I thought it was since S5) international emergency call are supported:
watchOS - Feature Availability
watchOS has so many features that make Apple Watch the ultimate device for a healthy life. See which ones are available in your region or language.
www.apple.com
It will work when within range of the iPhone (assuming the iPhone can make calls locally) or when connected to a wifi network and having Wi-Fi Calling enabled. I've never had a problem with that since I never go anywhere without my iPhone (well, I accidentally leave my iPhone behind about two or three times annually, almost always when I run out of the house on a short errand to the local downtown district, which is only two blocks from home).
In my personal case the habit of carrying a cell phone at all times is as ingrained as carrying my wallet. I understand there are some types of exercise/workout where carrying an iPhone is not practical, but since I'm a walker/hiker that doesn't affect me. Around home and the office I'm usually within Bluetooth range, but when I'm not I'm still connected to the Wi-Fi network (Wi-Fi Calling).
After having a first-generation Apple Watch (no cellular option available) I decided to buy a Series 4 with GPS + Cellular, just in case I decided to add a cellular plan at a later date. I haven't - $120/year for the cellular plan works out to $40 for each of the three times I accidentally leave home without my iPhone. Since those iPhone-free incidents each last no more than a half-hour, that's $80/hour for cellular service.
Back when I was flying frequently Apple Watch did not yet exist, so I've never given this much thought.
However, Airplane Mode does not disable Bluetooth by default - you must choose to disable it manually. Per Apple's Airplane mode support article https://support.apple.com/HT204234 (emphasis added)
Now, this is where it gets interesting - When you Mirror Airplane Mode for Apple Watch, it only mirrors the overall OFF/ON status of Airplane mode - it does not affect whatever customizations you've performed separately on each device. In other words, the Watch does not duplicate the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth statuses chosen on the iPhone.
So, you can have your Watch set to leave Bluetooth and Wi-Fi ON in Airplane Mode, but have your iPhone set up to disable both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in Airplane Mode.
my personal feeling/rationalization is that due to their lower power levels, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi don't pose the same risk to aviation electronics as cellular - I have Control Center configured so that Airplane mode on my iPhone only disables Cellular. Since my Watch doesn't have a cellular data plan I see no particular reason to Mirror iPhone, or to enable Airplane Mode on my Watch.
As I just replied above, it does support international emergency call. I would imagine that would also be the case, when fall detection triggers the call, but have not found any clear evidence, and it will not send a message to your contacts with position information. (It also was introduced with S5 as I remembered).
I don’t know but I would imagine technically it’s possible but the implementation is more complex for the carriers.
If there’s a market they will come for sure. The largest markets for Apple don’t need roaming as much as we do in smaller countries/markets where it’s perfectly normal that your commute is cross borders.
The carriers are here to serve us customers, not the other way around. ?