Can’t activate my new series 5 on AT&T

[aloper]

So I just upgraded to the 11 pro max and a series 5 with cellular. I skipped cellular setup during the initial pairing. Today, I went into the watch app and tried to add cellular for the watch. This redirects to an at&t page where you login. It showed me my current plan plus what the new cost would be with adding the watch. I hit continue and got some cryptic error and that I had to visit an AT&T store. No call us...but I have to go to a store?

Just wondering if anyone else has had any issues?

 

[KPOM]

So I just upgraded to the 11 pro max and a series 5 with cellular. I skipped cellular setup during the initial pairing. Today, I went into the watch app and tried to add cellular for the watch. This redirects to an at&t page where you login. It showed me my current plan plus what the new cost would be with adding the watch. I hit continue and got some cryptic error and that I had to visit an AT&T store. No call us...but I have to go to a store?

Just wondering if anyone else has had any issues?

Are you on an old grandfathered unlimited plan? If so, the store has to manually add the plan to your account. I am on one, and it took the rep about 15 minutes to add it when I bought the Series 3. I have since been able to transfer it to the Series 4 and 5 within the Watch app (after first unpairing the old Watch).

 

[aloper]

Are you on an old grandfathered unlimited plan? If so, the store has to manually add the plan to your account. I am on one, and it took the rep about 15 minutes to add it when I bought the Series 3. I have since been able to transfer it to the Series 4 and 5 within the Watch app (after first unpairing the old Watch).

Nada...a mobile share plan. It didn’t throw anything back at me that I had to switch plans or anything. Just showed me what my new monthly payment would be after adding the watch...

 

[areyes163]

I can’t activate mine either. I have a call in and supposedly it’s been escalated. Mine says I have no more available lines. Makes no sense. The sale’s rep said the line showed as reserved still and she couldn’t fix it. On my order status it’s still shows as shipped not delivered so I’m thinking there system still thinks is in transit. I have no idea. I tried going to the store but they were packed so I left.

I’ll try again tomorrow.

 

[danipersing]

This is where my screen goes after I enter my username and password. Is it getting stuck because I get a discount based on where I work? It’s not a business plan. Does this mean I’ll have to go into a store?

 

[Analog Kid]

So I just upgraded to the 11 pro max and a series 5 with cellular. I skipped cellular setup during the initial pairing. Today, I went into the watch app and tried to add cellular for the watch. This redirects to an at&t page where you login. It showed me my current plan plus what the new cost would be with adding the watch. I hit continue and got some cryptic error and that I had to visit an AT&T store. No call us...but I have to go to a store?

Just wondering if anyone else has had any issues?

Had this same problem with my wife's new S5. Tried twice last night, and was told it would be activated in 24 hours. Got a notice through the myATT app this morning that if I didn't want the order canceled, I should call. I called and they said I had to go to the ATT store with two forms of government issued ID. Got to the store and they said it's easier to do at home. I explained the story and they said they need to see the box it came in. I explained I wasn't about to go home and come back again, and got put on a wait list at the store.

Finally got it resolved. It took about an hour in the store, with the store clerk having to call the tech support line. Nobody seemed to know what the two forms of ID thing was about, they never looked at more than one. They added the watch to the account in store, but the watch wouldn't to the towers, even after a few reboots. In the end, I unpaired and wiped the watch (on the watch: settings->general->reset, and unpaired through the Watch app on the phone). Had to wait for the watch to erase itself, and then go back through the whole initial setup procedure again. Once that was done, it all seemed to work.

You may be able to solve your problem just by doing a full erase and reset, or you may need them to get the account prepped first. I'm not sure if both of those steps were necessary in the end.

 

[aloper]

I tried again this morning, thinking they might have been down yesterday, but no luck...I did find another post where someone had the same issue, and as mentioned, they had to unpair and repair the watch. I'll give that a shot next I guess...

 

[aloper]

I tried again this morning, thinking they might have been down yesterday, but no luck...I did find another post where someone had the same issue, and as mentioned, they had to unpair and repair the watch. I'll give that a shot next I guess...

Just a quick update...I unpaired the watch and tried setting up cellular during the initial setup but no luck. Same error message. So now, I'm waiting for my watch to finish setup again. I guess I'll try and call first then take it to a store. Which by every post I can find, says they just call technical support! lol

 

[AMessy]

View attachment 862012
This is where my screen goes after I enter my username and password. Is it getting stuck because I get a discount based on where I work? It’s not a business plan. Does this mean I’ll have to go into a store?

I have the same issue. I have my corporate discount linked to my account but I currently have the “Unlimited & More Premium” plan which my corporate discount doesn’t even apply to.

I was going to try to remove my corporate discount from my account and try again since it doesn’t affect my current plan, but haven’t had time to mess with it since Friday.

 

[judyg951]

Hopefully you will get it straightened out soon. It was simple to add it to my watch. I set it up while watching my granddaughter play soccer yesterday with no problems.

 

[aloper]

I have the same issue. I have my corporate discount linked to my account but I currently have the “Unlimited & More Premium” plan which my corporate discount doesn’t even apply to.

I was going to try to remove my corporate discount from my account and try again since it doesn’t affect my current plan, but haven’t had time to mess with it since Friday.

I've been on AT&T's website, seeing if there was anything that could help...waist of time...If you go deeper than two or three pages, it's like 404, page doesn't exist land...lol.

But one thing I did notice is I also get a corporate discount...I wonder if that's the issue that's throwing off AT&T's systmes? No idea...I'm going to stop at store later this morning and see what they can do...I'll report back...

 

[BrianSoCal]

I’ve spent no less then 10 hours in 2 days in between on line chat and phone calls with numerous CSR’s. No one can move my active cellular plan from my S4 AW over to the S5. I’ve typed the EID and IMEI numbers then I care to remember; I’m debating just canceling the cell plan and saving $13 a month. I think the issue for me is that the S4 is still on my account, no sign of the S5.

 

[nippyjun]

When you go to your ATT account online, then click My Wireless, then click on your phone and select manage my device, then click get or manage addons. Is numbersync for Apple listed as an add On?
If not then you would need to add this. (this is for someone with a new watch who hasn’t had a cellular watch).

 

[warburg]

My wife, whose patience greatl’y exceeds mine, got my Series 5 cellular connection completed after 2 1/2 hours on the phone with an AT&T technician. We have a family plan, and (believe it or not) the bottom line of the problem was that the driver’s license they had for her was an expired license.;

 

[Dstopsie]

I have the same issue. I have my corporate discount linked to my account but I currently have the “Unlimited & More Premium” plan which my corporate discount doesn’t even apply to.

I was going to try to remove my corporate discount from my account and try again since it doesn’t affect my current plan, but haven’t had time to mess with it since Friday.

I have the same plan and they didn’t have an issue setting up my series 5. I just unpaired my old watch from my old phone when I sold it. I had no Problem activating it on Att with my existing plan
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I’ve spent no less then 10 hours in 2 days in between on line chat and phone calls with numerous CSR’s. No one can move my active cellular plan from my S4 AW over to the S5. I’ve typed the EID and IMEI numbers then I care to remember; I’m debating just canceling the cell plan and saving $13 a month. I think the issue for me is that the S4 is still on my account, no sign of the S5.

Did you unpair your series 4 and remove it from find my iphone?? When you do that you have the option to keep your cellular plan. Did you do all that??

 

[BrianSoCal]

I have the same plan and they didn’t have an issue setting up my series 5. I just unpaired my old watch from my old phone when I sold it. I had no Problem activating it on Att with my existing plan
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Did you unpair your series 4 and remove it from find my iphone?? When you do that you have the option to keep your cellular plan. Did you do all that??

Absolutely did all that, when I go on to the AT&T app, and manage my devices the AW 4 is still there. I’m not sure how to get AT&T to recognize the AW 5; Everytime I choose Set Up Cellular, I choose replace Synced Device and I get an ATT error page.
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I have the same plan and they didn’t have an issue setting up my series 5. I just unpaired my old watch from my old phone when I sold it. I had no Problem activating it on Att with my existing plan
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Did you unpair your series 4 and remove it from find my iphone?? When you do that you have the option to keep your cellular plan. Did you do all that??

 

[aloper]

When you go to your ATT account online, then click My Wireless, then click on your phone and select manage my device, then click get or manage addons. Is numbersync for Apple listed as an add On?
If not then you would need to add this. (this is for someone with a new watch who hasn’t had a cellular watch).

Yes, my last watch was non-cellular. I'm looking at my account as you mentioned but don't see it listed, as active in my account. Browsing the available add-ons, I do see number sync blocker but nothing for just number sync...

 

[danipersing]

When you go to your ATT account online, then click My Wireless, then click on your phone and select manage my device, then click get or manage addons. Is numbersync for Apple listed as an add On?
If not then you would need to add this. (this is for someone with a new watch who hasn’t had a cellular watch).

I had Numbersync listed as an add on. I just spend time on a chat with AT&T, the rep tried to walk me through the process saying that I need a new SIM card and that they would send instructions on how to switch the SIMs out. I said "Apple Watch doesn't have a removable SIM," but this guy kept trying to push me toward that option. I said "don't I say I'm bringing my own device and type in the IMEI?" and he said "no," but I didn't feel confident he knew what he was talking about. I'm not sure what to do at this point.

 

[aloper]

I had Numbersync listed as an add on. I just spend time on a chat with AT&T, the rep tried to walk me through the process saying that I need a new SIM card and that they would send instructions on how to switch the SIMs out. I said "Apple Watch doesn't have a removable SIM," but this guy kept trying to push me toward that option. I said "don't I say I'm bringing my own device and type in the IMEI?" and he said "no," but I didn't feel confident he knew what he was talking about. I'm not sure what to do at this point.

Yeah, I found a support article about how to turn on number sync so it's now listed...but still no luck. I'm headed out on errands and am going to stop at my local AT&T store and see what they can do...

 

[Dstopsie]

Absolutely did all that, when I go on to the AT&T app, and manage my devices the AW 4 is still there. I’m not sure how to get AT&T to recognize the AW 5; Everytime I choose Set Up Cellular, I choose replace Synced Device and I get an ATT error page.
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Did you remove it from find my iphone? And you unpairded it?

 

[aloper]

SOLVED!
The short answer is, take it to an AT&T store!
The long answer is this...Keep in mind, this is my first cellular watch. So, I went to my local AT&T store and explained my issue to one of the reps. She immediately was like, yep, I can help! So basically according to her, AT&T doesn't allow a new line to be added online, for Apple watches unless the watch was bought through AT&T. That's because for watches, it's just like adding a new line, but that new line is virtually tied to your phone's, phone number. It's different than just adding a new line alone. For fraud protection, now, if you're trying to add a watch to an account, it will probably have to be done in-store.

Couple of things to mention...

If you have the same issue and go to a store, bring your watch box (the white box)...Because it will make it faster for them, because they can scan the watch ID and info, directly from the box, with their scanners. Someone else mentioned this in a post I found and the lady that helped me was like, thank your for bringing the box so I don't have to type all these numbers in! They need to scan the info, to tie the watch to the new line they create.

Once they create the new line, you will have to un-pair and re-pair the watch to the phone. That will wipe your watch...so be prepared for that. I did that earlier this morning, trying to sort this myself, so I had a fresh backup to restore from while at AT&T. I waited at the store for it to complete. Repaird the watch to my phone...and then I was good to go. To make sure everything was working, she had me turn off my phone, then called my cell number, and my watch starting ringing...

 

[Dstopsie]

SOLVED!
The short answer is, take it to an AT&T store!
The long answer is this...Keep in mind, this is my first cellular watch. So, I went to my local AT&T store and explained my issue to one of the reps. She immediately was like, yep, I can help! So basically according to her, AT&T doesn't allow a new line to be added online, for Apple watches unless the watch was bought through AT&T. That's because for watches, it's just like adding a new line, but that new line is virtually tied to your phone's, phone number. It's different than just adding a new line alone. For fraud protection, now, if you're trying to add a watch to an account, it will probably have to be done in-store.

Couple of things to mention...

If you have the same issue and go to a store, bring your watch box (the white box)...Because it will make it faster for them, because they can scan the watch ID and info, directly from the box, with their scanners. Someone else mentioned this in a post I found and the lady that helped me was like, thank your for bringing the box so I don't have to type all these numbers in! They need to scan the info, to tie the watch to the new line they create.

Once they create the new line, you will have to un-pair and re-pair the watch to the phone. That will wipe your watch...so be prepared for that. I did that earlier this morning, trying to sort this myself, so I had a fresh backup to restore from while at AT&T. I waited at the store for it to complete. Repaird the watch to my phone...and then I was good to go. To make sure everything was working, she had me turn off my phone, then called my cell number, and my watch starting ringing...

YES. This is what I did when I got my series 3 and added cellular for the first time. It adds a line to my account for the Watch. It even has what appears to be its own phone number.

Going forward if you get a new watch when you unpaired the old one from your phone it will ask if you want to keep your cellular line open and then I always check yes and then when I get the new watch I just set it up and it transfers so it sounds like you did not have an existing line before.

Glad you got it all taken care of. I love the cellular portion of my watch. Don’t have to carry my phone around.

 

[tdar]

Good to see that those of you who were having problems were able to get a solution.

What would be great is if ATT would solve their own problems. This is not the experience that Apple intended you to have. Sadly this is becoming a common thing with them now. More and more they make things harder than they need to be, have support that's not really support, and take hours and hours wasting their customers time because their poorly trained staff has no idea what they are doing. I manage my account with 5 different ATT apps on my phone. 3 of them have not worked for months. I bought my new 11 pro max unlocked this year, add the issues that you all experienced to the list of why I decided to do that.

 

[dave006]

So basically according to her, AT&T doesn't allow a new line to be added online, for Apple watches unless the watch was bought through AT&T. That's because for watches, it's just like adding a new line, but that new line is virtually tied to your phone's, phone number. It's different than just adding a new line alone. For fraud protection, now, if you're trying to add a watch to an account, it will probably have to be done in-store.

You got bad information from the AT&T rep. You can buy your watch from Apple, AT&T, or even BestBuy for example there is nothing special about buying only from an AT&T store other than a rep gets a commission.

The watch is designed to add a cellular plan right from the watch and should only take about 5 minutes to complete. You can set it up while you are preforming the initial watch setup are at any time later. The only possible catch is that not all AT&T plans support adding a "wearable" device. Here are the currently supported plans that allow you to complete the setup / activation directly from your Apple Watch Series 3/4/5.

A "wearable" plan is a specific type of line that has a unique phone number assigned, it is designed to share an unlimited data plan with other devices, that's why the limited number of supported plans as listed below.

Plans that directly support adding wearable plans:

• AT&T Unlimited & More
• AT&T Unlimited & More Premium
• AT&T Mobile Share Flex (various versions)

The Apple Watch (GPS + Cellular) uses an eSIM that is populated OTA and replaces the need to get a physical NANO-SIM. If an carrier rep wants to send you a new SIM for your watch, just say thanks and try a different customer service rep.

Dave

 

[Dstopsie]

You got bad information from the AT&T rep. You can buy your watch from Apple, AT&T, or even BestBuy for example there is nothing special about buying only from an AT&T store other than a rep gets a commission.

The watch is designed to add a cellular plan right from the watch and should only take about 5 minutes to complete. You can set it up while you are preforming the initial watch setup are at any time later. The only possible catch is that not all AT&T plans support adding a "wearable" device. Here are the currently supported plans that allow you to complete the setup / activation directly from your Apple Watch Series 3/4/5.

A "wearable" plan is a specific type of line that has a unique phone number assigned, it is designed to share an unlimited data plan with other devices, that's why the limited number of supported plans as listed below.

Plans that directly support adding wearable plans:

• AT&T Unlimited & More
• AT&T Unlimited & More Premium
• AT&T Mobile Share Flex (various versions)

The Apple Watch (GPS + Cellular) uses an eSIM that is populated OTA and replaces the need to get a physical NANO-SIM. If an carrier rep wants to send you a new SIM for your watch, just say thanks and try a different customer service rep.

Dave

Perfectly said. I bought my Apple watches from Apple and didn’t have any issue activating a wearable line for it through att. Did that when I got my series 3. With each new watch I’ve gotten the series 4 in the series 5 it just automatically just transfers as long as I say that I want to keep my wearable plan when I am pair my watch for my phone