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't do Wifi calling. AT&T. Apple Watch 3 LTE
- Thread starter nippyjun
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Got an update on this whole confusing issue. So the programmers where able to look at the report and it turns out everything we have experienced here is expected behavior. The WiFi Calling option disappearing when a Cell plan is loaded onto the watch, Expected behavior. WiFi calling not working when Cellular Toggle is off, Expected Behavior. So it would appear that there is some error, or just the way the a carriers are handling the DIGITS, numbersync stuff, that causes it to log a WiFi call from the watch, as a cellular call.
Case Closed.
Case Closed.
I live in Canada waiting for Telus to connect with apple watch series 3..I've sold my apple watch 2 ..today i bought the series 3..don't see it in my iPhone to enable the wifi calling..and cannot use the 3g networks with it without my iPhone any ideas...thanks
Gosh just read the last answer...wifi calling is know off...with series 3 LTE with networks or not..that's my understanding..not a good feature...
Gosh just read the last answer...wifi calling is know off...with series 3 LTE with networks or not..that's my understanding..not a good feature...
Hey @deadworlds I just checked my AT& bill (PDF) that just closed and it shows the Wi-Fi calls made from my watch during our earlier testing as Wi-Fi calls (18 minutes). Also now on the web site, it now shows the Wi-Fi calls correctly for my billing period. Previously it showed both Cellular and Wi-Fi calls as Cellular.
I just made a couple of Wi-Fi calls on the watch and now waiting for the system to let us know how the current usage is reporting.
Dave
I just made a couple of Wi-Fi calls on the watch and now waiting for the system to let us know how the current usage is reporting.
Dave
Hi everyone, I have the AW3 LTE with Verizon. I am also unable to make WIFI calls. I figured with the update that came out today maybe the feature would start working, but it didn't. Based on the information on the apple website it states that once you activate WIFI calling on your phone, turn on "calls on other devices" (on your phone also ), you then should be able to see a section on the apple watch APP ( also on the phone ) to turn WIFI calling on. That section to turn WIFI calling within the watch APP is not showing and I don't think it has appeared for anyone yet.
So I am curious, is this problem only for AW3 LTE version?
Can the non LTE AW3 watches make WIFI calling?
What's the purpose of having WIFI turned on? Just to be able to check messages, emails, etc.?
I am really disappointed that WIFI calling is not working. While I love using my watch solo around and about, some places ( at work, inside a building for example ) the LTE signal is very weak and therefore LTE will not work. I figured I would be able to use WIFI to make an receive calls when in these situations.
Does anyone think this will get resolved at some point?
Thanks
So I am curious, is this problem only for AW3 LTE version?
Can the non LTE AW3 watches make WIFI calling?
What's the purpose of having WIFI turned on? Just to be able to check messages, emails, etc.?
I am really disappointed that WIFI calling is not working. While I love using my watch solo around and about, some places ( at work, inside a building for example ) the LTE signal is very weak and therefore LTE will not work. I figured I would be able to use WIFI to make an receive calls when in these situations.
Does anyone think this will get resolved at some point?
Thanks
I did, but it still doesn't answer my question is this problem only for AW3 LTE version? When you stated this is expected behavior, did they tell you that WIFI calling should not work on LTE models at all? Or is it expected behavior for now and they are working on a fix?
Also, if I cancel my cellular connection for the watch, will the WIFI calling option come back?
I am confused by Dave's post. How was he able to make WIFI calls on his watch? By turning the cellular toggle off as well as airplane mode on? Or by placing the phone on WIFI calling and then making a phone call through the watch?
Thanks
When you activate the cellular plan on the watch, it automatically registers the watch for WiFi calling, if your phone has WiFi calling enabled. It is expected behavior for the watch to not show up as a device in the WiFi calling menus on the phone.
If you then turn the phone off, or airplane mode, your watch should switch to WiFi. (The watch automatically connects to a known 2.4ghz network if your phone has previously been connected to it). Then once you confirm the watch is on WiFi, you can check in the watch command center, look for blue WiFi symbol up top. Any calls placed on the watch will be made by WiFi. The cellular toggle on the watch must remain in the ON position. If it is in the off position the watch can not connect to the WiFi calling network through your carrier.
This applies to the LTE watch only.
Thank you, now it all makes sense. Well, this answers all my questions, now I am able to make WIFI calls. I was getting confused because I was turning cellular toggle off and thinking that will force it into WIFI when it doesn't it. This also answers why the WIFI feature option doesn't appear on the watch APP. Thank you again for your detailed response.
Just curious, if I turn off my cellular connection to the watch with Verizon after my 3 months free trial, will the feature for WIFI calling appear in the watch APP?
[doublepost=1509502229][/doublepost]Tonght i update to 4.1 sadly no connection with telus yet in canada ..my watch doesn’t work either on wifi on stand alone..i had the basic seies 3 without lte and i’m quite sure it works on wifi hope it will works on wifin when telus step in lte because in my home basement phone doesn’t works..only wifi connection..
[doublepost=1509502259][/doublepost]
Yes it will, but it will operate like your iPad and Mac work to make WiFi calls.
Ever since I updated to 4.1 on my S3, the Watch won’t connect to 2.4ghz Wi-Fi. I had set my iPhone to connect only to 5ghz network of mine, but the Watch was happy to connect to the 2.4. Not anymore. I have to keep my phone set to auto-join the 2.4ghz to have the watch auto connect to it. Sigh. Be nice if Apple would let us pick which networks just the Watch connects to. Such a nuisance...
Seems like you are experiencing a bug. My watch running 4.1 is still able to connect to my wifi at home.
Yes, but only if my iPhone is set to auto-connect to that 2.4ghz network too. I don’t want my phone to connect to 2.4ghz. 5ghz is so much faster for me. But if I disable auto-join 2.4ghz network, the Apple Watch will not connect to it either.
My phone connects to my 5ghz network while my watch connects to the 2.4ghz. I have set auto join to off on my phone for that network. Are both your 5 and 2.4 networks named the same?
No, different names. If you set auto-join off for that network, the Watch won’t connect to it either. At least that’s how it’s behaving for me in 4.1 on my S3.
That’s why I said you have a bug. Mine works fine, I even just now tested it. Auto joint for the 2.4 network is off on my phone and watch was able to connect to it. Phone was placed on airplane mode and watch switched over to WiFi.
I don't see that behavior. I am also on watchOS 4.1 and I have a 5 GHz and a 2.4 GHz networks with different SSID. On iPhone, I have it set to connect to the 5 GHz network with Auto-Join On. The iPhone works correctly. I also have a "Known" network for the 2.4 GHz network and this network has Auto-Join Off on my iPhone.
My S3 Cellular watch connects to the 2.4 GHz network just fine while my iPhone is connected to the 5 GHz network.
Dave
[doublepost=1509539937][/doublepost]
On the Series 3 Cellular, Cellular must be enabled and the Control Panel cellular Icon will be white. This does just means that cellular is in standby mode and the eSIM is powered on. This is required to make a Wi-Fi call from the watch.
The reason for this is how the Cellular watch is defined by the Cellular carriers. The Wi-Fi on the Cellular watch is carrier defined and that means that even when using a Wi-Fi connection, the watch needs to send cellular information from the eSIM. If you remove the carrier plan from the iPhone Watch app then your Series 3 Cellular will act just like a normal Series 3.
After your 3 free months, just remove the plan and the normal Wi-Fi calling setting will be available for your watch. Note: In addition to removing the plan on the Watch app, you need to contact Verizon to actually have them remove the NumberShare plan from your account.
Dave
I initially experienced this. What I did was to forget the 5ghz network and auto join the 2.4ghz. I waited a few minutes (half an hour actually) then forced the watch to use Wi-Fi (disabled bluetooth on phone). I checked it worked ok then turned on bluetooth, rejoined the 5ghz network and set that to auto join and the 2.4ghz to not auto join. it all works fine now and ha survived a few reboots too.
I’m on current update and my WiFi calling is working on my watch. I turned WiFi calling for other devices on for my watch in settings under cellular. Then turned my iPhone on airplane mode and made sure WiFi was off on my iPhone. My watch 3 worked great. So neat! Thanks for the help!
Thank you for those instructions. That seemed to work. I think the key is waiting in between forgetting/adding things, since it takes a bit for the Watch to receive those instructions.
But it's not perfect. I've had a few times where the Watch connects to LTE after disabling my iPhone 7 Plus Bluetooth, and then maybe 30-45 seconds later connects to WiFi. There's clearly work to do here.
I still think Apple is making this waaaay too complicated, but for now at least it seems to work. I had it working this way prior to the 4.1 update, so I'm not even sure why I had to re-do this over again after updating to 4.1. Apple, if you ever read this, let us set a priority of SSIDs to connect to on the iPhone and Apple Watch. You absolutely shouldn't need to jump through these hoops to get the Watch to connect to WiFi, and not all of us want every Apple device we own to connect to the same access point/SSID.
Thank again to you, and to Dave - for trying to resolve this.
I also encountered WiFi calling not working with my AW 3 LTE on Verizon running 4.1. It was working before the update, but it wasn't even connecting to WiFi at all after the update. I turned off the watch. Had my iPhone forget my WiFi network. Rebooted the phone. Rejoined my WiFi network. Turned the watch back on so it could pick up the network login data from the phone. Turned on airplane mode for the phone. The watch then connected to WiFi. I tried making a WiFi call, but it failed initially. It may have needed more time for Verizon to recognize it. It worked on the second try and seems to be working now.
I then went to post this when I noticed WiFi on my iMac was no longer connected. I had to re-establish WiFi on my iMac. Does forgetting a network on the phone also cause other Apple devices to forget the network? What a PITA.
I then went to post this when I noticed WiFi on my iMac was no longer connected. I had to re-establish WiFi on my iMac. Does forgetting a network on the phone also cause other Apple devices to forget the network? What a PITA.
Yes forgetting a network on the phone/Mac/iPad causes your other devices to forget the same network. It works the same when you join a network. Say you go to some building and join the network with your phone. A few days later you go back to that same place but bring your laptop, the laptop will automatically connect to the network because your phone has previously connected.
I have come to revive this thread lol. I have figured out how the watch goes into WiFi calling.
As long as your phone is out of range or you can set airplane mode on it, the watch goes into WiFi calling as long as you leave the cellular on and you’re on WiFi. You can confirm it’s on WiFi calling by going to the about screen on your watch. Also it seems to only go into WiFi calling so long as there is a low cellular signal.
As long as your phone is out of range or you can set airplane mode on it, the watch goes into WiFi calling as long as you leave the cellular on and you’re on WiFi. You can confirm it’s on WiFi calling by going to the about screen on your watch. Also it seems to only go into WiFi calling so long as there is a low cellular signal.
Sorry but you are late to the party. It has already been covered above, the last relevant post is #243 my "Second" block of a reply to another poster from November 1.
Link: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ple-watch-3-lte.2073951/page-10#post-25342362
Dave
Link: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ple-watch-3-lte.2073951/page-10#post-25342362
Dave