Do you buy GPS only, or GPS + Cellular?

[ian87w]

If I were to buy an Apple Watch, I have no choice other than GPS only. No carriers in my country support cellular Apple Watch (heck, none of the top 3 carriers even support eSIM).

 

[henry72]

GPS. I don’t use it enough to justify the monthly cost.

 

[flynz4]

I’ve always bought GPS only. I am never out of BT or WiFi range of my cell phone.

/Jim

 

[jz0309]

Sure it does. It’s cited by the Pubmed studies (there are a number of them). I think what you mean to say is that the data is contradictory - some studies suggest an increased risk, while other studies suggest no increased risk at all. The data is right there if you go to Pubmed.

no, that's not what I am saying, but you can continue to believe whatever you want.

Extract from the link below:
The human body does absorb energy from devices that emit radiofrequency radiation. The only consistently recognized biological effect of radiofrequency radiation absorption in humans that the general public might encounter is heating to the area of the body where a cell phone is held (e.g., the ear and head). However, that heating is not sufficient to measurably increase body temperature. There are no other clearly established dangerous health effects on the human body from radiofrequency radiation.

Cell Phones and Cancer Risk Fact Sheet

A fact sheet that outlines the available evidence regarding use of cellular/mobile telephones and cancer risk.

www.cancer.gov

 

[julesme]

no, that's not what I am saying, but you can continue to believe whatever you want.

Extract from the link below:
The human body does absorb energy from devices that emit radiofrequency radiation. The only consistently recognized biological effect of radiofrequency radiation absorption in humans that the general public might encounter is heating to the area of the body where a cell phone is held (e.g., the ear and head). However, that heating is not sufficient to measurably increase body temperature. There are no other clearly established dangerous health effects on the human body from radiofrequency radiation.

Cell Phones and Cancer Risk Fact Sheet

A fact sheet that outlines the available evidence regarding use of cellular/mobile telephones and cancer risk.

www.cancer.gov

The link that you posted describes the data as contradictory (they call it ”mixed”). So I think we are arguing the same point, i.e., that while any link cannot be clearly established at this time, there is still data showing a somewhat higher risk (and still other data showing no higher risk).

For example:
”Most published analyses from this study have shown no increases overall in brain or other central nervous system cancers (glioma and meningioma) related to higher amounts of cell phone use.”

 

[Mw0103]

GPS+cellular. I don’t like to take my phone with me when I run.

Same. Exactly.

 

[mk313]

Also, in regards to the 911 calling feature:

The Apple Watch (cellular) that I have is the A2007 model which is meant for Europe & Asia, however it works completely fine here in the U.S.

Can I still make an emergency 911 call here in the states?

I believe there is literally no way any Apple Store or Verizon can activate the cellular capability here in the U.S. (which I’m okay with, I have my phone with me all the time) BUT if it could make a 911 call here in the states I would be so impressed and provide some piece of mind.

That's a good question. To answer the second part first. You SHOULD be able to activate it on a US carrier should you want to, but the watch itself doesn't contain the same cellular bands as the US specific version, so you might get less coverage. I've never had an international version but someone on here posted a thorough review on this a while ago. All I remember is that his avatar was of a goat & he had travelled quite a bit with his watch & could activate it in various countries, but he just didn't get as good of coverage in some areas.

The question about 911 is an interesting one. Apple introduced a worldwide emergency calling feature, but I think it was introduced with the Series 5. It looks like your watch (from the model # is a Series 4) so I'm not sure what would happen. I would assume that the watch would still work in the US as that is designated as your home territory through your Apple ID. It seems like that would make the most sense, since there only two watch versions (US vs International) as far as cellular bands go, but there are obviously way more countries than that, so I don't think it's tied to which version of the watch you have, but tied to your Apple ID.

I wouldn't want to bet my life on it in an emergency, but I think it's a pretty good bet that it would work. I do think that if you ever find a deal on Verizon with no sign up fee, you might want to try adding the cellular for one month to affiliate the watch with your Verizon account/ their network. Who knows if it would help or not, but I'd think that if it was in their system at one point, then the 911 calling would work in the future for sure as the watch cellular plan would have been activated for the last time in the US.

 

[darthbane2k]

GPS. I don’t use it enough to justify the monthly cost.

This. especially in the UK where the carriers want to charge £7 extra a month if you don’t buy the watch from them, and if you do buy from them it goes down to £5 but you end up paying a whole lot more for the watch!

 

[darthbane2k]

That's a good question. To answer the second part first. You SHOULD be able to activate it on a US carrier should you want to, but the watch itself doesn't contain the same cellular bands as the US specific version, so you might get less coverage. I've never had an international version but someone on here posted a thorough review on this a while ago. All I remember is that his avatar was of a goat & he had travelled quite a bit with his watch & could activate it in various countries, but he just didn't get as good of coverage in some areas.

The question about 911 is an interesting one. Apple introduced a worldwide emergency calling feature, but I think it was introduced with the Series 5. It looks like your watch (from the model # is a Series 4) so I'm not sure what would happen. I would assume that the watch would still work in the US as that is designated as your home territory through your Apple ID. It seems like that would make the most sense, since there only two watch versions (US vs International) as far as cellular bands go, but there are obviously way more countries than that, so I don't think it's tied to which version of the watch you have, but tied to your Apple ID.

I wouldn't want to bet my life on it in an emergency, but I think it's a pretty good bet that it would work. I do think that if you ever find a deal on Verizon with no sign up fee, you might want to try adding the cellular for one month to affiliate the watch with your Verizon account/ their network. Who knows if it would help or not, but I'd think that if it was in their system at one point, then the 911 calling would work in the future for sure as the watch cellular plan would have been activated for the last time in the US.

It should work technically, however Apple have a disclaimer on their site stating emergency calling without a plan isn’t guaranteed to work in all countries. Not sure how you could find out in advance but it’s not something I’d like to rely upon and then gamble with.

 

[samwa3]

It should work technically, however Apple have a disclaimer on their site stating emergency calling without a plan isn’t guaranteed to work in all countries. Not sure how you could find out in advance but it’s not something I’d like to rely upon and then gamble with.

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

Tells you here in which countries you need a plan and in which you don't. USA seems to work fine without one, but in Germany or Japan you would need one.

 

[darthbane2k]

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

Tells you here in which countries you need a plan and in which you don't. USA seems to work fine without one, but in Germany or Japan you would need one.

Thanks.

Although in case of UK, what does this mean?
Device must have been setup for cellular service with a carrier but does not require an active cellular plan.

 

[erpetao]

This. especially in the UK where the carriers want to charge £7 extra a month if you don’t buy the watch from them, and if you do buy from them it goes down to £5 but you end up paying a whole lot more for the watch!

I buy my watches from Apple, have a sim only contract with EE, and I pay £5.30 for the watch data. (It started as £5 years ago)

 

[leslieg]

I have the GPS+Cellular and would highly recommend it. I love the convenience of being able to leave your phone behind when going for a run or quickly going to the shops

 

[Vyse2020]

I never understood the argument that you always have your phone with you. Sure, so do I, until something happens to it. It’s always better to have and not need than to need and not have.

If it wasn’t an extra $10 a month I would agree. I can understand your situation, you have a wife and kids, it makes sense to have that in place for emergencies. I don’t have a wife or kids so worst case if something did happen to my phone I would just go home and hop on my computer/iPad and make an Apple Store appointment to get it fixed. It’s not a one size fits all solution.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

If it wasn’t an extra $10 a month I would agree. I can understand your situation, you have a wife and kids, it makes sense to have that in place for emergencies. I don’t have a wife or kids so worst case if something did happen to my phone I would just go home and hop on my computer/iPad and make an Apple Store appointment to get it fixed. It’s not a one size fits all solution.

To be fair I have a wife and kids too, but paying an extra £10 a month on my tariff to add a Watch plan just in case my iPhone stops working for the first time in over a decade, seems a bit pointless for me. I understand those that are willing to pay for it, but if cellular watches were the solution for everybody, Apple wouldn’t make GPS only versions at all. I’m like you and am happy saving that moment, as small as it is and having a setup that suits

 

[samwa3]

Device must have been setup for cellular service with a carrier but does not require an active cellular plan.

You need to set up a plan on your Watch but it doesn't have to be active. You can cancel it, but as long as the "SIM" is still in there/active, you can do emergency calls.

 

[darthbane2k]

I buy my watches from Apple, have a sim only contract with EE, and I pay £5.30 for the watch data. (It started as £5 years ago)

Its currently £5 if you buy from EE or £7 if you buy the watch elsewhere

Trying to find the price of eSim tariffs for smart watches sim only

I have a Samsung Watch and looking for eSim prices from EE. Unable to find any info other than buying the watch package, like swimming through sand painful and irritating. Any clues appreciated.

community.ee.co.uk

 

[Mw0103]

The question is: Is it worth $15 / month ... which is what the service will cost including Tax.

It absolutely is for me. I run every single day. I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max. Not having to take that big heavy phone yet still able to be connected is a big deal for me.

 

[deeddawg]

If you buy a higher end model, which comes with cellular as standard, do you connect the cellular option or not bother?

If you do have a cellular capable AW and have it activated, do you find that you make much use of it?

Sure - cost is minimal - $5/month.

Cellular on the watch means no worries leaving my phone home when going for a run or a long walk or even just doing yard work and other stuff out in the yard well away from wifi connectivity. I can still get alerts, texts, etc. Siri works for when I think of something I want to be reminded about later.

 

[HappyDude20]

That's a good question. To answer the second part first. You SHOULD be able to activate it on a US carrier should you want to, but the watch itself doesn't contain the same cellular bands as the US specific version, so you might get less coverage. I've never had an international version but someone on here posted a thorough review on this a while ago. All I remember is that his avatar was of a goat & he had travelled quite a bit with his watch & could activate it in various countries, but he just didn't get as good of coverage in some areas.

The question about 911 is an interesting one. Apple introduced a worldwide emergency calling feature, but I think it was introduced with the Series 5. It looks like your watch (from the model # is a Series 4) so I'm not sure what would happen. I would assume that the watch would still work in the US as that is designated as your home territory through your Apple ID. It seems like that would make the most sense, since there only two watch versions (US vs International) as far as cellular bands go, but there are obviously way more countries than that, so I don't think it's tied to which version of the watch you have, but tied to your Apple ID.

I wouldn't want to bet my life on it in an emergency, but I think it's a pretty good bet that it would work. I do think that if you ever find a deal on Verizon with no sign up fee, you might want to try adding the cellular for one month to affiliate the watch with your Verizon account/ their network. Who knows if it would help or not, but I'd think that if it was in their system at one point, then the 911 calling would work in the future for sure as the watch cellular plan would have been activated for the last time in the US.

Thank you for the replies.

I plan on visiting the Apple Store momentarily to ask. I doubt they’ll know and want to test it out with my specific AW I’ve been mentioning here. However, I really don’t wanna have them call 911 just to test it out.

I’ll look if there is a Verizon store nearby and ask as well if I can indeed set it up.

When I bought this SS AW S4 online it was advertised as the GPS only model. It wasn’t until I noticed the red circle on the Digital Crown that made me look up what that was all about and discovered it was indeed the GPS+LTE model, however since I was in the USA the seller sold it to me as just the GPS model.

I get the feeling that it’ll only make 911 calls with my iPhone around OR when I’m only with my AW under a previously connected WiFi network. I don’t wanna take the chance and call 911 just to test it out. If the Apple employees do wanna test it out then I’ll make sure to forget any known WiFi networks and turn off my iPhone but honestly I’d rather just research the answer. No disrespect to Apple employees but I’ve garnered way more valuable info from MacRumor forums than from them.

 

[boss.king]

My S3 the the cellular model because I wanted the extra storage. I’ve never activated the cellular radio. My next watch will be GPS only.

 

[deeddawg]

The question is: Is it worth $15 / month ... which is what the service will cost including Tax.

$5/mo on T-Mobile (US) including all taxes/fees for 500MB high speed data (unlimited low speed after) -- really only need more data if you're regularly streaming music via the watch, in which case the unlimited plan is $10/mo all in.

 

[deeddawg]

I’m surprised no one here has mentioned the potential risk from radiation of keeping a cellular device attached to your wrist. That’s the primary reason my watch is GPS.

Probably because the watch produces no ionizing radiation...

(and the cellular portion doesn't turn on until the watch is out of bluetooth and wifi contact with the phone)

 

[carriebeary]

Do you tend to buy GPS only AWs, or do you go for cellular?

Have you tried cellular, then with your next watch, gone back to GPS only?

Would you mind sharing why you make the choice you do?

If you buy a higher end model, which comes with cellular as standard, do you connect the cellular option or not bother?

If you do have a cellular capable AW and have it activated, do you find that you make much use of it?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

I did cellular. I had one without and realized I don't want to have to take my phone with me everywhere and it's only $8.50 a month for me to add...

 

[erpetao]

Its currently £5 if you buy from EE or £7 if you buy the watch elsewhere

Trying to find the price of eSim tariffs for smart watches sim only

I have a Samsung Watch and looking for eSim prices from EE. Unable to find any info other than buying the watch package, like swimming through sand painful and irritating. Any clues appreciated.

community.ee.co.uk

Call them, threaten to leave, haggle.