i use my awu2 more than my iphone 14 pro max (the phone its bulky and completely oversized for me but im stuck with it till i see a worthy upgrade) . there are days when i don’t bother taking phone 📱 with me . having the ultra2 on a cellular plan is a godsend. my use case is basically taking advantage of its capabilities i don’t see it as a fashion statement in fact the ultra2 doesn’t look or feel very comfortable ,fashionable or smart when wearing a long sleeved shirt and tie but i’ve got so used to the rich functionality of it i don’t regret for one moment owning a apple watch . ive owned numerous series from original release to S9 all have offered usefulness, since owning the U1/U2 i’ve really made use of fitness activities. so my view its not just a watch its a useful everyday tool that works reliably.
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If not fitness and health is their a point to owning an Apple Watch?
- Thread starter roxics
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There are two big Apple watch things for me:
Where I am, they have very strict laws about texting. Being seen just holding a phone will get you a ticket. I like the watch because I just have to glance at my wrist to instantly see an incoming text. I don't even have to take it off the steering wheel. If I get an important one, I can pull over and reply legally and safely.
I tend to misplace my iPhone frequently around the house. (Forget where I left it, or it slipped down between sofa cushions etc). I use the 'Ring the Phone' option quite often to locate it
Where I am, they have very strict laws about texting. Being seen just holding a phone will get you a ticket. I like the watch because I just have to glance at my wrist to instantly see an incoming text. I don't even have to take it off the steering wheel. If I get an important one, I can pull over and reply legally and safely.
I tend to misplace my iPhone frequently around the house. (Forget where I left it, or it slipped down between sofa cushions etc). I use the 'Ring the Phone' option quite often to locate it
Use those the least. I am constantly using my watch to:
1. Set timers. Use a lot of them
2. Set alarms
3. Receive calls when I am driving. Less problematic than picking up phone
4. Control Apple Music, volume, tracks
5. Control other Apple devices such as Apple Tv
6. Check calendar when other Apple devices are not convenient
7. Monitor sleep
Just the things that immediately come to mind There are others of course. Use it more than my phone.
I've had one since the first one came out (Series 1, 4, and now 8). It was nice for everyone's above reasons, but I fell IN LOVE with it when I had kids.
Three main reasons:
1) I have my phone out way less. I hate being on my phone near by kids. The watch will keep me informed of texts/calls, but I'm never tempted to "sit" on it.
2) Apple Pay is AMAZING when I'm holding my toddler in the checkout line. Not having to fish through my pockets for my wallet or even my phone is such an unexpected dream come true.
3) Flashlight. At night when I'm navigating the dark to get to my daughter's crib, the little light from the watch is perfect. Even my phone is a bit blinding when it first turns on.
Three main reasons:
1) I have my phone out way less. I hate being on my phone near by kids. The watch will keep me informed of texts/calls, but I'm never tempted to "sit" on it.
2) Apple Pay is AMAZING when I'm holding my toddler in the checkout line. Not having to fish through my pockets for my wallet or even my phone is such an unexpected dream come true.
3) Flashlight. At night when I'm navigating the dark to get to my daughter's crib, the little light from the watch is perfect. Even my phone is a bit blinding when it first turns on.
For the Dumb assistant and remote controller for things like Spotify, home, etc. Also to ping my phone so I can find where I set it down.
My Apple Watch is my main music player. Apple needs to lean into the AW as an iPod mini on your wrist.
Apologies if I missed this elsewhere in the thread, but can you (or anyone else) elaborate a little on this cellular watch functionality? Having the cellular watch, but having left iPhone at home, exactly what can and can't you do (receive calls, return calls, initiate calls, etc.)? I can see some value in being able to receive an emergency call but if unable to answer or return said call immediately it seems to lose some usefulness.
There are a few things you can't do, but the cellular allows you to do almost everything you can when in range of your phone with a wifi model. In order to get texts from Android users, your phone still needs to be on, but doesn't need to be with you.
As long as you have cellular coverage, just about everything else works as you'd expect. The battery life takes a big hit on cellular though.
As long as you have cellular coverage, just about everything else works as you'd expect. The battery life takes a big hit on cellular though.
So if you receive an emergency (or other) call on the cellular AW while out without your phone, you can answer the call and talk or return the call?
Yes, see this
Set up and use cellular service on Apple Watch
With Apple Watch and a cellular connection, you can make calls, reply to messages, receive notifications, and more, even when you don’t have your iPhone or a Wi-Fi connection.
support.apple.com
I'm not sure what you're saying exactly. But if you were looking to get a non-cellular apple watch, you could buy that from Amazon, the apple store or whatever local shop sells them. You don't need to get it from your mobile provider. The watch will still work with your phone & everything will work on wifi when you are away from your phone.
I'd guess mobile providers would only sell cellular enabled watches as they want the recurring revenue for a new line of service.
Thanks for the comments. If I go with the AW (and this thread is doing a good job of talking me into it), I would have to choose cellular or non-cellular. There of course is extra cost with the cellular version, up front and on going, so I would need to decide if it was worth it. Until this thread I didn't realize that receiving and making calls via the AW was possible without being tethered to the iPhone -- for some reason I thought that only texting was supported.
I checked with my mobile provider (Spectrum) and they do not offer a non-cellular option AW for sale. I asked about buying and using a non-cellular AW from Apple, and they said that a non-cellular AW "won't be compatible" with their system and won't work.
First thought I had was that, like you said, it is a sales ploy but I do know that whenever I get a new iPhone I have to go through a setup process with Spectrum so maybe they do have some control over whether the AW integrates with their iPhone (??).
I think what they were saying is that a non-cellular Apple watch won't work with their *cellular system*. But a cellular company has nothing to do with your iPhone working with a non-cellular watch. When you get a new iPhone, you have to go through setup with your cellular provider so it works as a phone. But you can skip that step and use an iPhone without cellular service, as a very tiny iPad.
So again, the cellular company has nothing to do with a non-cellular Apple watch, millions of people are walking around with their non-cellular Apple watch connected to their iPhones, which are on some kind of cellular service.
Excellent info, thanks for helping out! I've had issues with Spectrum (especially after the hurricane) so I'm not real trusting of what they tell me, and it sounds like this was just misunderstanding/miscommunication.
I will likely pick non-cellular, but will give it a little more thought along with the feature comparison of the different AW models.