Is there a way around needed the Cellular Apple Watch to be on the same carrier as your phone?

[Ohlias]

Hi Folks

My iPhone XR is provided by my workplace and they will not allow us to add the Apple Watch cellular data even if we are willing to pay for it.

As far as I know, in Canada, you must have the same carrier for both the phone and the watch. Since I'm on a corp. plan, trying to add data through the watch is met with a "You must obtain authorization"

I'd love to not have to have my phone with me what I go for walks and stuff. Any chance I can get this to work?

TIA

 

[antbob]

you should be able to do that if you can setup Dual SIM on your iPhone with another carrier or even the same carrier but different #/plan. Apple has support article here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209043

 

[Ohlias]

Thank you so much for this answer.

Unfortunelty, the compatible eSIM plans available in Canada are all exorbitantly expensive and would cost me $60 plus per month just to get this to work.

Oh well, it was worth a try...

 

[antbob]

yeah sounds like a total ripoff and also that carriers charge extra monthly for Apple Watch cellular to begin with when they just literally adding another id on the existing paid for plan to their lookup tables. sure its possible for iPhone and Watch to use cellular at the same time but how often does that happen really. if Watch is near iPhone it goes thru iPhone and if its not and its using cellular standalone that means iPhone sitting somewhere else idle so its not like 2 devices straining their network concurrently. kinda same like it was in the early days of iPhone, carrier tax. the market will probably sort this out in a couple years with wider eSIM/multiSIM adoption.

 

[ukms]

Thank you so much for this answer.

Unfortunelty, the compatible eSIM plans available in Canada are all exorbitantly expensive and would cost me $60 plus per month just to get this to work.

Oh well, it was worth a try...

how about making your work plan an esim and then add your own sim with a carrier of your choice to pair up with your AW.

 

[xraydoc]

Hi Folks

My iPhone XR is provided by my workplace and they will not allow us to add the Apple Watch cellular data even if we are willing to pay for it.

As far as I know, in Canada, you must have the same carrier for both the phone and the watch. Since I'm on a corp. plan, trying to add data through the watch is met with a "You must obtain authorization"

I'd love to not have to have my phone with me what I go for walks and stuff. Any chance I can get this to work?

TIA

Ask work for authorization?