LTE Question in UK

[BillGates1969]

Hi All,

Here is a scenario that I wonder if it would work - I did check the forums and couldn't find the answer.

Let's say I have a Vodafone contract in the UK and have another 6 months on it.

I go out and buy a SIM only 12 month plan on EE (different number I know) and activate it in my iPhone. I then activate the apple watch using the EE SIM.

Now if I then put the EE SIM in a spare phone (or just remove it) and place my Vodafone SIM back in the iPhone, will the LTE work? (I know different number). If I remove the SIM, surely that is the same as the phone being turned off, so LTE should work? Or will it be on all the time as the phone is off?

Sounds feasable, but not sure if it will work. Is the number linked to the pairing on the watch? The other option is to pay up the Vodafone contract (it is £20/mth SIM only again) and swap the numbers etc.

What do you all think?

Thanks!

 

[KarimLeVallois]

Hi All,

Here is a scenario that I wonder if it would work - I did check the forums and couldn't find the answer.

Let's say I have a Vodafone contract in the UK and have another 6 months on it.

I go out and buy a SIM only 12 month plan on EE (different number I know) and activate it in my iPhone. I then activate the apple watch using the EE SIM.

Now if I then put the EE SIM in a spare phone (or just remove it) and place my Vodafone SIM back in the iPhone, will the LTE work? (I know different number). If I remove the SIM, surely that is the same as the phone being turned off, so LTE should work? Or will it be on all the time as the phone is off?

Sounds feasable, but not sure if it will work. Is the number linked to the pairing on the watch? The other option is to pay up the Vodafone contract (it is £20/mth SIM only again) and swap the numbers etc.

What do you all think?

Thanks!

If you'll be paying for the Vodaphone contract for another 6 months anyway, why don't you just cancel and pay it off? It'll cost you the same as running them parallel and Vodaphone might even give you a discount. At least SMS forwarding etc. will work that way.

 

[le.bouch]

If you'll be paying for the Vodaphone contract for another 6 months anyway, why don't you just cancel and pay it off? It'll cost you the same as running them parallel and Vodaphone might even give you a discount. At least SMS forwarding etc. will work that way.

Think I’m right in saying that if you pay off your contract early you don’t pay the vat so it’s actually 6 x £16?

 

[Mercenary]

Or. Rather than pay for something you don't get to use just buy the lte watch and use it without the cellular until your voda contract expires and then if you feel the need to have cellular and leave your phone at home then switch.

But chances are you will still have your phone with you and realise that paying to use your data on a watch instead of your phone is just mental and go without

 

[Brookzy]

Think I’m right in saying that if you pay off your contract early you don’t pay the vat so it’s actually 6 x £16?

If you pay it off early it should certainly be cheaper because you're not receiving the services you would otherwise have got if you stayed.

 

[BillGates1969]

Thanks all

I suppose the biggest question though is will it work? Or will the LTE stop working as soon as I swap out my SIM. Has anyone else tried this?

Thanks

 

[dave006]

The key disclaimer is the Apple Watch system is designed to have the iPhone & Watch paired on the same Carrier and "Sharing" the iPhone's phone number to the outside world with the Watch working closely with the paired iPhone (Same Network). Naturally you can take the Watch out on it's own but it still depends heavily on the paired iPhone. It will work but not in a way that is really positive in my view.

The Watch would have it's own phone number from EE and this number would be paired with the SIM Only EE phone number that you had in your iPhone for a short time. Do you have a spare iPhone that you could put the EE SIM in and pair it to your Watch for the 6 month overlap period?

If you remove the EE SIM from your iPhone, the Watch would be able to make LTE calls but they will all appear to have come from the EE SIM's phone number. Incoming calls to the Watch would have to be calls to the EE SIM's phone number. Both of these examples would require you to have 2 "Public" phone numbers to share with your contacts. One for you iPhone on Vodafone and another one from the EE SIM that the Watch would use.

To use the Watch on Wi-Fi, you would have to insert the EE SIM in to your iPhone and connect to any Wi-Fi that you want the Watch to use since the Watch can only access Wi-Fi Networks that are already known to the host iPhone.

Another limit would be the battery drain on the Watch, LTE really burns the Watch's battery capacity. To receive SMS/MMS Txt messages on the Watch requires the paired iPhone be on and connected to the Carrier's network (Both would need to be on EE).

In you case it needs to be the EE SIM in the iPhone. The Watch really wants a Bluetooth connection to the iPhone to maximize the battery savings. Next up would be Wi-Fi on the same network with the paired iPhone. The Watch connects to the iPhone and the iPhone actually makes the call (saving battery on the Watch). Next up would be actual Wi-Fi calling via your Carrier and in this case it would need to be EE. Only as a last resort, the Watch begrudging uses LTE.

I know, a long winded post but I am happy to discuss your challenge further if you have follow-up ideas or questions.

Dave

 

[BillGates1969]

The key disclaimer is the Apple Watch system is designed to have the iPhone & Watch paired on the same Carrier and "Sharing" the iPhone's phone number to the outside world with the Watch working closely with the paired iPhone (Same Network). Naturally you can take the Watch out on it's own but it still depends heavily on the paired iPhone. It will work but not in a way that is really positive in my view.

The Watch would have it's own phone number from EE and this number would be paired with the SIM Only EE phone number that you had in your iPhone for a short time. Do you have a spare iPhone that you could put the EE SIM in and pair it to your Watch for the 6 month overlap period?

If you remove the EE SIM from your iPhone, the Watch would be able to make LTE calls but they will all appear to have come from the EE SIM's phone number. Incoming calls to the Watch would have to be calls to the EE SIM's phone number. Both of these examples would require you to have 2 "Public" phone numbers to share with your contacts. One for you iPhone on Vodafone and another one from the EE SIM that the Watch would use.

To use the Watch on Wi-Fi, you would have to insert the EE SIM in to your iPhone and connect to any Wi-Fi that you want the Watch to use since the Watch can only access Wi-Fi Networks that are already known to the host iPhone.

Another limit would be the battery drain on the Watch, LTE really burns the Watch's battery capacity. To receive SMS/MMS Txt messages on the Watch requires the paired iPhone be on and connected to the Carrier's network (Both would need to be on EE).

In you case it needs to be the EE SIM in the iPhone. The Watch really wants a Bluetooth connection to the iPhone to maximize the battery savings. Next up would be Wi-Fi on the same network with the paired iPhone. The Watch connects to the iPhone and the iPhone actually makes the call (saving battery on the Watch). Next up would be actual Wi-Fi calling via your Carrier and in this case it would need to be EE. Only as a last resort, the Watch begrudging uses LTE.

I know, a long winded post but I am happy to discuss your challenge further if you have follow-up ideas or questions.

Dave

Thanks Dave

I can see it is a bit messy!

I currently have two Sim only plans - Vodafone and three.co.uk. The reason I took the three.co.uk one out was for global roaming - My daughter lives in the US and we visit about 3 times a year, so I spent around 6 weeks in the US. Vodafone offer EU roaming now (they didn't when I took the three.co.uk contract out), but US roaming is still £5/day. Roughly 42 days at £5 is £210...I pay £8 month for three, so I save there - again I was in the middle of a contract when I took it out. It is a bit messy, but when I go to the US I forward my VF number to it and it does seem to work ok. My three.co.uk plan is up so can go Sim only on EE...the plan being this time to move the VF over in 6 months as three is crap in my area but EE is very good. I have a spare 5s funnily enough that I could do it with, but then that would mean taking two phones out all the time. The simple solution is to put the VF in that and use the EE as primary number (it would be the three.co.uk number so most my contacts know it) and forward VF to it in the interim.

It is a bit of a mess though...the things I do to have the latest and greatest

 

[jmitchel]

All EE Max plans (both handset and SIM only) now include all roaming in the US (as well as 4 other none-EU countries; Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia).

Unlike Three, the EE Max plans also include calls to local landline and local mobile numbers as well in any of the included roaming zones.

Three still only offer 3G roaming as well don't they? EE and Vodafone both offer 4G/LTE roaming.

Just remember though the Watch won't roam but will still work with your iPhone when roaming anyway.

 

[BillGates1969]

All EE Max plans (both handset and SIM only) now include all roaming in the US (as well as 4 other none-EU countries; Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia).

Unlike Three, the EE Max plans also include calls to local landline and local mobile numbers as well in any of the included roaming zones.

Three still only offer 3G roaming as well don't they? EE and Vodafone both offer 4G/LTE roaming.

Just remember though the Watch won't roam but will still work with your iPhone when roaming anyway.

I didn't know that..a no brainer then to get the PAC from my three.co.uk and take out a EE plan. I'm off to the US again in November for 2 weeks, (...going to experience my first ever Thanksgiving ), so hopefully all sorted by then. The three.co.uk roaming of 3G did always annoy me lol, so another bonus! (though VF in the EU does give me 4G).

I am 99% there now that a new LTE watch is needed

 

[jmitchel]

The only thing not included in EE Max plans are International calls from the UK to anywhere abroad when you are home and are not roaming, though you can add the free International calling add-on which substantially reduces the costs of International calling from the UK (for example International calls to a USA landline or US mobile from the UK become 5p a minute with the free add-on down from the standard £1.60 rate without the free add-on).