No phone is connected...and I'm getting iMessages on my watch!!!

[gatorknight904]

So I sold my iPhone 6 this past Saturday and figured I would not be able to use the majority of the features on my Apple Watch until next Friday when my iPhone 6s delivered. However, randomly today when I turned on my AT&T hotspot device. I started receiving iMessages on my Apple Watch. I am even able to reply to messages.

Maybe I missed something and forgive me if I did but I am shocked lol.

I can confirm the Apple Watch is connected to the hotspot. When I look at the connected devices it is listed.

The watch was able to connect I guess by remembering the wifi profile that was on my iPhone 6.

Pretty cool.

 

[viperGTS]

This is a known feature. The watch has limited functionality when not paired with an iPhone. You can also ask Siri some questions! It's pretty neat You're correct about the watch remembering the phone's known networks.

More information can be found on this PDF on page 19: https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1708/en_US/apple_watch_user_guide.pdf

Apple incorrectly states that the phone and watch must be connected on the same network to receive iMessages and use Siri, but these do not require an iPhone to be paired at all.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Apple incorrectly states that the phone and watch must be connected on the same network to receive iMessages and use Siri, but these do not require an iPhone to be paired at all.

I think what they meant is connected to the same network that the iPhone has previously connected, making it a known network.

 

[viperGTS]

I think what they meant is connected to the same network that the iPhone has previously connected, making it a known network.

Their wording suggests that the phone and watch be connected to the same network at the same time, but I think they meant to say what you did. Lol.

 

[Mac 128]

This is a known feature. The watch has limited functionality when not paired with an iPhone. You can also ask Siri some questions! It's pretty neat You're correct about the watch remembering the phone's known networks.

More information can be found on this PDF on page 19: https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1708/en_US/apple_watch_user_guide.pdf

Apple incorrectly states that the phone and watch must be connected on the same network to receive iMessages and use Siri, but these do not require an iPhone to be paired at all.

Between this and Pay, this is why I bought my Watch. I wear it surfing, so I don't carry anything with me besides my Watch. When I get out of the water, I can hang out at a local coffee house, pay with Pay, and take care of any important messages that came up while I was in the water, or better yet, reassure myself that I don't need to hurry off to do anything else. If you're using a Google Voice number, you can also get transcripts of phone calls, even though you can't call them back directly. I'm now looking for an Watch compatible door lock, so I won't even have to take my house key anymore. And I can't wait to buy my next car which will probably be compatible with the Watch, so no need to worry about what to do with my car key either.

 

[Marszczak]

Unless the battery is dead

 

[viperGTS]

Between this and Pay, this is why I bought my Watch. I wear it surfing, so I don't carry anything with me besides my Watch. When I get out of the water, I can hang out at a local coffee house, pay with Pay, and take care of any important messages that came up while I was in the water, or better yet, reassure myself that I don't need to hurry off to do anything else. If you're using a Google Voice number, you can also get transcripts of phone calls, even though you can't call them back directly. I'm now looking for an Watch compatible door lock, so I won't even have to take my house key anymore. And I can't wait to buy my next car which will probably be compatible with the Watch, so no need to worry about what to do with my car key either.

Google Voice can send you iMessages? I might look into this if that's the case.

 

[Mac 128]

Google Voice can send you iMessages? I might look into this if that's the case.

Google voice allows various ways to be notified with transcripts, one of which is e-mail, and you can have it sent to iMessages and e-mail both, in the event you're away from your phone. But more importantly, Visual Voicemail should sync with the server over wifi, so calls directly to your mobile number should still be available on your watch as voicemail anywhere it has access to wifi, without your phone.

 

[viperGTS]

Google voice allows various ways to be notified with transcripts, one of which is e-mail, and you can have it sent to iMessages and e-mail both, in the event you're away from your phone. But more importantly, Visual Voicemail should sync with the server over wifi, so calls directly to your mobile number should still be available on your watch as voicemail anywhere it has access to wifi, without your phone.

That's awesome. Thank you!

 

[nicho]

Unless the battery is dead

or it gets water damaged, locking you out of your house in the process.

 

[gatorknight904]

This is a known feature. The watch has limited functionality when not paired with an iPhone. You can also ask Siri some questions! It's pretty neat You're correct about the watch remembering the phone's known networks.

More information can be found on this PDF on page 19: https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1708/en_US/apple_watch_user_guide.pdf

Apple incorrectly states that the phone and watch must be connected on the same network to receive iMessages and use Siri, but these do not require an iPhone to be paired at all.

Thanks for the info.