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Some Apple Watch Series 3 Owners Facing LTE Activation Issues [Updated]
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Wish I could like this 100 times! Everything about iPhone is great until you have to deal with these third party carriers. They offer random sets of inconsistent features, overpriced contracts and always seem to have problems. Also giving these untrustworthy companies the ability to lock phones to their network is a complete scam
First things first..... lol... seeing you're on AT&T.... you might need even more leisure-time beverages.
I was just told by a T-Mobile rep that they will have no service until they get their service launched next Friday, the 29th. They suck!
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How did you go back to set it up? You had no problem getting the app to take the last 4 of your social?
As usual macrumors runs with BS and makes a big ordeal out of something affecting a handful of users. I was able to successfully activate my 42MM SS on ATT without issue through the watch app. It was the easiest setup of any device I have ever had.
After setup, I left my phone at home, and headed to whole foods. Saw that cellular picked up immediately, and called and text my wife. Worked flawlessly, and she couldn't even tell I was talking on a watch. Used maps for directions, and asked siri a few questions. The voice was spoken aloud. I did not even have to download the siri voice like other users had mentioned. Not sure why my setup was so easy, but lets be clear about one thing.it is not doom and gloom here...this stuff works..MR needs to chill out a little and Lauren Goode should be fired.
After setup, I left my phone at home, and headed to whole foods. Saw that cellular picked up immediately, and called and text my wife. Worked flawlessly, and she couldn't even tell I was talking on a watch. Used maps for directions, and asked siri a few questions. The voice was spoken aloud. I did not even have to download the siri voice like other users had mentioned. Not sure why my setup was so easy, but lets be clear about one thing.it is not doom and gloom here...this stuff works..MR needs to chill out a little and Lauren Goode should be fired.
You can go back to cellular activation in the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, but for me the activation is not working even after I paired the Watch with the iPhone. I'm getting the "Authentication Failed" message when I try to activate with the last four digits of my SSN.
Me too. I wonder if the person who got it to work bought from Apple or T-Mobile. That seems to make a difference.
I think it's more ignorant to take a few people's complaints on an online forum and say it is a widespread issue. None of the reviews for any site said they had trouble setting up the watch. I had no problems, as have many many others.
Mine was bought from apple directly, and again I had zero issues with ATT.
Was this resolved? I have the same issue and after 90 mins on the phone, T-Mobile rep told me that my option was to return the watch to Apple and buy it through tmobile! Unreal!!
I got my Apple Watch 3 LTE early this morning. In store activation did not work because my Grandfathered AT&T plan was not compatible. I went to the AT&T store next door and changed my plan to the new Unlimited, about same price as before, but get unlimited texts and now tethering, which is nice. Also HBO, but I don't need that. I did not want to get off my old Grandfathered plan, but gave up, I don't think I'm losing anything really.
I find it interesting just how varied the presentation of the problem can be. With some people getting to try to set it up, and some not even being able to try. In my case, the watch app, under Cellular, claims that AT&T doesn't support Apple Watch 
Wonderful.
I'm not sure I have the energy to deal with AT&T bullsh~~ today, but, would like this working. Hmm...
Wonderful.I'm not sure I have the energy to deal with AT&T bullsh~~ today, but, would like this working. Hmm...
I did not have any problem setting up with T-Mobile and even tried calling and it worked great. Sound is also very audible and call was clear
Apple Watch Series 3 models are being delivered across the United States and the rest of the world today, and as customers start attempting to activate their new LTE devices, some of them are running into serious setup issues.
On the MacRumors forums, several AT&T customers have received messages stating AT&T is not supported. Support reps seem confused about how Apple Watch activation works, with one rep telling MacRumors reader KG87 that his watch needs a new number.
Many of the affected AT&T customers have said the company seems to be having trouble activating watches not purchased directly through AT&T and have been spending quite a lot of time on the phone in an attempt to get the problem ironed out. Some customers are even being told to call back tomorrow. From MacRumors reader Greg:According to another AT&T support rep, customers who ordered an Apple Watch directly from Apple will not be getting them activated until tomorrow because they're missing key information Apple was supposed to send them.
Verizon users don't seem to be having as much trouble as AT&T users, but several have been told Verizon's systems aren't fully functional. Verizon is said to be doing maintenance to fix the problem and there's no estimate of when issues will be worked out. Many VZW customers may not be able to make phone calls due to the server issues.
T-Mobile customers also appear to be having significant issues, like MacRumors reader Jesse, who said he's spent several hours on the phone with T-Mobile trying to work out an authentication error with his social security number. "T-Mobile reps are completely unprepared for dealing with this issue today. Spent many hours on the phone with T-Mobile and Apple already. Apple claims this is T-Mobile issue," he told us.
T-Mobile customers have also been told the company is having system wide issues affecting the signal T-Mobile users are getting on the Apple Watch.
At least some of the activation issues are due to customers who have incompatible plans. AT&T customers with a grandfathered unlimited data plan, for example, are not able to use the Apple Watch Series 3, despite assurances from AT&T reps that the watch was compatible with the plan.
Across the pond, some EE subscribers in the UK are having the same activation problems, and EE reps are at a loss on how to helpThough some customers are having issues, others have been able to activate their LTE watches with no problems and have even said it's an easy process. For the subset of users running into issues, though, it's been a frustrating afternoon attempting to deal with Apple support and carrier representatives who are still struggling to figure out all the quirks and problems that come along with supporting a new device.
Article Link: Some Apple Watch Series 3 Owners Facing LTE Activation Issues
For one it's not BS. Verizon service reps knows its a problem. Verizon blamed Apple because Apple servers keeps kicking back activation requests. I was on the phone for hours with Verizon rep. First is said I cannot had a shared number to the government account. We have a business account.
I think the problem is the esim card. I'm guessing here but I think we have a chick and egg thing going on. I think Apple issues the esim card when you activate on your carrier then sends it to your watch for your ICCID (sim card number). Verizon rep kept asking for the ICCID number. Can't give it since it was blank.
So ATT just told me take both my watches back to Apple. Now they are telling me to take it to the att store to get a new SIM card!
...but that IS true. It has to be assigned it's own unique phone number, and then uses number sync to use the same number as your phone.
OK, I just talked to the Apple iPhone Tech support part of T-Mobile and got the true story. This is only an issue with T-Mobile business plans. They and Apple are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it but they have no idea about how long it will take to resolve. They have no way of letting people know when it is fixed which is ridiculous so I guess I'll have to just try it every couple of hours.
I had no problem activating mine with T-Mobile during setup with the watch app. I was pleasantly surprised.
There was a moment of confusion when I received a text from T-Mobile, confirming activation, but showing a different number than my iPhone as being the one activated.
But, I turned off my phone and called a friend from the watch, and the correct number showed up. He called me back at my usual number, and it worked.
There was a moment of confusion when I received a text from T-Mobile, confirming activation, but showing a different number than my iPhone as being the one activated.
But, I turned off my phone and called a friend from the watch, and the correct number showed up. He called me back at my usual number, and it worked.
I was told by T-Mobile that this affects EVERYONE who purchased an LTE Watch from Apple.
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And I was told that this has NOTHING to do with Business accounts and it affects all accounts if the Apple watch was bought directly from Apple. And the guy was calling me. He called me four times today, and the last call was about at 5:00 PM Eastern when he told me that they got to the bottom of this issue, but there's no ETR.
OK, I just talked to the Apple iPhone Tech support part of T-Mobile and got the true story. This is only an issue with T-Mobile business plans. They and Apple are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it but they have no idea about how long it will take to resolve. They have no way of letting people know when it is fixed which is ridiculous so I guess I'll have to just try it every couple of hours.