I recently got my hands on the new Apple Watch Series 8 from Verison, and I’m already running into some issues with cellular connectivity.
So, I took my Apple Watch to Verizon for help setting up the cellular plan. The Verizon staff member helped me set it up, but the cellular connectivity issue is still not working.
I couldn’t send messages or open photos or videos sent to me when I was away from my phone.
After some troubleshooting, here are the steps that worked for me. You can follow along if your Apple Watch won’t connect to the Verizon cellular network.
Fix #1: Let Verizon Activate Cellular for Your Apple Watch
Contact Verizon to activate the cellular plan.
If your watch isn’t connected to one already, Verizon will need to activate it on their end. They can guide you through the setup process or do the activation remotely.
Fix #2: Unpair and Reset Your Devices
If your Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone, try unpairing and resetting both devices.
Start by unpairing your Apple Watch first and then your iPhone. You can find links to guides on how to do this in the resources section below.
Pair the two devices again and wait 15-20 minutes to see if the Apple Watch connects to the Verizon network.
Fix #3: Reset Your Apple Watch
If resetting both devices doesn’t work, try resetting only your Apple Watch.
When you reset your watch, it’ll ask if you want to keep the cellular plan, so select “Yes.”
Next, you’ll need to set up your Apple Watch as new and pair it with your iPhone again.
I set mine up with the same number as well, now there is a different number on my actual account with Verizon. The customer service rep has yet to explain why that is. Another problem that I have is why my Series 7 Watch with cellular does NOT display the cellular signal strength as described in Apple documentation when the watch is used with iPhone off.