Picking a new Apple Watch might seem easy, but you must think carefully before deciding which model to buy. After choosing which Apple Watch model you want to buy, you can buy it from Apple or a carrier. Apple does sell Apple Watch in its stores; however, if your carrier sells them, you might wonder if you have to buy an Apple Watch from your carrier.
So, do I have to buy an Apple Watch from my carrier? You do not have to buy an Apple Watch from your carrier because the Apple Watch uses any supported carrier on your iPhone. If the Apple Watch has cellular, you will use the carrier network on your iPhone.
If you buy an Apple Watch from your carrier, it might be locked, and you cannot switch to another network for a certain period. You can buy an Apple Watch from any authorized seller, which will work with your iPhone.
If you are looking for an Apple product requiring a cellular network to work, you can buy it from the Apple Store or an authorized carrier. Some carriers sell certain Apple products to users to ensure they earn a profit by selling the device and their network service.
If you have visited your carrier’s official customer support center, you might see some devices on display for sale. When you buy a phone or smartwatch from your carrier, you will also be required to buy a cellular carrier plan from them. If you want to buy an iWatch, you might be wondering if you have to buy it from your carrier.
You do not have to buy an Apple Watch from your carrier because an Apple Watch will use any supported carrier on your iPhone. An Apple Watch with GPS plus Cellular requires a cellular network to make calls and send text messages.
It also requires the same network to work; therefore, you cannot use a second carrier for your Apple Watch. However, using the same carrier does not mean that you have to buy the Apple Watch from the carrier on your iPhone.
You can buy the Apple Watch from the Apple Store or any other authorized dealer and pair it with your iPhone. When you buy an Apple Watch from a carrier, it might also be locked to that carrier for a certain period; hence you cannot switch to another carrier until that period ends.
When looking for a new Apple Watch, you can buy one at the Apple Store, a carrier store such as Verizon Store, or any other authorized dealer. You are free to buy from any store that offers you the best deal.
Apple Watches are available in two models: GPS only and GPS plus Cellular. If you buy the Apple Watch with GPS plus Cellular, you can set up cellular on the Apple Watch and use it to make calls, receive calls and send or receive text messages.
You need to have an eligible cellular plan from a supported carrier. Not all carriers in the United States have Apple Watch support; therefore, before buying an Apple Watch, ensure you use a supported carrier on your iPhone.
Buying an Apple Watch from a carrier can limit you to one carrier for a certain period. If you do not like the cellular service plan by that carrier or their overall service, you cannot change to another carrier until a certain period is over.
Some carriers usually lock devices like iPhones and Apple Watches for a specific period, meaning the device will use their network. If you do not like their services, you must continue using them or find a way to get out of that very expensive contract. If you buy an Apple Watch from Apple, it will not be carrier-locked. You can switch carriers at any time you want.
Even though buying the Apple Watch from your carrier is not a must, there are some advantages to buying one from your carrier. If you use your carrier on the Apple Watch, buying it from them makes it easy when setting up cellular. The personnel at the carrier’s store can help you set up cellular and pick the best cellular service plan for your Apple Watch.
Some carriers also have deals and special offers you can get if you buy the Apple Watch from their store. You can buy the Apple Watch at a relatively lower price than the Apple Store or other authorized dealers.
Apple Watch from Carrier or Apple?
Apple Inc. usually sells all its products through the Apple Store, but they have given licenses to certain carriers to sell some of their products like iPhones, iPad, and Apple Watches. Most carriers have these licenses to sell the Apple product together with their cellular service plans. If you want to buy an Apple Watch, you might be asking yourself if you should buy it from a carrier or Apple.
You should buy an Apple Watch from Apple because it has more benefits compared to buying from a carrier. When you buy the Apple Watch from Apple, you get outright ownership; you can do anything with it. You have the freedom to switch carriers when you buy your Apple Watch from an Apple Store.
If you travel to numerous countries and want to use an Apple Watch, it is best to buy one from Apple because it offers wide international flexibility. Other advantages of buying from Apple instead of a carrier include a good return policy, cash back, useful warranties, and a great in-store experience. Now let us take a deeper look into some of these advantages.
If you want to own your Apple Watch and do whatever you want with it, you should buy it from Apple. When you pay Apple and take your Apple Watch home, the device belongs to you, and you can use it however you want. However, if you buy your Apple Watch from a carrier, you will use the Apple Watch according to the contract you signed with the carrier.
You cannot do certain things listed in the contract until the contract ends. Therefore, if you signed a contract to buy an Apple Watch from a carrier that lasts for two years, your ownership will be limited to that contract for the next two years.
One thing most carriers do when they sell devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches to people, they will lock that device to their network service. If you bought the Apple Watch from a carrier, they might lock the device to their network for a certain period to ensure you only use their cellular service.
You will not be restricted to any network when you buy an Apple Watch from Apple. You can switch between users whenever you want. If you do not like service from a certain carrier, you do not have to wait for a certain period before switching to a different network.
If you have ever traveled to a different country, you know that using your carrier in another country is usually very expensive. To avoid paying exorbitant fees, you can buy a SIM card from a local carrier and continue using your phone.
If you bought your Apple Watch from Apple, this would be easy to do because the device is not locked to a specific carrier. You can simply switch the carrier on your iPhone and make the changes on your Apple Watch.
However, if you bought your Apple Watch from a carrier and it is locked to their network, you cannot use the Apple Watch if that carrier is not present in the country or region you are visiting.
You will get AppleCare for one year when you buy an Apple Watch from Apple. You can also opt to get AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch, which can last one or two years. AppleCare and AppleCare+ are very important because they protect you from incurring losses when your device is damaged accidentally.
Carriers, on the other hand, have insurance for Apple Watches, but it lacks the same quality of service as the warranties provided by Apple. The insurance policies by carriers cost more and have strict terms that will give you a hard time when you want to repair or replace your Apple Watch.
Apple Watch Carriers
If you want to use an Apple Watch to make calls or send text messages, you need to buy one that has cellular. The Apple Watch with GPS and Cellular will use the cellular network from your iPhone to make calls or send text messages. Before buying an Apple Watch, you might wonder if the carrier matters.
A carrier does matter with Apple Watch because not all carriers have Apple Watch support. In the United States, there are many cellular carriers that people use on their phones. However, not all of these cellular carriers have Apple Watch support. If you are using an unsupported carrier on your iPhone, you cannot use the Apple Watch paired to that iPhone to make calls.
Before you buy an Apple Watch, you should confirm if the carrier you are using on your iPhone supports Apple Watch. If it does not, you must get another carrier supporting Apple Watch. If you opt to use the unsupported carrier, you can still pair the Apple Watch to the iPhone, but you cannot set up cellular and use the Apple Watch to make calls or send text messages.
When shopping for a new Apple Watch, you can buy an Apple Watch with GPS only or an Apple Watch with GPS plus Cellular. You can buy the one with GPS only if you do not want to make calls or send text messages on your Apple Watch.
If you want to make calls or send text messages, you should buy the Apple Watch with GPS and Cellular. During the initial setup, you can opt to set up cellular or skip the step and set up cellular later.
When setting up cellular on your Apple Watch, the most important thing is an eligible cellular service plan from a supported carrier. You cannot complete the “Set up Cellular” process if you do not have a supported carrier.
In the United States, some of the supported carriers include AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless, US Cellular, Cellcom, Spectrum, and Xfinity Mobile, among others. To check if your carrier is a supported carrier, go to Apple’s official website and look at the list published by Apple on all carriers in the world that have Apple Watch support.
You can also contact your carrier’s customer support and check if your carrier has Apple Watch support. If you are traveling to another country and would like to keep using your Apple Watch to make calls or send text messages, you can check the list to see if the country is a carrier with Apple Watch support.
You should note that your Apple Watch and the paired iPhone must use the same carrier to work. An Apple Watch with GPS and Cellular has an eSIM that will obtain information from the paired iPhone after setting up cellular. The Apple Watch will use your iPhone’s cellular network to make calls, receive calls, and send and receive text messages.
When setting up cellular on your Apple Watch, you need to get a plan that includes the Apple Watch. You need to contact your carrier and enquire how you can add your Apple Watch to your cellular service plan.
Final Word
The benefits of buying an Apple Watch with cellular include making calls, sending text messages, and using the internet without having your iPhone on you. Some carriers have permission from Apple to sell some of their products, like an Apple Watch.
However, buying an Apple Watch from your carrier is not a must. You can buy an Apple Watch from Apple or any other authorized dealer, and it will work without any issues. Buying an Apple Watch from Apple has several advantages, which have been discussed in this article, such as outright ownership, freedom to select carriers, and useful warranties.
Not all carriers have Apple Watch support; therefore, you need to check with your carrier if you can use their network. If your current carrier does not have Apple Watch support, check the list provided by Apple on all supported carriers in the US and other countries and regions, select one with the best cellular service plan you want, and set up cellular on your Apple Watch.
