If you can’t find where you left your Apple Watch, you may be wondering whether you can call it or ping it from your iPhone. Can you make calls between Apple Watch and its paired iPhone?
- Can you call paired iPhone from Apple Watch
- Call a separate iPhone from Apple Watch
- Call an Android phone from Apple Watch
- Messaging between iPhone and Apple Watch
- Calling a Family Sharing member on an Apple Watch
- Pinging an iPhone from Apple Watch to locate it
- Using Walkie Talkie between Apple Watch and iPhone
Can you call paired iPhone from Apple Watch
You can’t make calls between an Apple Watch and its paired iPhone because they share the same number. You can send iMessages between both devices, however. You can also ping your iPhone from your Apple Watch using the “iPhone” button in the Control Center.
With an Apple Watch, you can make calls to any device that has a unique cell phone number. Since the watch is using your iPhone’s number, you are basically making the call from your iPhone.
That’s why you can’t make calls between an Apple Watch and the paired iPhone. Using a phone number to call the same number you are making the call with is impossible. No matter what kind of device you are using.
When you call your number using that same number, you will get your voicemail or a busy tone. Each phone number is unique, and you can only make calls between different phone numbers.
You also can’t send an SMS text to your paired iPhone from the watch and vice versa. Sending iMessages is possible because you are not sending texts from your unique phone number, instead you send the messages through the internet.
Call a separate iPhone from Apple Watch
What about making calls from your Apple Watch to an unpaired iPhone? Can you make calls on your Apple Watch?
You can use your Apple Watch to call any phone number as long as it’s not the one your paired iPhone is using. To make a call on your watch, you will need a connection to a cellular or Wi-Fi network.
If you have the Apple Watch GPS, you need to connect it to your iPhone using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to make calls. When calling from a GPS model, you are using your iPhone’s cellular network to make the call.
Your iPhone doesn’t have to be nearby when connected to Wi-Fi to make calls. The only conditions are that you need a known Wi-Fi network that your phone has previously connected to, and your iPhone needs to be turned on.
To make calls on an Apple Watch GPS when your iPhone is turned off, you first need to turn on Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone. Note that not every provider offers Wi-Fi calling. If your provider doesn’t offer Wi-Fi calling, you can’t activate it.
If you can activate it, however, you can make calls from your GPS model even if your iPhone is turned off. You just need a connection to a known Wi-Fi network. To activate Wi-Fi Calling go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling.
Apple Watch Cellular models, on the other hand, can make calls without a connection to a Wi-Fi network and without your iPhone. The Cellular models have a built-in SIM. They can connect to a cellular network without any current connection to an iPhone.
To make calls on an Apple Watch Cellular, you just need to set up the eSIM with your provider. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app > Cellular > Set up cellular.
Follow the instructions to set up your eSIM with your provider. Here, you will select a plan for your eSIM.
See also: Will Apple Watch Cellular Work if iPhone is Off?
Call an Android phone from Apple Watch
Making calls from an Apple Watch is not limited only to Apple devices. You can also call any Android device that uses a unique phone number.
When calling an Android phone, the same conditions apply as with calling an iPhone. The fact that you are calling an Android phone doesn’t make any difference.
The only differences are that you can’t send iMessages to an Android device and you can’t use the Walkie-Talkie app to communicate (see further below for more about the app).
The iMessage and Walkie-Talkie apps are unique to Apple devices. To use these, you need an Apple ID, which Android devices don’t have.
See also: Can I Get And Make WhatsApp Calls On Apple Watch?
Messaging between iPhone and Apple Watch
If you are a new user, you may be wondering how messaging on an Apple Watch works with the iPhone. Is it any different than making calls? To what devices can you send messages?
As I mentioned earlier, you can’t use SMS texting between your paired iPhone and the Apple Watch. When using SMS to text, you use your unique phone number to contact that same exact number.
With SMS texts, you can message any other device, both Android and Apple, as long as that device is not your paired iPhone. To send an SMS text, your watch needs to be connected to your iPhone using Bluetooth or a known Wi-Fi network.
The iMessage app, on the other hand, allows you to send a text message over the internet to your paired iPhone and vice versa. Both devices will need a connection to the Internet to send and receive an iMessage.
When using the iMessage app, you can only text users with an Apple ID. Therefore, you can’t use the app to send a message to an Android device.
When it comes to sending iMessages, there is a difference between GPS and Cellular Apple Watch versions.
With the GPS version, to send messages, you need to be connected to your iPhone, and the phone needs to be turned on. Apple Watch Cellular allows you to send messages without any connection to the iPhone.
See also: Can You Text On Apple Watch GPS?
Calling a Family Sharing member on an Apple Watch
The Family Sharing feature allows multiple Apple Watch users to pair with a single iPhone. This feature is only available on Apple Watch Cellular models later than Series 4.
If one of your family members, for example, wants to use an Apple Watch Cellular but they don’t have an iPhone, they can connect it to your iPhone using their own Apple ID.
While the Family Sharing member uses a different Apple ID, they still can’t use the watch to call the paired iPhone. They can however use their watch to call any other phone number other than the number associated with your iPhone.
See also: Can An Apple Watch Be Paired With Two Phones?
Pinging an iPhone from Apple Watch to locate it
If you’ve misplaced your iPhone, Apple gives you the option to locate it using your watch, even though you can’t call the paired iPhone from the watch.
You can locate your iPhone using the “iPhone” button on your Apple Watch. When you use this feature, your iPhone’s alarm and flashlight are activated.
To ping your iPhone, open the Control Center on your watch by swiping up on the home screen. The “iPhone” button is located right next to the “Wi-Fi” button. It has an icon of a phone with waves on both sides.
If you tap the button, your iPhone will ping. If you press and hold, your iPhone will ping and activate its flashlight.
Another app that will help you locate your Apple devices is the Find My app. The app is available both on iPhone and Apple Watch. Open the app to check where your devices are located on the map.
Using Walkie Talkie between Apple Watch and iPhone
Apple also offers another feature through which you can contact your friends, the Walkie-Talkie app. You can’t use the Walkie-Talkie app to send a message to your paired Apple Watch and vice versa since the watch and the phone are using the same Apple ID.
With the Walkie-Talkie app, you can send voice-recorded messages to friends using an iPhone. The app requires both the sender and the receiver to have a connection to an iPhone and to the Internet.
The app also requires both users to have the FaceTime app. You need to sign in to the FaceTime app using the Apple ID you use on your watch and iPhone.
To contact a friend using the Walkie-Talkie app, you need to have them added as a friend. Open the Walkie-Talkie app and select Add Friends. Choose the contact you want to add as a friend. After they accept your request, you can send them a message.
When you want to talk to a friend, just select the contact and touch and hold the talk button. Once you are finished talking, let go and the message will go through.
Your friend can immediately hear your voice-recorded message. If they are not available at the moment, they will receive a notification asking them if they want to talk to you.