Apple Watch Ultra 2 (purchase in Canada; use in US?)

[msackey]

If I buy an Ultra 2 in Canada, and then bring it back to the US to be paired with a local carrier (e.g., TMobile), do you know if that will work? I'm not talking about international roaming or something similar. I'm talking about purchasing an Ultra 2 in Canada, not setting up a cell plan there, but then bring it back to the US to connect with my TMobile carrier which is also the service I use for my phone.

The reason I'm thinking about doing this? Because the Ultra 2 sold in Canada has blood oxygen sensoring while the ones sold in the US currently do not.

From the cellular details page for the Apple Canada site ( https://www.apple.com/ca/watch/cellular/ ), it looks like the Ultra 2 model number is exactly the same in the US and Canada (seen screenshot): Model A2986

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Interested in pro's and con's of this approach also..

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think you will have a better chance of it working in the U.S., if you go ahead and set up the watch while still in Canad. once you travel back, you can activate cellular with T-Mobile.

 

[msackey]

I think you will have a better chance of it working in the U.S., if you go ahead and set up the watch while still in Canad. once you travel back, you can activate cellular with T-Mobile.

Interesting. I will have my phone with me while in Canada so I guess I could try to set it up…

 

[msackey]

Well, I have some updates although I still am not fully trusting what I've been told.

I went to the Apple.ca website (Apple site for Canada) and launched a chat with a specialist there asking them specifically if I purchased an Ultra 2 in Canada, would it work with my cell carriers in the US when I come back Stateside.

The specialist clearly said the cell functions won't work because cell is country specific. I even mentioned that the model numbers for Ultra 2 are the same in both US and Canada. Their response was a reconfirmation that it wouldn't work.

Really?

For real?

Oh well...

I don't know if this is a fact that it won't work or they're just reading off of a script without actually having tested...

 

[Tony_YYZ]

Well, I have some updates although I still am not fully trusting what I've been told.

I went to the Apple.ca website (Apple site for Canada) and launched a chat with a specialist there asking them specifically if I purchased an Ultra 2 in Canada, would it work with my cell carriers in the US when I come back Stateside.

The specialist clearly said the cell functions won't work because cell is country specific. I even mentioned that the model numbers for Ultra 2 are the same in both US and Canada. Their response was a reconfirmation that it wouldn't work.

Really?

For real?

Oh well...

I don't know if this is a fact that it won't work or they're just reading off of a script without actually having tested...

I wouldn’t trust them. Wait for more replies in this thread and also post the question on the /r/applewatch subreddit if you can for more input.

 

[msackey]

I wouldn’t trust them. Wait for more replies in this thread and also post the question on the /r/applewatch subreddit if you can for more input.

One thing I "could" do, but I won't is to buy the Ultra 2 in Canada, and during my day trip into Washington (of which there will be several), see if it can be set up with T Mobile, my local carrier. If it doesn't work, when I return to Canada the same day, I could just return the Watch to Apple Canada.

But, I'd rather not do that in part because of the hassle!

 

[Tony_YYZ]

One thing I "could" do, but I won't is to buy the Ultra 2 in Canada, and during my day trip into Washington (of which there will be several), see if it can be set up with T Mobile, my local carrier. If it doesn't work, when I return to Canada the same day, I could just return the Watch to Apple Canada.

But, I'd rather not do that in part because of the hassle!

If you can’t get a success story for this from someone else online then that may be your best option.

 

[CIA]

I'm wondering the same thing, but for just the Blood O2 sensor on a non-cellular Apple Watch bought in Canada. Does the Blood 02 sensor on a Apple Watch bought in Canada (where it still is allowed) still function in the US or is it geoblocked by the software via GPS when you leave Canada and enter in the the United States?

/edit I ask as Montreal isn't that far off from me when I'm back east. I could just pop over the border and pick one up easily there. Currently have AW7 and its battery is starting to show age, but I really like the Blood 02 sensor.

 

[msackey]

I'm wondering the same thing, but for just the Blood O2 sensor on a non-cellular Apple Watch bought in Canada. Does the Blood 02 sensor on a Apple Watch bought in Canada (where it still is allowed) still function in the US or is it geoblocked by the software via GPS when you leave Canada and enter in the the United States?

/edit I ask as Montreal isn't that far off from me when I'm back east. I could just pop over the border and pick one up easily there. Currently have AW7 and its battery is starting to show age, but I really like the Blood 02 sensor.

I would actually think the blood sensor oxygen will work on a non-cellular watch when that Watch is bought outside the US and is then brought into the US. I'm pretty confident of that.

 

[CIA]

I would actually think the blood sensor oxygen will work on a non-cellular watch when that Watch is bought outside the US and is then brought into the US. I'm pretty confident of that.

Besides warranty service being tricky are there any features that would be disabled on a Canadian purchased Apple Watch in the United States?

 

[msackey]

Besides warranty service being tricky are there any features that would be disabled on a Canadian purchased Apple Watch in the United States?

Huh. The warranty issue is a good question.

I did express to the online specialist that it seems rather unfortunate that if in a hypothetical situation after I buy my Ultra in the US and I move to Canada for family reasons (a possibility since I do have family in Canada) and my cell stuff in my Ultra stops working in Canada just because it isn’t a Canadian model. That seems stupid.

 

[CIA]

Yea I'm not concerned about the cell stuff as it's overpriced for minimal features in my opinion. That said beyond warranty issues if the GPS only Canadian Apple Watch is identical to the US version's feature set, plus having the 02 sensor the US version lacks (that does function in the US), I'll just pop up to Montreal and say Bonjour to the Apple Store staff.

Just need confirmation that the O2 sensor works fine when on US soil.

 

[msackey]

Yea I'm not concerned about the cell stuff as it's overpriced for minimal features in my opinion. That said beyond warranty issues if the GPS only Canadian Apple Watch is identical to the US version's feature set, plus having the 02 sensor the US version lacks (that does function in the US), I'll just pop up to Montreal and say Bonjour to the Apple Store staff.

Just need confirmation that the O2 sensor works fine when on US soil.

Yeah to me the cell feature is quite useful. Also, the Ultras do not come with cell vs. no cell. They all have cell. And it’s the Ultra I’d want.

 

[scoti5]

Hi,

I have multiple questions here…

1. If I buy and Apple Watch Series 10 in Canada, will the spo2 functionality work?
2. If it does, let’s say I drive to Canada, get a S10 with cell and come back to the US, will I be able to connect it to my T-Mobile account?
3. Once I’m back in the US, will the spo2 continue to work?

Thanks in advance

 

[schizm]

@msackey Any news? I'm about to travel to Montreal and was thinking about picking up a new watch to get pulse ox functionality.

 

[msackey]

@msackey Any news? I'm about to travel to Montreal and was thinking about picking up a new watch to get pulse ox functionality.

All I got is what the online specialist said. They said the cell carriers in the US won’t work with Canadian watches. I don’t know if that’s true. When you go to the Apple Store in Montreal, tell them any you situation.

I’m pretty sure blood oxygen sensor will work. The question is whether your Canadian watch can use American cell carrier.

You could also try this: ask your cell carrier if a Canadian Apple Watch can be used on their network.

I don’t always believe what these specialists say though so it’s a bit of a gamble.

Like I don’t get why a Canadian watch wouldn’t work with American carrier. What happens when someone moves from Canada to US for a new job? That Canadian Watch won’t play nice with American carriers? Why design watch that way?

 

[SAMtheGAM]

Probably the only reason why the Canadian Apple Watch won’t work with US cellular providers is due to IMEI whitelisting. The IMEI will not be in the USA Carriers cellular provider’s system. However, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work if you are able to get the IMEI added to the USA provider’s whitelist. The cellular bands should be quite compatible since Apple Watch are region specific for North America and Asia / Europe.

 

[DR3MCLAREN]

Maybe I'm way off here but I'm assuming the software lockout of the sensor is related to the county in which your Apple ID is associated with. So when you add the device to your phone / icloud account it will apply the software lock based on the ID being a USA account. Has anyone tried changing the nationality associated with their Apple ID? Yes, I do realize what a tremendous pain this is especially if you are subscribed to an Apple one account. I'm a Canadian so I get access to the sensor and have no reason to test this theory but that's my guess. I suspect that a trip to Canada to buy the watch is pointless if you're adding it to a USA icloud account.

 

[SAMtheGAM]

For the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 if the part number does not end in LWA then the blood oxygen still works despite being purchased after the ban went into effect. Apple retail stores only stock the LWA variant but other USA retailers may still have older stock that activate the blood oxygen on these models.

 

[msackey]

Maybe I'm way off here but I'm assuming the software lockout of the sensor is related to the county in which your Apple ID is associated with. So when you add the device to your phone / icloud account it will apply the software lock based on the ID being a USA account. Has anyone tried changing the nationality associated with their Apple ID? Yes, I do realize what a tremendous pain this is especially if you are subscribed to an Apple one account. I'm a Canadian so I get access to the sensor and have no reason to test this theory but that's my guess. I suspect that a trip to Canada to buy the watch is pointless if you're adding it to a USA icloud account.

I don’t think lockout of sensor is related to your Apple ID at all. If so, my Ultra would no longer have blood oxygen sensoring, but it does and I’m in the US.

Blood oxygen sensoring lockout is by part number. I wonder where this myth of blood oxygen sensoring being tied to your Apple ID comes from. It’s not the first time I’ve read it and it makes zero sense. After all, the ban is related to watches being SOLD at a certain point onwards in the United States. Apple IDs can be used all over the world. I can be living in England and use my U.S. Apple ID and that shouldn’t be a reason to stop blood oxygen sensoring.

”The ability to measure Blood Oxygen is no longer available on Apple Watch units sold by Apple in the United States on or after January 18, 2024. These are indicated with part numbers ending in LW/A.”
Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108056

 

[SAMtheGAM]

Just checked and Costco.com in the USA is still selling the Ultra Watch 2 with Blood Oxygen in Natural Titanium. The band selection is quite limited.