Calls to LTE Apple Watch Number?

[codeman7]

Hello! I recently got a Cellular/LTE Apple Watch (Series 4) that I activated on Verizon. My number sharing works fine (calls to my phone number properly ring on my Watch when my Watch is on LTE). However, the number that was assigned to the Watch also will ring through to the Watch when I'm on LTE. The calls go straight to an error if my Watch is on Wi-Fi or connected to my phone, and calls on this number that go to my Watch don't register on any of my other devices.

Is this how the LTE Apple Watch normally works? Is this a Verizon-specific thing, or perhaps even something wrong with how my Watch is set up with them?

Thanks!

 

[codeman7]

I'd also be curious if anyone with the Apple Watch LTE on T-Mobile, AT&T, or another carrier could test and see what happens? The way I tested was to turn my iPhone on Airplane Mode, disable Wi-Fi on my Watch, and once it connects to LTE, call the number. Apple Support confirmed with me that it shouldn't ring, but Verizon alternately says it should/will ring, or that my Apple Watch is defective if it rings (?).

 

[rojocrandall]

I'd also be curious if anyone with the Apple Watch LTE on T-Mobile, AT&T, or another carrier could test and see what happens? The way I tested was to turn my iPhone on Airplane Mode, disable Wi-Fi on my Watch, and once it connects to LTE, call the number. Apple Support confirmed with me that it shouldn't ring, but Verizon alternately says it should/will ring, or that my Apple Watch is defective if it rings (?).

S4, AT&T: put phone in airplane mode, disabled watch wifi, connected to LTE - watch rang when watch number called.
I get a "number not available" message when those conditions (phone not in airplane mode, abled watch wifi) are normal.

 

[BrettDS]

I believe that is working the way it should. The LTE watch gets it’s own number because it is a unique device and that’s the way the cellular system works, but the watch’s number isn’t really used for anything. The cellular provider does some magic behind the scenes so that your regular phone number rings on the watch at the same time as it rings on your phone.

To save battery power the watch keeps it’s LTE modem turned off unless it is unable to connect to the phone through Bluetooth and unable to make a WiFi connection, so it makes sense that you would be unable to call the watch’s number when it has it’s LTE modem off.

 

[codeman7]

I believe that is working the way it should. The LTE watch gets it’s own number because it is a unique device and that’s the way the cellular system works, but the watch’s number isn’t really used for anything. The cellular provider does some magic behind the scenes so that your regular phone number rings on the watch at the same time as it rings on your phone.

To save battery power the watch keeps it’s LTE modem turned off unless it is unable to connect to the phone through Bluetooth and unable to make a WiFi connection, so it makes sense that you would be unable to call the watch’s number when it has it’s LTE modem off.

I've done some more digging, and I think they all do this on Verizon and AT&T. However, both Apple and a few Verizon reps told me that it *shouldn't* do this, it just seems that they all do. Elsewhere I confirmed that T-Mobile seems to work as intended (the Apple Watch number never rings through).

Hopefully they'll resolve this, though with how companies like Verizon and AT&T work, I doubt it will. The Apple Watch number ringing makes about as much sense as an LTE iPad's number ringing, which is to say none at all.

 

[Southern Dad]

When I make an outgoing call from my AW it has my iPhone’s phone number.