Apple Watch with LTE - emergency calls

Question

Level 1

4 points

Apple Watch with LTE - emergency calls

Good day,

I have an Apple Watch series 7 with LTE capabilities.

Will the Watch auto-dial emergency when a fall is detected (or when I trigger an emergency call manually from it) if/when:

it is not connected to a WiFi network, and -
it is not connected to its paired phone, and -
it does not have an active SIM/eSIM card, OR -
the active SIM/eSIM card does not work because I am in a country where the roaming operator does not support Apple Watch LTE (but there ARE carriers that support Apple Watch with LTE in that specific location if I were to buy a plan/subscription from them).

In other words: does an Apple Watch with LTE behave in the same way that cell phones do in many places (e.g. EU, North America)? An emergency call is always possible, even if the phone does not have a SIM/eSIM card in it.

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Apple Watch Series 7

Posted on Nov 22, 2024 1:24 AM

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Answer 1

Ingo2711

Level 9

73,335 points

Nov 22, 2024 2:22 AM in response to frauschlau

Your watch will have to be connected to Wi-Fi or the paired iPhone

Or it has to have a cellular plan, connecting it to the cellular network of your iPhone carrier, since in most cases, the iPhone and the Apple Watch must have the same mobile carrier.

Have a look at this part of the related article about using Emergency/SOS on the Apple Watch:

...

Emergency SOS requires a cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling with an Internet connection from your Apple Watch or nearby iPhone.

In some countries and regions, you might need to choose the emergency service that you need. For example, in China mainland you can choose police, fire, or ambulance. And if you have Apple Watch Series 5 or later (GPS + Cellular), Apple Watch SE or later (GPS + Cellular), or any model of Ultra, your watch can also call local emergency services when you're traveling in other countries or regions.

...

„Notruf SOS“ erfordert eine Mobilfunkverbindung oder WLAN-Anrufe mit einer Internetverbindung von deiner Apple Watch oder deinem in der Nähe befindlichen iPhone.

In einigen Ländern und Regionen musst du unter Umständen aus verschiedenen verfügbaren Rettungsdiensten auswählen. Beispielsweise muss in Festlandchina angegeben werden, ob die Polizei, die Feuerwehr oder ein Krankenwagen gerufen werden soll. Und wenn du eine Apple Watch Series 5 oder neuer (GPS + Cellular), eine Apple Watch SE oder neuer (GPS + Cellular) oder eine Apple Watch Ultra (alle Modelle) besitzt, kann deine Watch auch örtliche Rettungsdienste anrufen, wenn du in anderen Ländern oder Regionen unterwegs bist.

...

copied from: Use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Notruf SOS auf der Apple Watch verwenden - Apple Support (DE)

Also check this article:

Apple Watch - Carriers - Apple

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Answer 2

frauschlau Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 22, 2024 4:26 AM in response to Ingo2711

I decided to go with the least-preferred option - I tested.

The details:

Watch model: Apple Watch Series 7 - GPS + Cellular/LTE
Connections: wifi disabled, paired iPhone powered down and out of reach
Cellular plan: none (eSIM not added to/installed/activated).
Action taken: manually triggered an emergency call.

Result: the call did go through - I was connected with the emergency services.

Unless the watch was connected to yet something else that I am not aware of and despite the screen notifications showing no connections - the above seems to prove that the watch will connect to 112 in Europe (and, presumably, 911 in North America), even if it is not connected to wifi or its paired iPhone, and it does not have an active eSIM card/cellular plan.

PS: I also stumbled upon some older posts on reddit, including this one that seems to suggest the same (the LTE version of the Apple Watch DOES call 911 in North America, even if it has no active connection/no active cell plan): https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/7ddfxi/update_apple_watch_series_3_lte_can_call/

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Answer 3

frauschlau Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 22, 2024 8:42 AM in response to Ingo2711

I did talk to the operator - I lied to them and said I had dialed accidentally and there was no emergency.

Apple support was utterly useless - the man I spoke with did not even seem aware that there is such a thing as an Apple Watch that is able to make phone calls without being connected to its paired phone. So I hung up. As a matter of fact, I wish I could complain to Apple - not just about this particular individual's lack of fundamental knowledge, but also about whoever trained him.

I encourage you to duplicate my testing if you have an Apple Watch with LTE/cellular function. If you do not get connected to the emergency operator, please document it here, including the particular area where you tested - in case anybody sees this dialogue when looking for similar information. I can only speak for wherever I am right now, so perhaps you are in one of the areas that are not listed as a supported region on Apple's website.

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Answer 4

frauschlau Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 22, 2024 2:28 AM in response to Ingo2711

Thank you for your feedback - greatly appreciated.

Upon reading the articles you recommended, I came across Use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch - Apple Support. This is where I am not sure as it states "In some countries and regions, international emergency calling works even if you haven't set up cellular service on the watch."

So, if I am in - for example - Canada, Germany, or the US, the Apple Watch Series 7 with LTE should place the emergency call, even if it is not connected to WiFi, my iPhone, and if it does not have an active eSIM card.

Or am I misinterpreting this?

I realize that one way to find out is to try to place a call, but I would prefer not to do it - in case the call actually does go through.

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Answer 5

Ingo2711

Level 9

73,335 points

Nov 22, 2024 8:13 AM in response to frauschlau

The article you mentioned is 7 years old, things might have changed during that time.

...

...so I called my local sheriff's office to let them know I would be making a test call; then I turned off my iphone and unplugged my wireless router, then held the side button on my watch until it tried to call Emergency Services. The call never went through. It said "Emergency Services" on the screen, and it showed the "hang up" button and the "keypad" button (grayed out), but it just sat there and nothing happened for a minute or longer, so I gave up.

...

copied from reddit article above

Could you talk to the Emergency services?

Maybe on the official Apple Support can solve this mystery, even the german help article does not mention anything different.

...

Emergency SOS requires a cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling with an Internet connection from your Apple Watch or nearby iPhone.

...

„Notruf SOS“ erfordert eine Mobilfunkverbindung oder WLAN-Anrufe mit einer Internetverbindung von deiner Apple Watch oder deinem in der Nähe befindlichen iPhone.

...

copied from: Use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Notruf SOS auf der Apple Watch verwenden - Apple Support (DE)

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Answer 6

Ingo2711

Level 9

73,335 points

Nov 22, 2024 8:52 AM in response to frauschlau

Try to leave feedback by using the Feedback link, so you can reach out to Apple Techs directly:

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

Looks like they built in a shortcut to use the cellular chip for emergencies, without making it public, in case too many users would try that just for fun.

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Answer 7

Ingo2711

Level 9

73,335 points

Nov 22, 2024 2:54 AM in response to frauschlau

"Even if you haven't set up cellular service on the Apple Watch" means, if your watch does not have a cellular plan set up, it will have to use the nearby iPhone for an Emergency Call, just as the GPS-only Apple Watch would have to.

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Answer 8

Nov 22, 2024 8:56 AM in response to frauschlau

frauschlau wrote:

I did talk to the operator - I lied to them and said I had dialed accidentally and there was no emergency.

I encourage you to duplicate my testing if you have an Apple Watch with LTE/cellular function. If you do not get connected to the emergency operator, please document it here, including the particular area where you tested - in case anybody sees this dialogue when looking for similar information.

In the U. S. at least, emergency services tend to be working at capacity. Making "test" calls and then lying to them about the emergency doesn't seem like a good use of resources. And tax payer dollars.

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