Sadly, cellular Apple Watches have been heavily restricted when it comes to international roaming until now. You couldn’t connect to a cellular network when traveling internationally, which thus required you to carry your iPhone with you at all times. Thankfully this is now changing with the release of Watch OS 9, where you can now use international roaming on your Apple Watch as long as you have a supported carrier.
International Roaming on Apple Watche
Not much has changed in terms of hardware support for International Roaming on Apple Watches, as this is a software update. The update will be available on Apple Watches with the release of Watch OS 9 and should help you use a cellular network for your Watch when you’re traveling internationally.
Compatible Devices
All Apple Watches from Series 5 and higher can use International Roaming as long as they have cellular capabilities. Here’s a complete list of Watches that will get the new International Roaming feature.
Apple Watch Series 5Apple Watch Series 6Apple Watch SE (Gen 1)Apple Watch Series 7Apple Watch Series 8Apple Watch SE (Gen 2)Apple Watch Series Ultra
Additionally, your watch will need to be running Watch OS 9 to use International roaming when traveling internationally.
When is International Roaming releasing for Apple Watch?
International Roaming will be introduced on compatible Apple Watches at the end of this year with a feature update to Watch OS 9. There is no official date for this release but the end of the year for Apple usually means the 1st or 2nd week of December. You can expect the update to release around a similar time introducing International Roaming on your Apple Watch.
Compatible Carriers
A big part of using International Roaming on your Apple Watch is a compatible carrier. Apple has partnered with more than 30 carriers worldwide to introduce international roaming to Apple Watches. You will need to be subscribed to either of these carriers to use International Roaming out of the box. Here’s a list of confirmed carriers released by Apple at the time of writing this post.
SmarToneThreeVodafoneSoftBankChinaMobileTOTOCSLAT&TSwissComTelenoryouSeeT-MobiletruemoveVerizonOneCallCellComO2Magenta
And more. Apple is expected to partner with more carriers which should further help support International Roaming on Apple Watches in the near future.
Will you need a separate plan to enable International Roaming?
It is likely that International Roaming for Apple Watch will be linked to your current cellular plan for your iPhone. However, this feature could come at an additional cost depending on the carrier you’re using. We recommend you get in touch with your carrier for more information on the same.
Will International Roaming work in all regions?
International Roaming will work for your devices in most regions; however, like iPhones, Apple Watches are manufactured with their purchase region in mind. This allows the devices to support compatible bands in your region. In some cases, when you travel to a region where none of the supported bands are available for your device, you might have to either rely on an inferior connection or your iPhone’s connectivity instead.
Final Words
International Roaming is a huge boon for Apple Watch users that travel overseas regularly. You no longer have to carry along your iPhone wherever you go to provide cellular connectivity to your Apple Watch. I hope the post above helped you learn all you need to know about International Roaming on Apple Watches.
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