You don’t need an iPhone to take advantage of Apple Watch features

The Apple Watch offers arguably one of the most complete experiences you’ll find among any Apple product.

Since its introduction in 2015, Apple has become one of the dominant players in the smartwatch sector. Over the generations, the Cupertino company continued to enrich it with new features such as GPS, LTE and better resistance, making it an independent device.

However, it is often used in tandem with the iPhone, how can it function without being connected to it?

In this article, we explain the role that the Apple Watch can play on its own.

Can you use Apple Watch without an iPhone?

The answer is yes and no. Indeed, when you first buy an Apple Watch, you need an iPhone to set it up because you have to go through the Watch app on iOS.

Apple sees its smartwatch as a companion to your smartphone, so much so that you can’t even use a Mac or iPad to run it.

On the other hand, while you can’t set up an Apple Watch without an iPhone, it’s possible to do it from a smartphone you don’t have. As long as you are added to a Family Sharing Group, you will be able to use most features. Also, your Apple Watch must be compatible with the same cellular network, and often only connect to a Wi-Fi network to send or receive data.

The times when the iPhone is unavailable are for updates and settings.

Apple Watch without iPhone

See what Apple Watch can do without an iPhone nearby. Be careful, as mentioned above, in some cases it will require a Wi-Fi or cellular network connection.

Use health features

Apple Watch can record all your steps and other health data while you’re on the move. If you own an iPhone, it will only sync data with your smartphone later.

Even without an iPhone, Wi-Fi, or cellular connection, you can use the following Apple Watch features:

Heart rate monitor (all models)
ECG (Apple Watch Series 4 or later)
Measuring your blood oxygen levels (Apple Watch Series 6 or later)
Sleep tracking (Apple Watch Series 3 or later)
Medication tracking (Apple Watch Series 4 or later)
Track your period (Apple Watch Series 1 or later)

listen to music

If you want to enjoy your favorite tunes on the go, there are plenty of titles you can store on your Apple Watch.

Obviously, since the watch doesn’t have a headphone jack, you need a pair of Bluetooth headphones. You can also stream songs from Apple Music, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi or cellular connection for that.

For podcasts and audiobooks, if they’re synced above, you’ll be able to stream them without an Internet connection.

Read the news

Again, you need Wi-Fi or a cellular connection, but even if you don’t have your iPhone with you, there’s nothing stopping you from checking the News app or following the stock market.

Receive calls, messages and emails

Do you have an Apple Watch Series 3 or later, or are you connected to a Wi-Fi network? Note that it is possible to configure the watch to work as an extension of the iPhone.

So you can make and receive calls directly from your smartphone, even if it’s not in your pocket. The same goes for messages and emails.

As for the use of the eSIM function, it requires additional costs, but it is cheaper than the usual packages offered by various operators.

Use maps

Another very useful feature available on the Apple Watch is Maps. Again, this requires a cell phone contract or Wi-Fi connection, but once it’s available, you can roam the streets of your city or elsewhere as you please.

Use Apple Pay

Once you set up Apple Pay on your Apple Watch, you no longer need to have your iPhone with you to pay for purchases at checkout.

For automatic payment, it is enough to press its side button twice and hold the watch over the contactless sensor.