Apple Watch: Cellular vs Non-cellular

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  ThithLord on 15/05/2025 - 14:04

  +1

  With Telstra you can utilise the Telstra-One service for an extra $5 a month, but I believe it is exclusive to their post-paid (I could be wrong).

  I was using the Telstra-One service with my Apple Watch Ultra and it was extremely hit and miss; the service would show as active but if I left my phone at home and performed exercise, I might come back to several new notifications that never touched my watch. It defeated the whole purpose of why I paid extra for the cellular watch! Bear in mind, I do not know if that was related to me not using a specific cellular service with my watch - ie, if it was working as expected, phone calls to my mobile would also call my Watch.

  It was also useless for streaming music to YouTube Music as Google doesn't allow cellular streaming in YTM on Apple Watch, argh

  • 

    geekcohen on 15/05/2025 - 14:14

    the service would show as active but if I left my phone at home and performed exercise, I might come back to several new notifications that never touched my watch.

    Could it possibly have been a configuration issue of what apps you wanted notifications on with your watch?

    • 

      ThithLord on 15/05/2025 - 14:16

      I don't think so, as my watch works perfectly when in proximity to my phone. It was definitely a shady service, as if I tried to make a call on the watch (for troubleshooting purposes, I wouldn't actually try and use my watch as a phone lmao) it just wouldn't work unless I rebooted the watch a few times, y'know, usual troubleshooting sort of stuff (I work in IT).

      It was just so unreliable that I cancelled the One Number service from Telstra

      • 

        geekcohen on 15/05/2025 - 14:19

        Okay, I haven't had such issues before. I've found mine to be pretty good and reliable.

        • 

          ThithLord on 15/05/2025 - 14:21

          @geekcohen: Do you have a specific cellular service for yours, or is it a one-number jobby?

          • 

            geekcohen on 15/05/2025 - 14:23

            @ThithLord: One Number through Telstra.

  • 

    Fredfloresjr on 15/05/2025 - 14:25

    +2

    Been using my apple watch Ultra through Telstra without issues. Same reason, for long runs.

    • 

      ThithLord on 15/05/2025 - 14:47

      Using a dedicated service, or a one number service?

• 

  geekcohen on 15/05/2025 - 14:18

  I’d also be interested to hear experiences of the Apple Watch SE cellular, and whether the cellular version justifies the additional cost.

  My wife and I have them, my wife loves hers, not having to be around her phone.

  I like mine and find it handy. I don't have to worry about being in range of my phone and can leave it in the car if need be. One thing I do find annoying is that your phone has to be locked to get the notification. If your phone is unlocked (like mine often is in the car mount), you might miss a notification.

  Also, you won't get notifications if you have it hooked up to car play. Only car play allowed notifications (like calls/messages) will come through on your car. I liked with my Fitbit that you could get other notifications even though it was hooked up to car play.

  Something else to also note that it will automatically connect to any WiFi your phone is connected to. So then it saves battery and you get more reliable performance/notifications etc.

  Happy to answer any other specific questions.

  • 

    Worf on 15/05/2025 - 14:33

    How much does it cost per year, and which phone provider are you with? My current prepaid plan is $169 annually. Thanks

    • 

      geekcohen on 15/05/2025 - 14:35

      Telstra One Number is $5 per month. So $60 a year.

      • 

        Worf on 15/05/2025 - 14:36

        Is that on top of a monthly phone plan? Do they have a pre-paid option?

        • 

          geekcohen on 15/05/2025 - 14:41

          @Worf: Yes and I am not on pre-paid. Business plan.

    • 

      Ponsonby on 15/05/2025 - 15:34

      More Telecom/Tangerine use the Telstra wholesale network (the cutdown version) and say they offer this service for your watch for an extra $10 per month. I will find out next week how well it works when I switch from Boost to More. Boost say the service is coming but not yet. More has some fairly cheap monthly plans and Commbank customers might be able to get $15 off via Yello. Over a year, More still works out quite a bit more costly than a Boost 365 day plan, even with Boost's recent price increases.

• 

  Gdsamp on 15/05/2025 - 14:44

  -5

  dont see why you want to have 4g radiation on your wrist at all times

  • 

    fredblogs on 16/05/2025 - 12:45

    Some homework for you: search "why is 4g radiation not dangerous".

• 

  participant123xyz on 15/05/2025 - 16:36

  +1

  I love cellular for going on runs or walks and streaming radio stations at the same time without the need for my phone. Am with More telecom, although number sharing or whatever it's called is $10 vs $5, overall price is about half the price of what I was paying with Telstra

• 

  bargaino on 15/05/2025 - 20:38

  I have the cellular Apple watch, but calculated it would cost as much per year for the SIM plan (compared to prepaid) than I paid for the watch.

  An alternative is to carry a "pocklet wifi modem thingy" , as the Apple watch will make calls over wifi. … on second thought it might only make calls on the same wifi as your phone. But everything else works.

• 

  Hirolol on 16/05/2025 - 08:40

  If you are on one of those old Aldi plans I would recommend staying with it
  They are never going to release a plan like that again.
  I regret not jumping on it when I had the chance.

  You will be paying substantially more with telstra and if you decide you don’t want it in a few years time you won’t be able to go back to the Aldi annual plan.