Preparing to Connect Apple Watch to Wi-Fi
To manually connect your Apple Watch to a Wi-Fi network, first make sure the Watch is not paired with your iPhone. If you’ve left your iPhone at home or in the car, this isn’t a problem, but if you are connecting to save battery life, you will need to turn off Bluetooth on your iPhone to unpair the devices. Verify that you are not already connect to the Wi-Fi network by swiping from bottom to top on the Apple Watch lock screen. If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, the blue Wi-Fi icon will be showing in the top-left corner of the display with the network name next to it. Apple Watch will automatically join any network that has been previously connected using the Apple Watch or the iPhone while paired with the Apple Watch.
How to Connect Apple Watch to Wi-Fi Using WatchOS 5.0 or Newer
Here’s how to connect an Apple Watch to Wi-Fi on WatchOS 5.0 or Newer: If you receive a message stating the network cannot be joined, it may be a public network using a login or permission screen. Apple Watch cannot log in to these networks. If you’ve mistyped the password, Apple Watch will specifically note that the password is incorrect.
How to Join a Network Using Apple Watch and WatchOS 4.x or later
If you are using the original Apple Watch or haven’t yet upgraded to the newest version of WatchOS, you can still join a Wi-Fi network. However, it must be a network that your iPhone is connected to or has connected to in the past. The good news is that this trick is a rather straight forward process. These instructions can be completed on your iPhone.
What Can You Do With Your Apple Watch While Connected to Wi-Fi?
When your Apple Watch is connected to Wi-Fi, any app or complication that requires the iPhone to be paired to it will not run. You will also not be able to place phone calls that are routed through your iPhone, but that does not mean you cannot talk on your Apple Watch.
FaceTime: You can still place audio FaceTime calls using Wi-Fi. Messages: While you cannot send SMS messages, you can still message people using Messages. Siri: Check the weather, get directions, set a timer, etc. Mail: You can both read emails and reply to them using either the Scribble input or voice dictation. Home: You can interact with many of your smart home devices. Walkie-Talkie: Walkie-Talkie works over Wi-Fi. Apps: While some apps require the iPhone, many work on their own, which means you can stream music, track stocks, check the news, listen to podcasts, and more.
