Apple Watch 3 - Cellular Won’t Set Up- Says No Sim

[ACOOK7409]

My watch came Friday and initially, setup started to go fine. I was able to pair it with my phone, and everything except cellular works.

When I got to Set Up Cellular, the button is grayed out (I’m in the Watch app on my fully updated IPhone 7 Plus) and it says “this account is not ready to use with Apple Watch. Contact your carrier for more information.”

Furthermore, when I go into Settings on my watch and hit Cellular, it says Plan: No SIM and Status: No Connection

[Removed] is the deal? I contacted Verizon Friday and they had me to a hard reset and start from scratch setting up and pairing and still nothing. They said it’s a known issue but they have no solution yet? They said that in my account the device is properly activated and they dont know why it won’t allow me to setup cellular.

I’ve googled to DEATH and can’t find anyone else listing this exact problem. Anyone found a solution yet?

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Message edited by Verizon Moderator.

[Ann154]

You didn't search very hard. See this thread. Apple Watch Series 3 Activation Troubles (Apple Store Direct Purchase)

[ACOOK7409]

Thanks but nope, not correct. Mine was a Verizon purchase, not Apple Store. And all those comments say they activated theirs but are having issues with LTE reliably. Mine won’t activate and all and the watch says “No SIM”

[vzw_customer_support]

ACOOK7409-

Getting your smart watch to activate is the goal. No worries, we will work together to get it up and running. May I ask if your watch is a WI-FI device only? Do you have the IMEI number of your Apple watch with you handy? Please respond to my private message to continue assisting.

CarmenT_VZW

Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[STEGOO26]

I am having the same frustrating issue (can't connect cellular, status is "No Sim") and have been through everything with tech help on the phone as well as what I have seen work from some people in this forum.  Nothing has worked for me and other forums (i.e. Apple) indicate this is an activation protocol issue at Verizon which correlates to the glaring issue of my watch showing twice in "My Devices" with the same IMEI yet different Device IDs and different phone numbers.  which on 1/5/17 tech help stated would be corrected within 24 hrs. It still isn't.  More communication through the Tech Coach App they had me d'load have also been very unresponsive. I hope customer support can get me some help and have Tech Help department to at least do what they said they would do which was delayed because they think me ordering a new line the same day I complained about a preexisting problem may be the cause.   At this point, I really don't need to be on the phone and be continually thanked for my patience.

Thanks

Steve

[michelles_vzw]

STEGOO26, we understand the importance of ensuring your device is up and running at all times. Since you purchased the Apple iWatch Series 3, have you been able to use the device without issues? What make and model iPhone are you attempting to pair the watch with?

Thank You,

MichelleL_VZW

VZW Support

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSUPPORT

If my response answered your question please click the Correct Answer button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[CBH238]

 Verizon has very un knowledgeable staff working for them I’m currently dealing with same issue and they are telling me watch needs to be replaced now after it was working before they started TS it.

[ACOOK7409]

Thanks, it’s an LTE watch, and I ordered it through Verizon, selected to be paired with my phone number when I preordered. I even verified it was the correct one (and I wasn’t somehow sent a WiFi watch which I’m pretty sure verizon doesnt even sell anyway) and it indeed says “LTE” on the back of it. I’ll reply more to your PM. Thank you

[mfc63]

I am having the exact same issue.  Please let me know your progress getting this resolved

[vzw_customer_support]

I appreciate all the steps you have taken to troubleshoot the activation, mfc1963. I want to ensure we exhaust all options to activate your device. I have sent you a direct message. Please reply so I can continue to assist.

AndreaS_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[JORDIC25]

I’m having THE SAME EXACT ISSUE! Please let me know if they find a fix for it.

[ACOOK7409]

I’m going to the store tomorrow and having someone look at it. So far communication with the verizon rep on here hasnt gotten me anywhere. It takes her hours between replies and the suggestions arent anything I haven’t already tried. I honestly thing they put it under the wrong phone line or something when i ordered it even though the order shows my number! When I go into manage connections in my account (where you can share a number between devices which is i think how this works from what I have googled) it only showed my husband’s line as able to accept a secondary device but my line says it cant. Irritating. I’ll just waste my time going to the VZW store tomorrow. I’ll let you know what they say!

Amy

Sent from my iPad Pro

[mfc63]

Thanks, Amy.  I have had similarly fruitless discussions with Verizon reps over the last 2 days.  One of them (a tier 2 tech support rep) insisted that my watch was missing a sim card and that I needed to go to a store.  She resisted my arguments that many people with many providers were having the same issue and that this was not an isolated case.  I finally convinced her to call Apple, and in a 3-way conversation, he revealed that Apple had been hearing a ton of these complaints, and that the providers needed to find out was wrong with their activation protocols.  My Verizon rep finally got it and filed a ticket.

I think this will get resolved, but Verizon needs to hear from all of us to know that this is a systemic and not isolated issue.  Like you, I doubt that your visit to the Verizon store will amount to much except hopefully more awareness of the pervasiveness if this issue.  Please keep us posted!

- Mitch

[ACOOK7409]

Friday they told me that everything was activated on their end and they didn’t understand why it wasn’t working. I said my watch literally says “NO SIM” in multiple places! Also when I login into My Verizon online and all my devices are shown, it shows a generic grey phone shadow, not even a picture of a watch and it doesn’t have a name either. Something is seriously up. Hopefully they can fix it tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted

Amy

[ACOOK7409]

No solutions from verizon yet, but I did determine that my watch actually isn’t the issue, it’s something up with my phone line. I was able to get to the setup cellular screen and have it say that it was ready to setup, on my husband’s line..but on mine is says it’s not available to do that. VZW messed up my phone line somehow and the account thinks that my iPhone 7 plus is a basic phone therefore not eligible to Number Share. Funny how I can figure this stuff out faster than any verizon rep…seriously.

Still going to store tomorrow and having them physically look at all my screen shots and telling them to FIX my [Removed] phone line so everything will work. Not [Removed] around going back and forth with email and phone reps anymore over this.

Amy

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Message edited by Verizon Moderator.

[vzw_customer_support]

ACOOK7409

We certainly want to make sure that you can get your stellar watch activated. I have had this issue with several customers. What has worked with them is to complete the "Set up cellular service for device" set up multiple times to push the activation through.

NicoleT_VZW

Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport if my response answered your question please click the Correct Answer button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!

[ZAFMOH38]

I tried 10 times and every time the same message

"Device not added"

Sorry, we can't add this device at this time.

So, the issue still exists.

[CrappleUser]

Ooooo I am right there with you... I have heard that the sim is missing and that someone at a local verizon will install one for me... riiiiight... I’ve also been told that the sin inside is defective and now the entire device needs to be exchanged... Verizon is a hot [Removed].

inappropriate content removed as required by the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service

Message edited by Verizon Moderator.

[ACOOK7409]

I figured out ON MY OWN that somehow they’ve messed up my actual phone line which is why it won’t allow me to setup cellular on the watch, pairing it w/ my phone (number sharing). Somehow the account thinks my phone (iPhone 7 plus) is a basic phone, which obviously wouldn’t be capable of number sharing with a smart watch! [Removed] I unpaired my phone and watch, downloaded the watch app on my husband’s phone (iPhone 7) and started the process again like I was going to pair it with his..guess what? It went all the way to the Set Up Cellular screen and was READY TO SETUP- all i would have had to do was push Continue. So SOMEHOW, my phone line is messed up!! Going to store tomorrow to rip someone’s ass and get it fixed. Tired of dealing with email and phone CS when it’s just back and forth [Removed].

Amy

inappropriate content removed as required by the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service

Message edited by Verizon Moderator.

[mfc63]

So I have an iphone 8.  And I am able to get to the “Set up cellular” screen and am able to Add my watch to my plan.  The issue for me is that the activation process does nothing - my watch still has no cellular capability Despite my having gone through this process multiple times

[laurastreit]

I spent over 4 hours yesterday with several tiers of Verizon IT specialists and Apple reps trying to get the cellular to activate on my Apple Watch 3. It is still not working. Verizon said it's a hardware problem with my watch and Apple said it's a connection issue with Verizon. I ordered my watch through Verizon online. Verizon said that they could not get my phone to fully activate on their end. The IT person said that the watch was not recognizing the phone number assigned to it, or something along those lines. One rep said the wrong CCID? was paired with my watch. I read them my CCID and they tried that one, and it still didn't work. Another rep kept telling me "I think I can push this." Not sure what that meant? Anyway, I have reset, turned my watch off and back on, and unpaired and re paired my watch, made sure I have all of the up-to-date software etc. It's been frustrating! My watch shows that it is paired to my iphone in my Verizon account and all of the other features work. Just not the cellular. I hope this issue is resolved soon.

I will be following this thread hopefully watching for a resolution soon.

-Laura