Now, you can use Vodafone-Idea cellular services on supported Apple Watches

Vodafone-Idea on Friday announced that it now provides cellular services on supported Apple Watches. This service is available for Vodafone Postpaid customers, including Enterprise Postpaid, in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat. The services will continue to be expanded to additional circles in the coming weeks. 

The Apple Watch with LTE has embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality for cellular service. The eSIM allows users to use his or her mobile number on two different devices simultaneously. Therefore, with eSIM, the Apple Watch connects with cellular services without the need of a physical SIM. In India, the eSIM was until now supported by Airtel and Reliance Jio. With Vodafone-Idea joining the supported networks, India now has three major telecom players that provide cellular services on Apple Watches.

“Consumers today are increasingly moving towards having connected products in their lives. With the launch of cellular support for Apple Watch we are enabling our customers to connect their Apple Watch to their iPhone using the same / existing mobile number and enjoy the freedom of using their Apple Watch independently to stay connected,” said Avneesh Khosla, Director – Marketing, Vodafone Idea Ltd.

How to set up Vodafone-Idea cellular services on Apple Watches: 

• Update iPhone to latest iOS
• Open the Watch app on your iPhone
• Start the pairing process of Apple Watch and iPhone
• Sign in with your Apple ID and password to continue
• Tap “Setup Mobile Data” to share your Postpaid number and plan with Apple Watch
• Enter your Vodafone postpaid number and self-care password (Note - If not registered then tap on register to login to register your phone number)
• Tap Confirm once login is successful
• On Second confirmation the service will get activated within 30 min

Enterprise Postpaid customers need prior confirmation from their Authorised signatory to set up the service.

There are smartwatches, other than Apple Watches, which support eSIM. These include the Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE (review). It is expected that Voda-Idea would add the eSIM support on other compatible devices soon.