Apple Watch 3 won’t connect to the ATT cellular network

I spent hours as well to get my series 3 watch to activate.. I have a 12 yo 1400 min talk/text plan and grandfatherd 2 of the old unlimited plans.  The basically telling me I must change data plans.  Screw that! It’s a ruse to rid of the old unlimited plans.  I heartily encourage others to go elsewhere 👍

Keep us posted 

Count me in as a victim ! Lol 8 hours on the phone with 3 tech reps and 2 cs reps + 2 hrs at the corporate store , 10 hours in 3 days time span .  Getting the Watch to numbersync is the main problem , they end up adding 3 additional wearable lines to  troubleshoot the issue and had to cancel those lines afterwards , hope I don’t see any extra charges on my bill . Overall still no cellular on my Watch 

 Finally, finally, finally… got mine to work! To recap, I have now spent over 10 hours, on three different days, with AT&T representatives in my local AT&T store and they were stymied as to why they could not get it to work. I called Apple, and the base level Apple representative said just return it until AT&T figures it out.  I went to my local Apple Store, and the representative there said he heard the buzz in the street was you had to have the right AT&T plan in the first place in order for the iWatch 3 to work. This is not something that was on the radar at the AT&T store. In fact, the AT&T reps there discussed the possibility that it could be the plan and decided that was irrational. After all, I have had an AT&T plan, unchanged, since the original iPhone came out 10 years ago. I have 6 iPhones on that 2007 plan, many of them grandfathered in to the original 2007 “unlimited data“ deal that AT&T offered back in 2007. Why would AT&T make it difficult for a business client like me who spends approximately $700 a month on AT&T cellular service for multiple iPhones to fire up one lousy iWatch 3 on my good ole’ grandpappy plan; and make it so much easier for the proverbial millennial with a vape pen, a first tattoo, and a new individual plan to unproblematically add an iWatch 3 with cellular service to his/her plan? Why indeed?  Without benigma able to answer these cosmic questions, I am exhausted but happy to finally report that, upon changing my AT&T plan, it was very easy to get my new iWatch 3 up and running with cellular service. It was the AT&T plan all along. Why AT&T representatives do not know this is ridiculous, and should be unforgivable from this point forward. Yes, you and the AT&T representatives may have to take all of the steps indicated by others above, such as changing your “My AT&T Access” password and ID (I now have three IDs, have three passwords; Thanks AT&T!) restarting, rebooting, and so on, and so forth. But don’t do any of this until you know you have a compatible AT&T plan in the first place!  As contributor Rja3869, above, points out: AT&T maybe using the iWatch 3 to scam you out of a plan that was a good deal for you.  You’ll need to be the judge there.

omg, I can't even get to those problems yet.  My watch, 2nd one, 3rd generation (bc the Hermes Double wrap strap is too small on both watches that they tried with me...2nd one fits better)! New out of the box won't sync or connect at all.  Was hung up on and didn't know it and am currently on hold 56 minutes.  Never had this watch and thought things would be easier, not more complicated. ugh!!

I would recommend that if you’re still having issues you schedule an appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. They have a direct phone number to the ATT advanced technical department. I wish I would of just gone to the Apple Store from the beginning. 

Every time I go to numbersync it doesn’t send the dayum code to the Apple watch 🤦🏽‍♀️ Been working on this for 5 days all day and still doesn’t work!!

@LegacyClient Can you share what plan you needed to switch to in order to make it work? Is it one of the unlimited plans? 

@LegacyClient Is correct.  Unless you have a current plan you cannot add the watch.  Those on the old grandfathered plans will have to choose between the plan and the watch.   

    Unless you have a large FAN discount, there is no reason not to switch.  The threshold and data speed on the Plus Account is the same.   I encourage you to look in your My ATT, under “change plan” to get accurate prices compared with your old plan.  This does not commit you to change.  

    There are those who have added the watch on a current plan, costing much more of course with its own data plan.  Then they have got it to work.

     Verizon is also not allowing the watch on old unlimited plans.  

     I find it amusing (ironically) some will change carriers - forcing themselves to be on the newest plan with them - but won’t change to a current, probably more cost effective ATT plan.  Switching is always expensive.