Do Smartwatches Need Data Plans | All Things to know

MR Sony January 6, 2023 0

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Smartwatches are known to be well-used devices by many smartphone users. It is not because it has a fine look, but because of its advanced features that offer for their users to ease their life.

Smartwatches usually come with features like GPS location, tracking, and many more. But although people want to make these devices a part of their lives, they still fear how much data it costs with the features like GPS.

Do Smartwatches Need Data Plans? It is a regular question that comes to the mind of any user. But they always want to feel like getting fit and staying healthy without spending too much on the phone.

So this is a life-supporting device with many features to ease your life. But if you are still worried about data plans, let’s clear your doubts from this guide.

Does a Smartwatch Need a Data Plan?

Many smartwatches in the market don’t need a data plan, even if it is not a standalone smartwatch. However, if you own a standalone smartwatch, know that they are coming with capacities of cellular connectivity.

And it also comes with the support of 4G LTE. And here, deciding whether a smartwatch needs a data plan depends on your device and type.

But most of the time, GPS watches and watches work fine without using a data plan. And they will simply use the phone. So it is better to say that standalone watches need a data plan.

Having 4G LTE and cellular connectivity is totally up to your desires, and if it comes with your watch, then you need to think of a data plan. Then if you don’t need such a thing, you have to share the data with the watch.

Standalone vs. Normal Smartwatches

Standalone smartwatches are also identified as self-sufficient watches, and they have most of the features to work standing alone.

In addition, it can access the internet by using a 4G LTE radio which comes along with the watch. For all these processes, the watch uses a sim card on its own, and we call it an eSIM or a nano sim.

When you want to connect a GPS watch and a normal smartwatch, it only needs WIFI or Bluetooth. Then, we have to install an app for the smartphone, which works by using our phone’s data. So, there is no real need to have a data plan.

The mobile app you have installed here is synching with the watch and will use your phone’s data. So, the app can download or upload any information with any data you need from the smartwatch.

Some standalone smartwatches are asking users to operate data plans. An example of such watches is the Apple series, and they are using an e-sim for this. Samsung Gear S3, the DZ9 smartwatch, and Samsung Galaxy watches are some other watches that need a data plan.

What is e-SIM, and what is the requirement of eSIM in the smartwatch

E-sim refers to the Electronic Sim, an embedded sim card. So, it doesn’t come with a physical entity for it, and they are so much different than the usual SIM cards. It is a small chip that is on the eSIM-ready device, and it is already built.

The information in an e-SIM is rewritable, and if you want to see the SIM profile, you can scan the QR code using your device. E-SIM is more like a physical sim where the users can save more profiles there. And you can manage these all by using a single app from your device.

Usually, the new smartphones are coming along with the non-removable and virtual versions of your regular sims. They are pre-installed from their devices, and all support the latest technology.

This also stores the user’s ICCID and knows that this is an identifier or a number in the sim card. The number is printed on the Sim card when the personalization process happens.

E-sims are like an extension for the smartwatch sim cards, and they use the same number as your phone. Anyone who owns an enabled eSim with their watch can have calls from it, browse, and send even messages without any smartphone use.

Some extra charges will be taken for an eSim monthly plan based on your choice. There are various carriers for this; some charge less while others charge more for these services.

How much data does a smartwatch use?

There is no exact data amount that we can say here because the user is the one who decides it. Based on the data usage, the amount of data cost will depend, and the way you use it and its purposes will act as the additional factors for the data cost.

But we for sure say that your data use will be based on how you use the watch and for what you use it. So if we camper your phone to the watch, know that the amount of data taken here is very less.

When it comes to standalone smartwatches, they don’t need a smartphone to access the internet. Most of the time, using the data plans for smartwatches, this data plan can allow you to use music streaming services as well as video. When you use more of these services, it will take more data. Remember that in advance.

So we can say that internet-based services decide the data usage of a smartwatch, and how you deal with such kinds of services will decide the data amount and how many services there are. So their scale is also a contributing factor to the data cost.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I Need Cellular on My Smartwatch?
There are smartwatches with no built-in cellular connectivity in them, and they always come with smart features like receiving notifications.

Does Galaxy Watch 5 Need its Own Data Plan?
When your galaxy watch 5 has an LTE version, there is no need to have a mobile plan.

Do I Need 4G on My Smartwatch?
Having a 4G connection can allow you to link to the data plan without needing a phone connection.

Conclusion

And that is it. Smartwatches are always life saviors for us all, and they give us the help to maintain an organized life as well as to be systematic.

So there is no need to fear how much data plans cost. And don’t let the data plan stop you from owning a smartwatch. You can select many choices and choose one based on your taste.

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MR Sony

MR Sony is a watch enthusiast who has been using watches since 2002. In 2020, he founded the luxury watch blog(Pickedwatch.com). Before starting the site, he spent four years as a contributing editor to multiple web blogs, where he wrote about luxury lifestyles.