Smartwatches have come a long way since their inception and more users are choosing to put their smartphones on the backburner in the favor of their watches. This begs the question, can you leave your phone at home and still use a smartwatch?
Yes, you can leave your phone and still use a smartwatch to perform basic tasks. However, if your smartwatch supports a cellular connection or is connected to WiFi, you’ll be able to perform every task without your phone being physically present with you.
In this article, we’re going to go over what exactly a standalone smartwatch that isn’t connected to your phone can do alongside what you can ultimately achieve if you do end up getting an internet connection while your smartphone is at home.
If your Watch supports a cellular connection and your iPhone is connected to the internet / WiFi, you’ll be able to do almost everything that you can do if your phone was with you. This is because your Watch just needs to establish an active link with your phone. If it is able to do so, then it won’t run into any issues whatsoever.
For instance, here are all the features you can use if your Watch is connected to WiFi or cellular:
Make and receive phone calls
Send and receive messages
Use your voice assistant
Check the weather
Control your home
Set reminders
Stream and listen to music
Navigate your surroundings
If your watch is not connected to your phone, this can be because your watch does not have internet or maybe your phone doesn’t. In any case, it will not be able to perform most of the tasks that you are accustomed to.
But, it’ll still function well as a basic smartwatch and will be able to perform some day-to-day activities. Here’s what it will be able to do:
Track your workouts (with GPS)
Set an alarm, see the time, and use the stopwatch
View photos and stream downloaded music
Track your cycle
Take an ECG / heart-rate / SpO2 measurement
Track your sleep
Get your bearings using the compass
If you have a cellular-activated smartwatch, no you do not need to do so. However, if your watch only has Bluetooth, then the answer depends on what exactly you need off your watch. For most use cases though, you will need to be connected to the internet to be wired in.
If you are present at a place that has a WiFi connection though, then you can connect your watch to that network and connect to your phone. Once that happens, if your carrier supports WiFi calling, you can receive calls, make them, and perform all the tasks as you would if your watch was connected to a cellular network.
No, a smartwatch cannot replace your smartphone. However, that doesn’t mean you need to carry your phone around everywhere either. If you have a watch that supports a cellular connection, as mentioned earlier, you’ll be able to make and receive calls, send messages, and view the directions.
In essence, while you may need a smartphone to be connected to your smartwatch at all times, it doesn’t mean that you need to go along with it either. Personally speaking, I’ve often kept my cellular-activated Apple Watch with me while my iPhone is charging at home when I go out for a quick run or errand. In order to do that you will need a smartwatch with a SIM card.
It is much more convenient to have your phone in your home and not worry about clogging your pocket. Most of my daily tasks, which include going for a run, tracking a workout, paying for something, streaming music, and checking for directions can be done through a cellular-activated watch like the ones offered by Apple or Samsung as well for that matter.
The question is a bit more complicated if you have a watch that only supports Bluetooth. You see, Bluetooth has a limited range of about 20-30 feet. So, your watch will instantly lose connection as soon as you move out of that range.
Once that happens, you will then be limited by what your watch can do as a standalone device. So, it definitely won’t be replacing your phone anytime soon once you step out of the house. But, if you really don’t want to receive any calls and don’t mind losing the internet for a few hours, it can still act as a viable workout partner given that you store all your music offline.
Personally speaking, I wouldn’t really dare walk out of my house with a watch without internet connectivity. The inability to receive an important call or a text can be daunting for most especially because you can never really know what to expect.
Yes, your smartwatch will work if you leave your phone at home. It will be able to perform basic tasks such as checking the time and streaming offline music. However, if it is connected to the internet / cellular, it’ll be able to connect to your phone and receive calls and work normally.
Yes, you can leave your phone at home and your Galaxy Watch to a reasonable extent even without a connection. However, if your watch supports LTE / cellular, you’ll be able to connect to your phone at home and will be able to use the watch just as you would if your phone was present with you.
No, a smartwatch can operate as a standalone device and can do some tasks without the help of your smartwatch. Moreover, if your watch can connect to the internet and your phone can too, then they don’t need to be physically present together for them to be connected.
Yes, Apple allows for your iPhone and Apple Watch to be connected to each other using a cellular or WiFi connection. This allows your Apple Watch to receive calls and send messages while also using the internet just as it would normally.
If you don't have a cellular watch, some of your watch’s features will continue to work even if you leave your phone behind.
If your watch supports Wi-Fi, it can stay connected to your phone at any distance when they're both connected to the Internet. To stay connected to your phone, turn on and connect to Wi-Fi on your watch.
Not all watches can connect to Wi-Fi. Try turning on Wi-Fi on your watch. If you can't find "Wi-fi settings" under “Settings” on your watch, it’s not available on your watch.