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Cellular Watch

Based out of India wondering if I get a cellular watch from Dubai/USA will it connect to the networks here and work as normal as if I were to buy one in India?

Posted on May 5, 2023 11:54 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 6, 2023 3:43 AM

Apple Watch purchased in UAE will be the same model number and would use the same radio frequencies as one intended to be sold in India, so at a technical level it should work.


There are a few potential problems.

  • Will your cellular network will accept a device which has been imported privately. This has been a problem in the past for other users on the Indian networks. It would be a good idea to ask your network to confirm the watch will be accepted and activated.
  • Are there any functions barred for devices sold in UAE? Some regions or countries do not allow some functions, and user reports suggested the locks were linked to the hardware and originally intended sales region. In the early versions this seemed to impact things like the ECG heart functions and (surprise) some social media apps like Facebook and other forms of messaging. I think these restrictions are mostly gone, but you should check regional availability for both your home region AND the region you intend to purchase, for any functions you think are important to you. watchOS - Feature Availability - Apple


3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 6, 2023 3:43 AM in response to devika51

Apple Watch purchased in UAE will be the same model number and would use the same radio frequencies as one intended to be sold in India, so at a technical level it should work.


There are a few potential problems.

  • Will your cellular network will accept a device which has been imported privately. This has been a problem in the past for other users on the Indian networks. It would be a good idea to ask your network to confirm the watch will be accepted and activated.
  • Are there any functions barred for devices sold in UAE? Some regions or countries do not allow some functions, and user reports suggested the locks were linked to the hardware and originally intended sales region. In the early versions this seemed to impact things like the ECG heart functions and (surprise) some social media apps like Facebook and other forms of messaging. I think these restrictions are mostly gone, but you should check regional availability for both your home region AND the region you intend to purchase, for any functions you think are important to you. watchOS - Feature Availability - Apple


Cellular Watch

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