IPad without cellular, can it be paired to iPhone
Looking to purchase another iPad but want to be able to receive incoming calls on both my iPhone or iPad, whichever is closest.
Do I need to purchase an iPad that has cellular?
iPhone 12, iOS 16
Question marked as
Top-ranking reply
As you already have an iPhone, you don’t necessarily require a WiFi+Cellular model iPad - however, there are potential benefits in choosing a WiFi+Cellular model over a WiFi Only model. I’ll return to this aspect of the equation shortly.
An iPad, whether a Cellular model or not, is not capable of directly accessing Cellular Voice or SMS/MMS Messaging features. An iPad with either WiFi or Cellular connectivity alone can only access IP-data services. If you have added a DataSIM and Cellular plan to a WiFi+Cellular model of iPad, the number associated with the SIM card is only used to identify your account for billing purposes. This number is not used for making calls or sending messages.
However, when either model iPad is used along with your iPhone, the capabilities of iPad significantly broaden to include access to Cellular Voice and Messaging services of the associated iPhone - relayed to the iPad over WiFi using Apple’s continuity features.
More information about Continuity and the relevant Cellular services can be found here:
Continuity
Use Continuity to connect your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple Watch – Apple Support
SMS/MMS Messaging
WiFi Calling
Make a call with Wi-Fi Calling – Apple Support
To send SMS/MMS messages (green bubbles) from your iPad you must explicitly enable Text Message Forwarding for your iPad on your iPhone...
On your iPhone:
Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding - set to ON - and explicitly enable your iPad from the list of devices.
Also ensure that Messages in iCloud is enabled on both your iPhone and iPad:
Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > Messages - set to ON
As for making or receiving calls from your iPad, if your both your iPhone’s Cellular Carrier and your calling plan support WiFi Calling, your iPad can make and receive calls independently of the iPhone - even when the iPhone is switched off, elsewhere, or using a different WiFi network. Be aware that not all carriers support full WiFi calling - and many Carrier representatives don’t technically understand or acknowledge its existence.
Returning to the functional differences between WiFi Only and WiFi+Cellular models of iPad - you might wish to consider that only WiFi+Cellular models of iPad have GNSS/GPS capabilities - this being a function of the iPad Cellular chipset. WiFi Only models of iPad have no GPS capabilities with which iPad Location Services can derive location. This fundamental difference may significantly impact your ability to use mapping or other Apps that require precise location data - in particular if real-time positioning (e.g., a moving map) is required. When using a mobile phone’s hotspot, the phone does not share GPS information derived from its own positioning capabilities.
WiFi Only iPad models can only “infer” their location from a database lookup of neighbouring WiFi networks for which the geographic location is known, or the geographic location of your public IP address. For static applications in urban locations, where the location of IP public IP addresses and WiFi networks are known, an “inferred” location can be relatively accurate. However, in rural locations, or when using a Cellular/Satellite/VPN connection, location accuracy of an inferred location [if it works at all] may be very inaccurate.
Choosing a cellular model does not commit you to adding a cellular service plan for the iPad, but ensures that you have immediate access to GPS/GNSS and precision positioning services.
