Why won’t a family sharing Apple Watch receive texts and calls from the trusted phone of the parent?

Hello Frustratedparentof3,

Thanks for posting in the Apple Support Communities.

We understand that you've set up an Apple Watch for a family member and they aren't receiving text and calls. Does this watch have a cellular plan? If not, the watch may be limited on the features that are accessible.

Set up Apple Watch for a family member - Apple Support

"What you need

• An Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular,* or Apple Watch SE with cellular, with watchOS 7 or later.

• An iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later for the initial watch setup.

• An Apple ID for yourself and one for the family member who will use the Apple Watch. Your Apple ID needs to have two-factor authentication turned on.

• A Family Sharing group that includes the person who'll use the Apple Watch. You need to have the role of organizer or parent/guardian to set up an Apple Watch for a family member.

* A cellular plan isn't required to set up an Apple Watch for a family member, but is necessary for some features."

Please be sure to fully review the posted article, to ensure what your experiencing is expected behavior or not.

Best regards.

Hi Frustratedparentof3,

We appreciate you providing us with these additional details.

We’d like to gather additional details that may help us be in a better position to assist you.

1. What happens when you make a call to one of the Apple Watches? Are you getting an error message?
2. What happens when you send a text message to one of the Apple Watches? Are you getting an error message?

If you are not getting any error messages, let’s check for a software update and make sure that you are running the latest version of iOS.

Let's also make sure that the Apple Watches are up to date

While it isn't inherently assured that an update will resolve the issue, updating to the latest software version for your device can help isolate potential software issues. 

Kindly secure a backup and update.

1. How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
2. Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
3. Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support

If the issue persists after the update, please reach out to us here: Get Support

Take care!

Hello Frustratedparentof3,

Thank you for getting back to us. The best thing to do at this point, would be to get in touch with Apple directly at: Get Support - Apple

Cheers!