Can Apple Watch Use WIFI?

These days, WIFI enables us to stay connected more than ever before. 

It is somewhat mindboggling just how many devices can now connect through WIFI. 

Even since the Apple Watch was introduced onto the market in 2015, WIFI has come a long way in how we connect with one another on a daily basis.

The Apple Watch itself is meant to work like a second iPhone, having the ability to perform many of the same functions while also analyzing and recording a lot of different biometrics. 

In terms of versatility, this smartwatch can do just about anything you would expect your iPhone to be able to do – all while being comfortably worn on your wrist.

Apple Watch is able to connect through WIFI, even though it technically is not necessary for a lot of features to work.

In fact, the Apple Watch 6 Series and after can connect to both a 2.4 GHz WIFI connection and 5 GHz WIFI networks. 

Impressive, right?

Pairing your Apple Watch to a WIFI network is pretty simple, and that is something I will help you learn how to do in just a moment here. 

We will also be talking about what you can do with the WIFI on your Apple Watch and what you can do when you are not connected.

Can Apple Watch Use WIFI?

Your Apple Watch is able to connect to available WIFI networks. If you are using the Apple Watch 6 Series or newer, you can connect to 5G networks as well as the standard 2.4 GHz networks that all of the Apple Watch models can connect to. You do not, however, have to connect to WIFI if you do not want to do so.

Ready to learn how to connect your Apple Watch to your WIFI network? 

How can you know if your watch is indeed connected? Should you ever bother turning your WIFI off? 

And what can you do if your watch is having trouble connecting with WIFI?

Read on to get those questions answered so you can use WIFI with your Apple Watch.

How do I connect my Apple Watch to a WIFI network?

If you wish to connect your Apple Watch to a WIFI network, you will need to:

  1. On your Apple Watch, open up the Settings app.
  2. Tap on the WIFI icon.
  3. Allow your device to scan for all of the available WIFI networks.
  4. Choose the WIFI network that you want to join and tap on its name.
  5. Use your Apple Watch keyboard to enter the password.
  6. Tap on the ‘Join’ icon.

How will I know if my Apple Watch is connected to WIFI?

You can tell whether or not your Apple Watch is connected to a WIFI network by looking for the green WIFI icon in the top left-hand corner of your Apple Watch’s screen. 

You can also try sending an iMessage and see if it goes through. 

If you do not see a green icon and cannot get an iMessage to go through, then you are not connected to WIFI and will need to try connecting your device.

What does having WIFI connected let the Apple Watch do?

Can Apple Watch Use WIFI 1 Can Apple Watch Use WIFI?

There are certain things that you can do while connected to WIFI that you cannot do when you simply use the Apple Watch offline. 

While on WIFI, you can use your Apple Watch to:

  1. Send and receive iMessages.
  2. Get directions from Siri.
  3. Make and receive phone calls.
  4. Stream music.

How can I turn WIFI off – and should I?

If you want to turn WIFI off on your Apple Watch, you can do so by going into your Settings and forgetting the network.

Some people prefer to do this, especially since the watch uses the paired iPhone’s Bluetooth connection as its default method of connecting.

WIFI just happens to be there in case you want to connect when you do not have your iPhone nearby for that Bluetooth connection. 

It genuinely is up to you if you want to turn WIFI off or not, although turning it off can prevent some drain on the battery – which I will talk about in just a moment.

Can my Apple Watch connect to 5G networks?

If you are using the Apple Watch Series 6 or newer, then you will be able to connect to 5 GHz networks. 

Every single Apple Watch has the ability to connect to 2.4 GHz networks though, so WIFI is truly available on every single Apple Watch model. 

But, as 5G is a fairly recent development that is still expanding, it is only these newer models that can connect to it.

Will turning WIFI off save my battery life?

Turning WIFI off on your Apple Watch can spare some of its battery life. 

Even when not in active use, having the WIFI on and searching for networks can drain more of the battery life than it would if WIFI were fully turned off.

So, yes, if you wish to save your watch’s battery life as much as possible, turning WIFI off might not be such a bad idea.

If a Bluetooth connection is not available, then WIFI will automatically turn on and try searching for an available WIFI connection. If it does find one, it will see about getting you to connect to it. Of course, you do not have to connect to WIFI if you do not want to and can choose to use your Apple Watch offline instead.

Closing Thoughts

The Apple Watch makes it easy to connect to WIFI when a Bluetooth connection is not available.

If you want the watch to forget a network and stay offline, then you can certainly have it do so. 

There is no pressure to keep WIFI toggled to ‘on’. 

But if you do leave it on and there is no Bluetooth connection available, the watch will attempt to search for an open WIFI connection. 

And, if you have a Series 6 or newer, you can choose to connect to 5G instead of the standard 2.4G WIFI network connection.

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