Unable to Activate Apple Watch Ultra Cellular

Literally was in the store today for over an hour trying to get my Series 8 set up for cellular after many failed attempts with the same error message. However the device with a “number” is showing up on our myAT&T account and has added the $10 charge to the bill regardless of the fact it’s not functioning or was ever set up completely. 

I have restarted both devices, unpaired and repaired my watch, made sure Wi-Fi calling was enabled, made sure all updates were preformed, tried to edit via myAT&T account, tech at AT&T reentered ESIM number multiple times… with no luck. The manager was told by someone from AT&T on the phone that “all apple watches are failing to set up cellular right now.” Which I find that very hard to believe and like we were just told that to get us out the door. He said a “ticket” was put in and to try again in 24hrs but probably Monday/Tuesday since they don’t “work” on the weekends. 

I have been on the phone for 3 hours and 58 minutes, talking to people who were more interested in changing my plan than fixing my problem with SVC_EMSI_37 on an Ultra as well.

If AT&T really doesn't solve widespread problems over the weekends, I seriously need to find a better provider. I will try activating the watch in the morning; if it works, well and good and if it doesn't, I would gladly take my business elsewhere.

There are always a rash of these complaints with each new watch release.  

You would think apple and the service providers would have resolved these problems by now. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Hey everyone try it again, seems to be working this morning. I was able to get it working myself. Went through setup again and got a text the numbersync was successful. It took like half an hour for the cellular to show activated in the app and on my watch. 

That's great to hear, jakegviveiros! We're glad that cellular service is now working on your Apple Watch Ultra after setting it up with AT&T Numbersync.

Thank you for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums.

Let us know if you need any other support with AT&T products and services.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

Hey there, aphumphrey! Let's meet in a Direct Message (DM) to get you a resolution to using AT&T NumberSync to set up your Apple Watch Ultra to use cellular.

Please check your Direct Message Inbox for a message being sent to you. Look for the chat icon next to the bell icon in the upper right corner of the Forums page.

In case you want to know more about AT&T NumberSync including certain restrictions, requirements or limitations that can apply we invite you to view the details under INSTRUCTIONS & INFO when you visit AT&T NumberSync. You will find important information from us and the device manufacturer.

Make sure to keep an eye out for a message being sent to you in the DM. We want to look into what's going on when you try to use NumberSync to set up your Apple Watch Ultra to your smartphone.

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

@jakegviveiros thanks for letting us know.

As soon as I saw Jake's message, I tried and got the same old SVC_EMSI_37 error but I also got an SMS that NumberSync was activated.

I waited a few minutes and retried and this time it said NumberSync was activated.

However, putting the phone in Airplane mode and calling the main number, the watch does not ring. Furthermore, the Watch app shows an ICCID but the Carrier is blank. This leads me to believe the problem is still going on.

PS, the watch itself is still unable to make calls.

@formerlyknownas I think this time was different because activating the plan on the watch had created 4 new numbers on my plan.

@ATTHelp you skipping me made me smile (thanks for that) and sealed the deal for me. AT&T is no longer a professional company.

This is not the way we want you to feel @amoo_miki. We want to get you into a DM to walk through a few troubleshooting steps to help with your Numbersync concerns. 

Check the message icon in the upper right-hand portion of the page and reply. In the meantime, gather your account and device details, and we'll get started working towards a solution. 

Again, keep an eye out for our Direct Message. Thank you. 

Alasani, AT&T Community Specialist 

@ATTHelp thanks Alasani for the effort. I have already initiated the move to T-Mobile.