The Apple Watch Series 4 is causing a sensation. The improvements in the screen, its slimmer design and the possibility of finally having its own connectivity thanks to LTE, have made be the star product of this end of the year, with more success among users than the new iPhones. However, not everything is lights at the launch of this new Apple Watch.
And, although it does not depend on Apple and the Cupertino company can do little to solve it, many of its buyers are seeing how they can not use the star feature of the new Apple Watch LTE by not being able to activate the eSIM with Vodafone. The telephone operator is unable to activate the eSIM for the Apple Watch, and not only that, it does not give any explanation about it to its users. This is my odyssey and that of many others.
Announced with hype and cymbals
After Apple's announcement, the British operator rushed to announce that it would have the eSIM ready for the launch of the Apple Watch, and informed us of prices and the procedure to follow to activate the service, which according to Vodafone, would be practically instantaneous and from our own device, as we informed you in this article. OneNumber is the name of the service that was supposed to allow us to use our Apple Watch with the same number as our iPhone, sharing data and being able to make and receive calls.
We have it perfectly described in the Vodafone support page, step by step, since we took the Apple Watch out of the box. Without the need for anything more than our watch and the iPhone application, already pre-installed on iOS, in a matter of a minute we could activate the service. But it was already striking that on two occasions, throughout the procedure described on the support website, you are told that if there were problems you should call customer service.
Frustration, lies and no information
It really did not surprise almost anyone that things were not as Vodafone had announced. It is not the first time that he says something and then does not fulfill what he promised, and this time it was not going to be different. In my unboxing of the Apple Watch Series 4 I already wanted to be able to try the LTE function, but hey, it was expected. It would be a matter of the next day calling the technical service and trying to solve it.
Nothing is further from reality. On Saturday I called the phone number that Vodafone itself tells you when the Apple Watch activation process fails. The answer left me absolutely dumbfounded and made me start thinking about the worst: this was not going to be as simple as it seemed.. The friendly operator who attended me at that number told me, and I quote in verbatim words:
"We have no idea how this works, and they put this phone number there just because they had to put something in."
That same operator told me to call Monday morning to see if they could help me, but the hope of being able to use the LTE function of my Apple Watch soon was fading. As he told me, on Monday I called the phone number, and it was such a short and efficient call that I just couldn't believe it. (and indeed it was). The activation procedure included a SIM that they had to send me and that as soon as I received it within a maximum period of 72 hours, I would activate the service just by inserting it into the iPhone.
After the period of 72 hours, and without receiving anything at my address, not a miserable SMS that my request was in progress, and of course, without the promised SIM, I called again the same phone number where they told me that they did not They could do nothing and call Customer Service. In that number they confirmed my suspicions: no shipment had been made because my order had not been processed yet, I insist, after 72 hours. They also did not confirm when it would be sent nor did they give me any alternative. When I told them if I could go to a physical Vodafone store and ask for a SIM, they told me "no, because SIMs are personal." You can guess my face at that moment.
In Vodafone stores it's even worse
As my afternoon consisted of taking walks with the children taking them to the different extracurricular activities, in one of those moments of waiting between one and the other I go to a nearby Vodafone store with the hope (yes, yes, really) that they would help me solve the problem. It is a store in the center of Granada, quite large and with a lot of entrance and exit of customers. Well, the first store employee who tries to help me He does not even know that there is a new Apple Watch, and of course he does not know anything about the eSIM or the OneNumber service. Call another colleague (I do not know if the person in charge) and this one if something of the subject sounds to her, but she tells me that they have not been informed of anything and that she cannot help me.
The worst of all is that some users have already told me that even if I receive the expected SIM, I have no hope of getting the service to work. Excuses such as the Apple Watch having problems using the Vodafone service are given by company employees to user questions, something that is simply false because there are users who do have it active. The problem is usually the same with this company: there are first and second users, and those of us who have spent time with them belong to the second group. And if you have not bought the watch from them, even worse.
You have described my problem perfectly, the Vodafone thing is a real shame and not only because of the OneNumber, the issue of 4K decos for some and others is not also a shame, the football another shame ... in short, we always have left Portabilities and mine is already underway.
Leaving your particular detail of an experience, and leaving a worker and a "manager" badly ...
If you want, I start to leave your sentences wrong and the null ability you have to manage them correctly.
Particular detail? Have you seen user complaints on forums and social networks? And I have not left anyone bad, except the company in general, nor have I said names or details of anyone, because I do not want to be able to harm anyone in particular, although I could do it because everything I have described is 100% real. I don't understand your annoyance, really. Regarding my sentences, if there is something that is badly written, go ahead. What is the chair you occupy in the RAE?
I activated it perfectly on Friday at 18:XNUMX p.m. as soon as the watch came to me by courier, simply following the steps indicated by the watch itself on the iPhone, without the need for no additional, of course. Of course, days before I called Vodafone to inform me and nobody knew how to tell me anything. The clock works correctly, I make calls, I receive emails and messages, I listen to apple music at the gym ppr streaming… all, of course, without carrying the iPhone. I hope they solve it for you soon and you enjoy this wonderful watch.
To confirm a few things: Did you buy it from Vodafone? Are you an old or new customer?
I explain it to you that I work in vodafone, it only affects vodafone clients that are not in the VODAFONE ONO database. It will be active in the next few days for everyone ...
Panic
Being able to activate the apple watch, activates voice and data with 4G on your iPhone, which is called VOLTE, if you cannot activate it, or when you receive voice calls in 4G they are transferred to 3G, forget to activate the apple watch.
To activate the apple watch your phone line has to be compatible with VOLTE, if not, they claim and have it activated:
I have them activated
"I explain it to you that I work at vodafone, it only affects vodafone clients that are not in the VODAFONE ONO database." I doubt that I am on that list and it has worked for me since the Friday of the launch.
All the best
"Frustration, lies and no information"
It is the bread and butter of Vodafone, their customer service is a disaster, no one knows anything, they offer you offers that they do not comply with and everyone, EVERY month there are errors in the invoices.
Good:
I have read in several blogs that people who have had these problems are due to the fact that they are old clients or of other operators that Vodafone acquired in the past; that is why they need the new SIM to transfer them to the new one.
Well, I have been from Vodafone for centuries and I have not had any problems. Well yes, the first time I was waiting for the activation for a long time and I even received a message from Vodafone of "activation failed". What I did was go to the Watch app on the iPhone / General / Reset / Delete mobile data plans, and so I managed to start the process from scratch and it worked.
All the best
The story is very simple, there are two customer systems in Vodafone, one is called Smar, t and it includes the old Vodafone / Ono customers, and the other system is called Spirit and is that of the new Vodafone customers.
The eSIMs right now, and don't ask me why, it only works for clients that belong to the Smart system. What they are doing is migrating customers who request OneNumber and are on Spirit to Smart and for this they need to change their SIM.
Once the SIM is changed and everything works correctly "supposedly" the normal activation process that Vodafone puts on its page should work.
Greetings.
I am an ONO customer, according to that I would already be Smart and should not have this problem.
The same thing happens to me .. on Saturday I asked for the supposed sim card to activate the esim. As of today it has not reached me yet. I call the number 800400205 and they tell me that it has been sent that it is no longer their problem and that I get in touch with the post office .. without a shipping number as well ..
I ask you to send me another one because nothing has arrived here and I am in Valencia, not in the mountains in a cabin in a forest. They tell me that they do not send me anything that I have to wait and point that it is already a matter of mail .. I do not know what to do more .. tired of calling and not having an answer .. and I am a diamond customer is supposed.
Well, I think you only have Orange, because I have Movistar, and they do not have eSim service, nor do they have any idea when they will have it ...
I activated it on Saturday in Parquesur, Leganés, Madrid. I was very lucky. What they do not explain anywhere is that you have to do it from the phone, but then on the phone you also have to have My Vodafone. Don't ask me why. They told me to download it, I logged in. And wow, the eSim works.
Hi Luis, I do not work at Vodafone, but I read that information that I have posted in a thread related to the eSIM of the official Vodafone forums a few days ago, and the shots are going around there.
Supposedly it is the old Ono customers who do not usually have problems with the activation because they are in the correct system. If you say that you are an old Ono customer and still cannot activate it then the issue is more worrying. The same, to know why, you are in the other system or perhaps they have messed it up. The same you are in the correct system but the SIM is not valid because it is not compatible with eSIM or ...
But boy, the problem is related as I read with that, with the incompatibility of eSIM with the clients that are in the other database.
Let's see if someone from Vodafone can specify something.
Are you registered in My Vodafone?
All the best
I'm also registered on my Vodafone .. but nothing .. by the way, watchOS 5.0.1 just came out
All changes and new technologies are at first tedious and difficult. In new launches problems can always arise, We all know some car brands that have to solve technology problems, mobiles that their batteries burn, toys that are potentially dangerous, hospital devices that cause irreversible damage, even failed NASA launches, the technology is not 100% accurate, much to our regret.
As a vodafone worker I apologize for the attention we have given you, there are situations that are difficult to save, due to this start-up. Perhaps the engineers did tests and there were no extra problems, they will be sure to work against the clock to give a prompt solution.
Teleoperators who work to provide service do not always have an answer to a problem that has obviously arisen again, if it had been foreseen, they would not have launched the product.
Thanks for your understanding and understanding.
Hi Mari. We all understand that there are problems, and we would perfectly understand any explanation given to us as to why it cannot be activated. The problem is the same as always, instead of saying what is happening and what the solution is, the user is deceived and told things that are not fulfilled later. It would have been as simple as taking out a press release saying what's going on, or putting the information on the web. But it seems that this is prohibited in the telephone operators.
Thanks Mari
I know perfectly well that the fault is not of the people who work as telemarketers ... the problem is of the bosses who do not put their face ... because if there are problems we understand them all but the normal thing is to wait and give a complete service and no glitches even if it comes out later. Because there will always be failures in technology, but it happens to so many people at the same time is bad organization.
I have always been good with Vodafone and I think that with respect to all of them it is undoubtedly the best but I think that a little more information from Vodafone has been lacking ..
thanks for your apologies .. accepted and we hope it is solved for everyone
For those of you who have the eSIM service already running, does it have an additional cost or do we share mobile data with the same data rate as the iPhone? I'm from Simyo and I'm wondering whether to migrate to Orango or Vodafone to be able to enjoy my Watch LTE.
On Vodafone it has a monthly cost of € 5 except for the most expensive rates; yes, the first three months are free.
All the best
Hello good..
I just received the sim card by express mail (I received an SMS last night with the shipping number) and I was able to activate the esim on the Apple Watch !! at last..
The process is very simple ... put the new card, activate the data part of the apple watch and enter the username and password that are in the vodafone letter (they are provisional) wait for the activation process to finish and wait for the Confirmation sms (it took me a few seconds ..).
Put your sim back in and call 800400205 to finish the activation by merging the sim that they send you with your number. restart the iphone and that's it .. Apple Watch activated.
Good luck to everyone…
regards
I think the same as Luis Padilla, since OneNumber was announced I have been calling to inform myself and the misinformation of this company and its workers has been regrettable. And I have called 4 numbers, nobody knew what OneNumber was or what an eSim was. They gave me phones, up to 4 and even worse in physical stores. The management by Vodafone has been regrettable. And from what I've read, today is worse.
Mox, to have an idea of times, when did you make the request to have the temporary SIM sent home?
Last night in the Vodafone chat they assured me that I would receive it today… Let's hope so, although I have many doubts since I have no SMS with a sending number or anything.
I bought the watch yesterday, it doesn't work either, I get exactly the same thing, a kind of vodafone website with the same number. Since yesterday I will have called 10 times, each time they tell me something different but it shows that they have no idea what I am telling them, they are even surprised by the 800 number that I call. They have opened an incident to me but honestly seeing what I have seen and I am throwing in the towel, I will do the portability to Orange next week because I am tired of talking to so many people who take you for a fool on the phone.
I join the list of "nipples", portability today, and after 9 calls, and contacting by twitter, they are not able to tell me what the problem is.
We will wait for tomorrow, to see if they are capable, otherwise I will have to wear orange and start another pilgrimage….
All the good experience and trouble that Apple takes to have everything go down the garbage can by an incompetent company.
Another one with the activation problem described in the article. The apple watch is purchased from Apple directly and I have been a vodafone customer for a year.
Nobody can tell me anything, if the solution is to send a sim compatible with the service nobody has been able to offer it to me, and if it is to wait for the database to be updated, nobody has been able to inform me.
Because I am patient, that if I did not start a migration process to another company.
I have the apple watch 4 since the 21st and more of the same, no information….
Until they sent me the card it seemed that everything was fine, I kept waiting for the confirmation message and nothing, on October 4 and there is no confirmation message after 4 days, and now to wait for another card to be sent, it smells like portability
I have come from Movistar with everything, fiber, landline and 2 mobile lines to Vodafone only for watch 4, and yesterday I arrived and the watch app when I put my user data and password says "invalid credentials" and from there i don't go out
I call Vodafone and I have no idea of One number, they cannot activate it, they tell me that no client has it active, that it is not possible to activate it, that they do not know when… ..
I am on 4G and when I call, the 3G symbol appears, I have voice and 4G data activated and on vodafone they tell me that I am on VOLTE, but I no longer believe anything.
I call again, and indeed one of the 2 lines is in Spirit and the other in Smart !!?, I ask that they change me and they tell me that it is not possible that the system does it alone and that they do not know when it will be! go to the store where they did it to me that they can't change my SIM ...
In short, it is a disaster and if you have bad luck then you can hold it, but I am clear about it or it works for me or I am going where I have come by default.
Hello… .go mess ,,, with the activation… .shame I had to give Vodafone …… .their customer service, or rather, wait, it's a disaster ……
Well I wanted to ask you if you know what we have to do in the MIVodafone app; what steps to follow …… .Thank you… good afternoon
The eSim does not work on the Apple Watch with company contracts. If, like me, you are one of those who have the telephone number in the name of a company, forget it, it cannot be configured, they only allow it to telephones in the name of individuals.
Hello again, you just have to go to a vodafone store and ask for a new SIM, it has worked like this for me, and this is how they told me from the Quality department who called me so that I did not switch to Orange. It wasn't that complicated. Apparently not all SIMs allow multi-device, only the new ones that Vodafone has had for a few months. It cost me € 5 that they say they will give me back but for that I have to call and the truth is that it happened, it already works and that is what counts,
Hello! After 30 minutes on the phone and after several operators who had no idea about the issue, they finally gave me the technical service and a very nice girl told me that the problem is that my contract belongs to VODAFONE-Ono, which is true, and that at the moment can only be activated by VODAFONE customers. They have been integrating for years and it is still a disaster. The truth is the explanation is consistent but I am struck by the comment of another person who says that I fix it by changing the sim. Mine is already a few years old.
False, I am Vodafone Ono and I have it working
Can you please explain to us Luis how you have achieved it ??? The message does not stop me and there is no way, did you do something to change the sim or the temporary sim?
Thanks in advance
greetings.
Hello, after countless calls and hours on the phone (I have been with the esim for a month) I still cannot activate the lte of the Apple Watch, the last operator told me that since I am from Vodafone Spain and not from Vodafone Ono they have to spend a place to the other and that they will do it but I will have to wait 2 or 3 months for it, this sounds like ... (Look, do not pay for it in a few months and one less client), I have been with it for 7 years and the fiber tv and fixed if they are from Vodafone Ono. But they have a bundle that is impressive, they have no idea, they hang up on you when you have been on the phone for 50 minutes…. in short, we will have to value Orange
That post is at least 2 years old. In August 2020 the problem continues. I have an Apple Watch series 4 and the same thing happened to me. I have visited the 3 physical stores in Logroño, .. I have called 15 22123 times. People with a Colombian accent answer me and they don't know anything at all ... Do they really work for Vodafone?
It was not possible to "activate" the service. I gave up. Vodafone is a Mie… da… monumental.
It's a shame that things are still like this after such a long time ... unbelievable.
I've been involved with the same thing for a month and a half, 35 calls and 5 visits to vodafone stores, it's incredible
The surprising thing is that this problem (there are comments from 2018) and it is happening to me in 2021. In customer service they have no idea and at official points they refer you to Vodafone! I cannot use the watch as a phone because they do not activate me in One number I have been with this problem for more than a month
I have been 10 days and 26 calls made to "Customer Service", without giving me a solution.
The last thing is that he appears to me in one of his stores, (and none of the three that I have visited, have any idea).
In the OneNumber service, I have been registered 3 times. (I don't know why, although I suppose they would have been messing around to test, I just hope they eliminate them of course)
My disappointment with vodafone is total. (I don't recommend it at all)
The same thing happens to me, it's been almost a month without being able to activate it. customer service a nefarious support, they make me dizzy from one side to another and without any solution. I am considering taking legal action against them.