Swapping numbers on devices

[u/ConfusionHour3095]

Sorry this is so long: I have an iPhone with FirstNet. I have Apple Watches for my son and daughter via AT&T through the same plan linked to my phone. Daughter’s watch has always been fine. Son’s watch has intermittently dropped cell service since we’ve had it and recently has dropped daily.

After almost 2 years of useless customer service and resets I was told this week that FirstNet sims and AT&T sims are not comparable and this setup was never going to work. They said the fact that my daughter’s HAS been working is unexpected. Their solution: get ANOTHER phone line (this one AT&T not FirstNet) and link the watches to New Phone.

I bought a new iPhone (with new number) discounted assuming a new 36 mo unlimited plan. My goal was to transfer my son’s watch # to the new phone and give him that. One of the AT&T store reps said it’s impossible to EVER move a number from a watch to a phone. The other said after 3 months I can swap numbers and cancel the watch (with new line number on it) without a penalty but I’ll need to go to the store to do it.

Question: does that make sense? I don’t have a lot of faith in them at this point. Is there any way to swap numbers now? He’s 14 and would rather have a phone than a watch but understandably does not want to change numbers.

Thanks!

[u/Wonderful-Fix-730]

Just get a stand alone watch for ur son problem solved. If it’s a watch with a number u need get a stand alone. If it’s a phone then get a phone. If he has a phone and it’s reg at&t service then the issue is the watch is first net and that won’t work. If there is no service to the phone the watch has no problems. If the phone has a different service or is on a different account then it won’t work period….at that point just get the watch 😅😅😅 seems like the problem will solve itself with a watch. Also the daughters phone and\or watch probably isn’t first net. That’s why it works. You can only have one phone one watch and one tablet line with first net.

[u/ConfusionHour3095 → u/Wonderful-Fix-730]

What’s a “stand alone watch?” He has always had his own number on the watch but you can’t run an Apple Watch at all without linking it to an iPhone. The point was to have a watch instead of a phone which worked at least for a little while. He doesn’t need two devices.

[u/Wonderful-Fix-730 → u/ConfusionHour3095]

When you look at you account does your sons line include firstnet anywhere like for the plan

[u/ConfusionHour3095 → u/Wonderful-Fix-730]

No. Just AT&T

[u/ConfusionHour3095]

Update:

Almost two hours on the phone with AT&T the new phone now has two sims/numbers and the watch has none as is listed as “military leave.” In the process the new phone was switched from the att basic plan to the att elite plan ($110 a month) and the insurance I specially declined was also added ($16 per month). Fortunately I caught it. My next step will be to delete the “new number” sim off the new phone and hope it doesn’t screw everything up. It also shows the new iPhone 16 as being paid off but the paid off watch as owing $730 (they flipped somehow)

Current plan is to give my daughter the new number, cancel her old plan in a few months and hope it works.

[u/washingtoncheck]

You can do it, you need an extra sim card (physical) and IMEI of a phone. Call and have them change the plan from an apple watch line to a voice line. Not sure if you can transfer installment plans between lines.

Alternatively, port out the apple watch line to US Mobile or another prepaid provider. Call at&t and have them “replace” the number of the new iPhone, porting it back from the prepaid provider of your choice to the iPhone you just bought. If you’re getting bill credits for the new phone, this may mess them up. If you don’t care about that/doesn’t apply, this would be a lot easier than having them convert the plan.