HELP! Apple Watch calling people on a different number

[Dea11uvR]

I need help. I just got a cellular Apple Watch and added the plan to my Visible plan. Now when I call people, they tell me a different number shows up on their phone. How can I fix this? I had issues yesterday with not receiving calls (I could only place them). To try to fix that issue, I unpaired my watch, reset it, and then set it up again. But now it's calling people with a different number. Any ideas on how to fix this?

[TheDetective]

Were you ever able to get this situation resolved? I seem to be having the same trouble now on my Watch.

[Dea11uvR · Accepted solution]

Yes, I contacted Visible through the chat, and they were able to fix it (it took them opening up a case # and a couple of days to sort it all out, but they were very helpful), but the problem is Apple. This is my first cellular watch, and I was expecting the watch to work differently. Apple does not want its users to separate their watches from their iPhones for long periods of time (despite their advertisements of people climbing Mount Everest with just their watch). I am taking my Watch to work and leaving my iPhone at home. You cannot receive phone calls to your Watch when they are connected to separate wifi connections. If you turn off your phone, you can receive phone calls on the watch, but you cannot send/receive texts from androids. So the solution is to turn wifi off on your watch if you are trying to make phone calls/texts without your iPhone around. I thought having wifi turned on for my watch would save battery life. It does not. Bluetooth is the battery drain culprit. Anyways, this is probably way more info than you ever wanted or needed. 🙂 Hope they get you all fixed up.

PS I LOVE being at work without my iPhone. I can focus so much better, and my productivity has improved. I work on a MacBook, so it helps to type out text message replies, but not having the iPhone around every day is amazing.

[TheDetective]

Thanks for your reply. But you're saying that when you call or text from your Watch on Cellular, your iPhone number is now showing as it's supposed to? And if someone texts or calls your iPhone number it will ring the Watch on cellular? As of now, my watch shows up as a completely different number when I call using cellular, and when someone calls my iPhone it won't ring the watch.

[Dea11uvR]

It sounds very similar to my issue. Before Visible fixed it, people could call me on my original number and it would ring to both my watch and my phone, but when I called them from my watch it would show up on their phone with a new number. Visible fixed that for me after I contacted them on the chat. Now it works great; the number my iPhone uses is now the same one my Watch uses. I think if they assign the same number to your iPhone and Watch your issues will be resolved. Make sure to write down the case # and reference that if you have to check in with them. That really helped them out on their end to be able to pull up my file to figure out what is going on and what they needed from me.

[TheDetective]

Thanks. I just contacted them again using the reference number from my chat last night and they said they have escalated it, that it is something they have to fix on the backend for my account, but that they are going to resolve it. The rep also said that I would need to re-add the cell plan to the watch once they do whatever they are going to do, so he indicated it would be best to go ahead and remove the cell plan from the watch in the meantime.

[TheDetective]

Ok, so, update. They appear to be making some progress. Now, when you call my iPhone number it will ring the watch, but it's still showing a different number when I call out from the watch. Was on chat with Visible today and they are now working on this part of the issue. So it looks like it's about half fixed so far.

[TheDetective]

I wish you could tell me who you talked to to fix this, because I have talked to what feels like a dozen people and so far none of them have been able to correct this problem. I'm about to just cancel the watch plan altogether.

[Dea11uvR]

Hmm, that is really frustrating. Are you getting emails from them? I got emails with the case number, the number working on it, and status updates. Also, when you start the chat, I would say something like, "I'm working on case # XXXX with Danny from the Visible Care Team. The email says you need more info from me. Can you let me know what info I need to provide to Danny?" You could try sending a message like that through Facebook DM. The people who helped me were Vali, Danny, and Elias. I know I had to restart my phone and watch for the changes to take place, but I'm sure you have already tried all of those things.

[jimrey51]

I had no trouble transferring my phone and my wife's phone to Visible.  The only issue I had was getting a new PiN from the old carrier on my wife's phone and on my phone the carrier had the wrong Zip Code on the account.  Everything else was smooth and the process on each phone took about 20 minutes.  I am now trying to Add my Apple Watch.  it has been five weeks.  I have paired and unpaired numerous times, restored my phone twice, and it still does not work.  I get emails 2-3 times week telling me I will have a solution in 24 hours.  The case has been escalated but the "back end engineers" can't fix it.  I am frustrated with the lack of competence by the Visible techs.  it is obvious that they lack experience and do not care about fixing issues in a timely manner.  I have posted negative reviews about Visible on numerous websites and forums.  Next step it to report to BBB for a refund of money paid for nonexistent service and the lack of initiative to fix my problem.  Hello MetroPCS!

[junction2498]

Visible flat out told me this isn't possible. Can you share how they corrected it? I've gone through 3 support cases and every time they've 'provisioned the phone to the watch' the same problem happens where when I'm away from the phone and make an outgoing call, a different number appears for the other person.  Can you at least share which rep resolved the issue? I'd love to leave my phone behind to make and receive calls from the same number. 

[junction2498]

Can you share who ended up resolving for you? And did they mention anything about an eSim? I've opened 3 different cases with Visible, and they flat out told me this isn't possible. When I make an outgoing call on my watch while I'm away from my phone, the other person receiving the call says it's a totally different number... the whole purpose for me getting the watch was so that I wouldn't have to bring my phone with me everywhere... So this poses a big problem if the other person is seeing a different number.