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    Apple Family Setup

    Etisalat by e& is thrilled to support Family Setup exclusively in UAE, which brings the communication, health, fitness, and safety features of Apple Watch to kids in the family who do not have their own iPhone.

    Family Setup lets family members who don't have their own iPhone enjoy the features and benefits of an Apple Watch.

    How it works

    With Family Setup, your family member, who doesn't have their own iPhone can use their Apple Watch to do things like make phone calls, send messages, and share their location with you.

    After you set up a watch for a family member, you can use your iPhone to manage some of the watch's capabilities.

    Apple Watch

    An Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular, or Apple Watch SE with cellular, with watchOS 7 or later.

    What you need

    • An Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular, * or Apple Watch SE with cellular, with watchOS 7 or later
    • An iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later for the initial watch setup
    • An Apple ID for yourself and one for the family member who will use the Apple Watch. Your Apple ID needs to have two-factor authentication turned on
    • A Family Sharing group that includes the person who'll use the Apple Watch. You need to have the role of organizer or parent/guardian to set up an Apple Watch for a family member

    Frequently Asked Questions

    The Apple Family Setup allows an iPhone user to pair up an Apple Watch for a family member that may not own an iPhone of their own. This setup gives the Apple Watch user the ability to use the watch to make/receive calls and send/receive messages and data using their own phone number that is independent from the iPhone. The iPhone user can still manage some features of the family member’s watch using the Apple Watch app on their iPhone.

    Only existing customers with an active Pre-paid/Post-paid account is eligible for Family Setup.

    To activate the Family Setup feature, you can either start the process on your iPhone and finalize it at the nearest Etisalat by e& store, or directly visit the nearest Etisalat by e& store. In both cases, don't forget to bring your Emirates ID with you.

    An Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular, * or Apple Watch SE with cellular, with watchOS 7 or later. An iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later for the initial watch setup.

    The following features and apps are not available: Medications, respiratory rate, irregular heart rhythm notifications, ECG, AFib History, Cycle Tracking, Sleep, Wrist Temperature, Blood Oxygen, Audiobooks, Remote, News, Home, and Shortcuts.

    • An Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular, * or Apple Watch SE with cellular, with watchOS 7 or later
    • An iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later for the initial watch setup
    • An Apple ID for yourself and one for the family member who will use the Apple Watch. Your Apple ID needs to have two-factor authentication turned on
    • A Family Sharing group that includes the person who'll use the Apple Watch. You need to have the role of organizer or parent/guardian to set up an Apple Watch for a family member


    * A cellular plan isn't required to set up an Apple Watch for a family member but is necessary for some features.

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    Put on the watch and turn it on

    If the Apple Watch isn't new, erase it first.

    Then put on the watch or have your family member put it on. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.

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    Hold the watch near your iPhone

    Hold the Apple Watch close to your iPhone. Wait until "Use your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch" appears on your iPhone, then tap Continue. If you don't see this message, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap All Watches, then tap Add Watch.
    Tap Set Up for a Family Member, then tap Continue on the next screen.

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    Pair the watch with your iPhone

    Hold your iPhone over the animation that appears on the watch. Center the watch face in the viewfinder on your iPhone, then wait for a message to say that your Apple Watch is paired. If you can't use the camera, tap Pair Apple Watch Manually, then follow the steps that appear.
    Then tap Set Up Apple Watch.

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    Set up a passcode

    Tap Agree on the Terms and Conditions screen, then choose a text size for the Apple Watch.

    Next, set a passcode to keep the watch secure.

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    Pick a family member

    Choose the family member who will use the Apple Watch. If they don't appear, tap Add Family Member.

    Enter the family member's Apple ID password, then tap Next.

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    Turn on Ask to Buy

    Turn on Ask to Buy if you want to give approval for any downloads or purchases made on the Apple Watch.

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    Set up cellular and Wi-Fi

    If your iPhone cellular provider supports Family Setup, you can add the watch to your plan during this step.
    If your carrier doesn't support Family Setup, or you'd like to use a different carrier, select Not Now. * You can choose an alternative carrier from this list of supported carriers and contact them directly to set up your cellular plan.
    Next, choose whether to share your current Wi-Fi network with the Apple Watch.

    * Some corporate cellular plans don't support Family Setup.

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    Turn on other features

    In the screens that follow, choose whether to turn on and set up additional Apple Watch features. These include Location Services for the Find My app, Siri, Apple Cash Family, Messages in iCloud, Health Data, Emergency Contacts, Medical ID, Activity, Workout Route Tracking, and Photos.

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    Set up shared contacts and Schooltime

    Now you're asked to set up the contacts that will be available on the Apple Watch. To allow this, you need to have Contacts in iCloud enabled. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud on your iPhone and make sure that Contacts is turned on. *
    Then you can choose trusted people from your own Contacts app to share on the Apple Watch. You can manage these shared contacts later, and set up restrictions, in Screen Time on your iPhone.
    Finally, set a Screen Time passcode for the watch, and turn on School-time. When you're finished, tap OK to begin using the Apple Watch.

    * If you're in China mainland, you also need to make sure that the Contacts app on your iPhone can use wireless data. Open Contacts, then tap one of the options to allow data use.

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