If your kids have wanted an Apple Watch and you have the cash to spare, they’re about to get their wish even if they don’t have their own iPhone.
Somewhere between Snoopy, Mickey, and Buzz and Woody, my kids just can’t stop staring at the Apple Watch I regularly sport on my arm. It’s a screen on my wrist — yes — and it’s clearly not the only one out there, but virtually no other wearable maker has embraced the cultural icons you can find on the Apple Watch.
Clocks aplenty can be found on every smartwatch, and there are even some cartoonish icons and designs on the models made by Google and Samsung, but official IP from the likes of Disney and Peanuts? That’s something only Apple has seemingly embraced.
So unsurprisingly, my kids want an Apple Watch. They don’t even have the requirement to use an Apple Watch that’s an iPhone, and yet they still want an Apple Watch. Your kids are probably the same, too.
While I’m probably not alone in knowing there’s no way I’m buying a $400 wearable for their arms, particularly when these things are relatively easy to damage, if you’ve been wanting to buy your kids an Apple Watch without needing to buy an iPhone in the first place, Apple is adding that as a feature.
As part of the launch of 2025’s Apple Watch trio — the S11, SE3, and Ultra 3 — Apple is rolling out a feature called “Apple Watch For Your Kids”, allowing an Apple Watch to be assigned to a younger family member even if they lack an iPhone.
It’s one of those features we imagine parents will have asked for. Instead of needing another thousand dollar device to pair the Watch with, this year’s Apple Watch SE3 (and likely other models) can be set up with a parent’s iPhone, and allow kids to use their own Apple Account and phone number if an eSIM model is used and you have an eSIM for the child.
When connected with an eSIM, Apple Watch for Kids will be able to work with phone calls and messages, as well as maps, Memoji, and Siri. Emergency SOS may also work with or without eSIM access, something we’re checking with Apple on.
Giving a child their own Apple Watch will kind of work the same way setting up an iPhone or iPad for kids currently works, in that they’ll have their own account, but it’ll just go through a family account, something that presently supports up to six users at the same time.
And for families keen to try it, that’s just around the corner, set to launch on September 19 with the rest of the 2025 iPhone range.
