Vodacom One Number Apple Watch issue

[KieonJoubert]

 I used to have a Vodacom One Number linked on my previous watch to my main telephone number. Unfortunately, I was unable to remove the mobile plan from the watch because I sold it.

Since I have received my new Apple Ultra 2 watch, I am unable to setup a Vodacom One Number. I followed all the steps outlined on their website as well as the steps I used to initially set it up on my first watch. Each time I get asked to log into Vodacom’s portal, which I successfully do. The Vodacom portal then shows that my Apple Watch One Number is active, but it does not link it to the new watch. I have reset the watch multiple times and even set it up ‘as new’ without restoring from the backup. iStore also tested the watch and there is nothing wrong with the mobile function preventing it to be linked to Vodacom.

I have tried numerous times to deactivate the One Number via the portal and every time it gives an error on the Vodacom portal, “Oops! We’re experiencing a technical issue.” Needless to say, I have spoken to multiple agents at Vodacom and visited the Vodacom store twice already. Every agent adds and removes an eSim, which is not correct as I cannot scan a QR code, and none are actually addressing the problem. It seems that my old One Number remains active on their system and no one can remove it in order for a new one to be linked.

The Vodacom store logged a support ticket with their technical support to remove all One Numbers linked to my profile, but after more than five days, this ticket is yet to be touched by any technical staff member. Again today, a phone call to the call centre, and the agent says I must go the physical store or remove the One Number myself. Despite explaining the situation, the agent created another eSim on my account!

Asking why technical support has not yet looked at the ticket, a simple response of “they are having issues with their systems”, and “it might take a while before they start working”. The agent continued to state that they cannot even phone the technical team as they do not have phones.

I have been with Vodacom for over 17 years, and truly, this is the first time that I have been sent from pillar to post with agents all giving different advice and steps to follow. It is extremely frustrating. If I was not tied into a contract, I would have simply moved to a provider that is capable of assisting.

If anyone else has experienced an issue similar to mine and managed to get it sorted, please, please do let me know.

My Vodacom statement show that I was billed for three One Number activation/ connection fees due to incompetent call centre agents. I guess I can forget about getting that reversed.

[KieonJoubert]

 I used to have a Vodacom One Number linked on my previous watch to my main telephone number. Unfortunately, I was unable to remove the mobile plan from the watch because I sold it.

Since I have received my new Apple Ultra 2 watch, I am unable to setup a Vodacom One Number. I followed all the steps outlined on their website as well as the steps I used to initially set it up on my first watch. Each time I get asked to log into Vodacom’s portal, which I successfully do. The Vodacom portal then shows that my Apple Watch One Number is active, but it does not link it to the new watch. I have reset the watch multiple times and even set it up ‘as new’ without restoring from the backup. iStore also tested the watch and there is nothing wrong with the mobile function preventing it to be linked to Vodacom.

I have tried numerous times to deactivate the One Number via the portal and every time it gives an error on the Vodacom portal, “Oops! We’re experiencing a technical issue.” Needless to say, I have spoken to multiple agents at Vodacom and visited the Vodacom store twice already. Every agent adds and removes an eSim, which is not correct as I cannot scan a QR code, and none are actually addressing the problem. It seems that my old One Number remains active on their system and no one can remove it in order for a new one to be linked.

The Vodacom store logged a support ticket with their technical support to remove all One Numbers linked to my profile, but after more than five days, this ticket is yet to be touched by any technical staff member. Again today, a phone call to the call centre, and the agent says I must go the physical store or remove the One Number myself. Despite explaining the situation, the agent created another eSim on my account!

Asking why technical support has not yet looked at the ticket, a simple response of “they are having issues with their systems”, and “it might take a while before they start working”. The agent continued to state that they cannot even phone the technical team as they do not have phones.

I have been with Vodacom for over 17 years, and truly, this is the first time that I have been sent from pillar to post with agents all giving different advice and steps to follow. It is extremely frustrating. If I was not tied into a contract, I would have simply moved to a provider that is capable of assisting.

If anyone else has experienced an issue similar to mine and managed to get it sorted, please, please do let me know.

My Vodacom statement show that I was billed for three One Number activation/ connection fees due to incompetent call centre agents. I guess I can forget about getting that reversed.

[KieonJoubert]

 I used to have a Vodacom One Number linked on my previous watch to my main telephone number. Unfortunately, I was unable to remove the mobile plan from the watch because I sold it.

Since I have received my new Apple Ultra 2 watch, I am unable to setup a Vodacom One Number. I followed all the steps outlined on their website as well as the steps I used to initially set it up on my first watch. Each time I get asked to log into Vodacom’s portal, which I successfully do. The Vodacom portal then shows that my Apple Watch One Number is active, but it does not link it to the new watch. I have reset the watch multiple times and even set it up ‘as new’ without restoring from the backup. iStore also tested the watch and there is nothing wrong with the mobile function preventing it to be linked to Vodacom.

I have tried numerous times to deactivate the One Number via the portal and every time it gives an error on the Vodacom portal, “Oops! We’re experiencing a technical issue.” Needless to say, I have spoken to multiple agents at Vodacom and visited the Vodacom store twice already. Every agent adds and removes an eSim, which is not correct as I cannot scan a QR code, and none are actually addressing the problem. It seems that my old One Number remains active on their system and no one can remove it in order for a new one to be linked.

The Vodacom store logged a support ticket with their technical support to remove all One Numbers linked to my profile, but after more than five days, this ticket is yet to be touched by any technical staff member. Again today, a phone call to the call centre, and the agent says I must go the physical store or remove the One Number myself. Despite explaining the situation, the agent created another eSim on my account!

Asking why technical support has not yet looked at the ticket, a simple response of “they are having issues with their systems”, and “it might take a while before they start working”. The agent continued to state that they cannot even phone the technical team as they do not have phones.

I have been with Vodacom for over 17 years, and truly, this is the first time that I have been sent from pillar to post with agents all giving different advice and steps to follow. It is extremely frustrating. If I was not tied into a contract, I would have simply moved to a provider that is capable of assisting.

If anyone else has experienced an issue similar to mine and managed to get it sorted, please, please do let me know.

My Vodacom statement show that I was billed for three One Number activation/ connection fees due to incompetent call centre agents. I guess I can forget about getting that reversed.

[SoulSe]

I had the same experience, except that I did manage to remove the plan from my old Watch - it doesn't seem to matter whether you do or not. When trying to install the plan on my new Apple Watch Ultra 2 I received an error message in XML. Extremely frustrating and no agents could help. I did eventually come right, however, by, wait for it... trying again and again until the One Number web interface loaded and I could connect my Watch. Very random. 

When it first (eventually) loaded, I had to login and disable the plan. Then I had to try again four or five times until the page reloaded and I could activate again. It then took about 30 minutes before the plan showed as active on my Watch.

I am now dealing with a separate issue where the eSIM just regularly stops connecting for data, and if I go into the mobile service screen it shows 'Not Connected'. Very frustrating, but unfortunately I don't expect any solutions from Vodacom. They've clearly done a really bad implementation of eSIMs and they don't seem interested in fixing it. I'm curious as to whether or not MTN is any better. To my knowledge these are currently the only two options for Watch eSIMs in South Africa. What I'd really like is an eSIM that supports roaming, but this doesn't seem to be available from our local telcos, nor from any of the global eSIM providers. 

[Remi]

Hi @SoulSe, Thanks for contacting us about your issues with your One Number connection. We can't access any account information via this forum and we will not be able to deep dive into this. Please make contact with the social media team here and they'll be happy to provide further guidance. 

[hazel223]

Hi KieonJoubert

It sounds like you're running into a frustrating issue with Vodacom One Number and your Apple Watch. I’ve seen similar problems where the watch fails to sync properly with the carrier settings. Have you tried resetting the network settings on your iPhone and re-pairing the Apple Watch? Sometimes, that can resolve connectivity issues.

Also, double-check that your Vodacom One Number feature is properly activated on your account. A quick call to Vodacom support might help confirm if there’s an issue on their end.

Hope this helps, and let us know if you find a solution!