Apple Watch 4 Cellular/LTE connectivity

[Kam2]

Hi, I know about the Verizon outage, but my problem started mid-September, and other customers might have a similar problem.

My Apple Watch Series 4 Cellular/LTE only connects when phone is off OR disabled with iPhone SE in airplane mode, and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular are confirmed off.  Otherwise, calls fail, and cellular does not toggle on the icon stays white.  Also, if the phone is on and not disabled, the Watch's Wi-Fi stays on in watch settings, even though the icon changed from blue to white.

I went through the Verizon digital troubleshooting steps about four times per day, including unpairing the watch and resetting the watch, network, phone over and over.  Factory-resetting the phone and watch worked for a few hours, but I could not change the watch face. Another reset to fix the watch face brought back the Cellular/LTE problem.  My first chat was the day of the Verizon outage, so I will contact Customer Support again after the outage is over.  The problem began in September with my Watch OS 6 updates.  Watch, and Phone are running the latest versions.  Apple wants me to work with the carrier before using Apple Care.

[Kam2]

After troubleshooting with Verizon, calls out failed.  Tech support created an escalation ticket. 

[Kam2]

Verizon could not find any problems.  I am working with Apple Care to replace the watch.

[Kam2]

My apologies if I missed the edit button on my original post.  The Watch OS 6.1 Update is working well so far.  I learned a lot about my watch, but this process, in the middle of a Verizon Outage, took up too much time.   

[vzw_customer_support]

We know your time is valuable Kam2. I am a consumer myself and have a watch. I know that we rely on these accessories for everyday life. I am glad you were able to get your watch fix. We are always here to support you whenever you need it. www.vzw.com/support AmberF_VZW

[Kam2 · Accepted solution]

That upgrade "fix" did not last either.  Apple is sending me a replacement.  If you do not live near an Apple store, Best Buy is an authorized repair location.  Although I could duplicate the problem in front of the Best Buy technician, their software diagnostics did not show any problems.  In this situation, I had to work with Apple to get the replacement.