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Android Wear now works with iPhones
- fudged71 11y agoI'm still a little bit shocked that this is real. It's almost too good to be true. I know it won't have full OS integration, but even with iOS I use Google's services way more than what Apple provides. I still like my 1st-gen pebble, but moving to a Moto360 would be like moving on from a B&W television. Hallelujah. It will be really interesting if/when they will be able to support 3rd party apps...
- BinaryIdiot 11y ago> Today, Android Wear for iOS works with the LG Watch Urbane. All future Android Wear watches, including those from Huawei (pictured above), Asus, and Motorola will also support iOS, so stay tuned for more. It's unfortunate it won't work with older Android Wear watches like, say the Moto 360. But I'm glad it finally happened; almost every year I switch back and forth between an iPhone and an Android and was a little sad that my Moto 360 would no longer be my companion with my iPhone 6+. Edit: Looks like it the older ones work as long as you update it via an Android phone first. Nice!
- apandhi 11y agoSeems to work according to The Verge http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/31/9231701/moto-360-does-work-with-the-iphone http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/31/9231701/moto-360-does-work...
- kllrnohj 11y agoIt seems to be that if you have an older Android Wear watch and have previously paired it with an Android device to get the latest version of Android Wear then it'll work. Otherwise if you want out-of-the-box support you need a newer watch that already shipped with the version of Android Wear that supports iOS.
- joelhaasnoot 11y agoConfirmed, I just got my LG G Watch (the cheap square one) working with my iPhone
- BinaryIdiot 11y agoGood news! I wonder if this means ALL Android Wear will work. Hopefully someone makes a list. I kinda miss my Android Wear when I moved to iOS and I didn't want an Apple Watch.
- joelhaasnoot 11y agoThe trick is to make sure you get the latest Android Wear. That'll require an Android device. Not all iPhone owners will also own an Android device. Edit: You'll need someone's phone for a few hours - the updates don't come all at once. But it's a matter of installing the Wear app on an Android device, pairing, installing updates. Then wipe the watch and pair with iPhone
- fudged71 11y agoHow involved is this process if I borrow someone else's phone to do so?
- BinaryIdiot 11y agoIt's not bad; I inadvertently did this trying to use the hacks to get my Moto 360 to work on my iPhone several months ago (which kinda worked but was really shitty). I just installed Android Wear on my old Android phone, paid it, it offered the update pretty quickly (though I can't remember if there is a way to force this or if it's only automatic), installed it and then I reset it.
- kin 11y agoWow, this is pretty awesome. It feels weird to be an iOS user with options.
- JustSomeNobody 11y agoI really hope you don't get down voted for this. The world needs more interop. Period. So tired of vendor lock in for almost everything.
- andybak 11y agoYep. Supporting interop is a growing factor in my choice of product. Unfortunately it's getting harder to find a vendor that is even trying. I love what Apple has done to push UX as a primary USP - I feel the balance needs to shift somewhat. Other things are valuable too.
- jdlyga 11y agoI wonder how well Android Wear supports iOS features compared to the Apple Watch. For example, replying to text messages, receiving notifications, etc. Is there any info on this?
- Nullabillity 11y agoOr on the flip side, how well iOS supports Android Wear features, especially since AW apps are packaged as components of Android apps.
- sjdev 11y agoI bet it would be fairly similar to the level of integration offered by Pebble which would mean at least notifications could be received by it. Not 100% sure what Pebble is capable of doing nowadays as I'm stilling waiting for Pebble Time Steel.
- notatoad 11y agothe spec list says it mirrors notifications, and provides rich notifications (i.e. actions on notifications) for a limited set of google apps. So probably no replying to text messages.
- mcintyre1994 11y agoIf this works well and Google ever bother to build any kind of 'continuity' style features for Android they could have a pretty interesting interop ecosystem potentially by opening that access to all Android devices. I don't imagine Apple want that though.
- spike021 11y agoMaybe not replying to native text messages but I wonder if Google could integrate with Google Voice text messages. I know some people with iPhones who turn off iMessages in favor of using Google Hangouts/Voice. So that could work.
- BHSPitMonkey 11y agoJudging from the blog post, it looks like Hangouts is supported (which is the officially supported Google Voice SMS client).
- Kudos 11y agoAnyone know when that Huawei watch is arriving? Looks like a slightly smaller Moto 360, only without the bottom of the screen cut off.
- LukeB_UK 11y agoRelease date and pricing are expected to be announced at IFA next weekend
- Kudos 11y agoAnyone know when that Huawei watch is arriving? Looks like a slightly smaller Moto 360, only without the bottom of the screen cut off.
- nabaraz 11y agoThis is huge. Android wear is going to get way more traction now.
- fudged71 11y agoIn theory.
- sremani 11y agoA rule of thumb, always buy wearable that works with your Personal Assistant(Siri, GoogleNow, Cortana). Its not just cool factor, but the added productivity or avoiding taking the phone out for certain basic-medium tasks is really where the value of a wearable is.
- scragg 11y agoWhat is the watch that is featured in the picture?
- arihant 11y agoHuawei, I think.
- ismavis 11y agoYup, Huawei Watch..not released yet. Dates will probably be announced at IFA this week.
- sigmar 11y agoIt is the Huawei watch. Pricing and availability will be announced on Wednesday. It is featured in the Verge's video about today's announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWsid6C6jbU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWsid6C6jbU
- an4rchy 11y agoIt would be great to see Apple do the same... They have done this with Apple music (support on Android), if it will help you sell more watches/subscriptions would it hurt?
- arihant 11y agoI doubt it. THis move makes iPhone the only phone compliant with all the smartwatches. I don't think Apple wants to change that.
- an4rchy 11y agoIf that was the case, they wouldn't have put Apple Music on Android, seeing as Google Music was already on iOS.
- dozy 11y agoWorth noting that Apple releasing Apple Music on Android is the exception to the rule - what other 1st-party Apple software/apps are available on Android? Also, Apple Music on Android isn't even released yet :-/
- JonnyaiR 11y agoThey're releasing an android app to compete with Spotify on the family accounts, it's quite likely that at least one member of a family doesn't own an iPhone and uses an android phone. These families would use Spotify (or any other cross platform service) instead of apple music.
- drzaiusapelord 11y agoI think Apple had to decide between making the Apple Watch an open-ish platform; allowing watch companies to make "shells" around it with their own style or just allow Android watches to connect so that people can get their styles from the various Android OEMs. They chose the latter, probably because they want full control over the Apple Watch from soup to nuts. I'm sure AndroidWear will not be allowed the same tight integration the Apple Watch has, the same way many Google services and apps on iOS are hobbled. There's an element of, "Oh they want crap? Then give them crap," here. Its also depressing that the narrative here is, "OMG They're letting us use some peripherals of our choice with our phones? How generous!" Its sad how far we've fallen from actually being able to use the things we buy.
- crgt 11y agoAnyone know if this includes Gear VR / Oculus support for iOS? Please?
- gedy 11y agoFYI for the curious: It does work with my older Moto 360 and iPhone, but some caveats: - It seems to need the iOS app running all the time, otherwise get a constant, undismissable "Touch to reconnect" on Watch, unlike on Android. - Wifi from watch does not work. - Very limited watch face selection, unlike Android.