Android Smart Watches With iPhone: Compatibility & Functions

Android Smart Watches With iPhone: Compatibility & FunctionsApple Watch or another smart watch? Every iPhone user, who wants to buy an intelligent watch, will wonder about this question. There are many arguments for an Apple Watch, for example, the unrestricted use with an iPhone. However, if we are looking at the price, the competitor’s products with Android Wear by Google are more appealing. Can you use and control these watches with the iPhone without problems? We explain what Android Wear features you can use in iOS.

Prerequisites for Android Wear

The most popular operating systems on the current smart watch market are watchOS and Android Wear. Whereas Apple uses its own software exclusively for their watches, Google offers its competing product to big manufacturers such as Samsung, Polar, Asus, Huawei, or LG. The prerequisite for connecting Android Wear with the iPhone is a usage of iOS 8.2 or later. There are no restrictions for the smart watch. Earlier, as well as later models can be connected to iPhones.

Android Smart Watches With iPhone: Compatibility & Functions

Android Wear features on the iPhone

In order to connect an iPhone with Android Wear, you will at least need the free Android Wear app. The following features are the only ones that you can set on the smart watch using iOS:

  • Watch face: You can customize the watch face so that you can add information from apps and actions, which you can access by swiping.
  • Push notifications for calls, SMS, messages and app notifications
  • Fitness tracking: Step counter, distance meter, calorie counter and heart rate monitor for running, biking and walking, as well as fitness goals
  • Google Assistant: If you know the voice assistant from Android smartphones, you will notice the difference to the iPhone. You can only answer Gmail messages and create events in your calendar. You cannot make a call.

If you compare these features with the advertised features of your smart watch, you will realize that you cannot even use the half of the features with an iPhone. In addition, the instability of the app creates even more problems. Depending on the smart watch model, notifications appear arbitrary and regular errors happen. Besides these problems, you have to open the app on your iPhone all the time, otherwise, the watch cannot synchronize. In our own test with the Polar Watch M600, we made these experiences. Only a fraction of the features was available for iPhones.

Many manufacturers offer an own app so that you can use some more features, if available. So if you decide for an Android Wear watch, you should install both apps.

No Apple Health synchronization

The fitness tracker features can be accessed in iOS, but you cannot synchronize the data with Apple Health. Therefore, if you want to record your burned calories or traveled distances, you have to enter the data manually into the app.

Android Smart Watches With iPhone: Compatibility & Functions

Conclusion

If you are looking for a full-featured smart watch for your iPhone, you will not be happy with Android Wear in the long run. If you only want to use the smart watch as a fitness tracker that also can display push notifications from your smartphone, you will be fine with an Android Wear watch. The Apple Watch remains the best smart watch for iPhone users.