It’s now official. Google has just announced official support for using Android Wear smartwatches on iPhone running iOS 8.2 or later.
Android Wear iOS app will be available to download today. We’ll update this post with the download link as soon as it’s live on the iOS App Store. – Read Update x1 below.
Compatible iPhones:
You will need at least an iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or later.
Compatible iOS versions:
The above mentioned iPhone models running at least iOS 8.2 or above.
Compatible Android Wear watches:
LG Watch Urbane and any new upcoming Android Wear smartwatches, including Huawei Watch and Moto 360 2. What this means is that older Android Wear watches like Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360, LG G Watch R etc. are not officially supported. Big bummer! Hopefully the Android/iOS community will figure out a way to make these watches work with the official iOS app! – For more on watch compatibility, read Update x2 below.
What you can and can’t do with Android Wear on iOS:
Due to limitations set by Apple, Android Wear watches can’t do as much as Apple Watch on iPhone or even what Android Wear watches can do on Android devices.
Can do:
- Display Google Now cards.
- Show all the notifications.
- Track fitness using Google Fit.
- Measure heart-rate.
- Google Now voice search/commands.
- Set different watch faces, including those from third-parties, from a limited set of collection.
- Run some native apps like Weather and Translate.
Can’t do:
- Reply to incoming notifications.
- Receive phone calls (that you can’t do even when connected to Android phones)
- Run third-party apps.
- Not all of the third-party watch faces are available.
Update x1: Android Wear iOS app is now live on the App Store. You can download it from here.
Update x2: Android Wear iOS app works with all watches as long as they are running the latest Android Wear 1.3 update despite of what Google says. Here are the details: Android Wear For iPhone Works With Moto 360, LG G Watch R And More.
You may also like to check out:
- How To Use Moto 360 Android Wear With iPhone Without Jailbreak [Video]
- Apple Watch Vs Android Wear: 16 Features Apple’s Offering Has That Google’s Doesn’t
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