Apple Watch Could Have Worked on Android Phones, But Apple Scrapped the Plans Due to “Technical Limitations”

Last month, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market. Recently, it has been revealed that Apple had intentions of making their watch compatible with Android devices.

An Unfulfilled Possibility: Apple Watch and Android Compatibility

The agency highlighted Apple Watch in the lawsuit as an example of how the company maintains a monopoly over its products. According to the statement, the smartwatch is only compatible with iPhones, making it more expensive for a user to switch to a different type of smartphone as they would also have to replace their expensive Apple Watch with an Android-compatible alternative.

Apple discussed the DOJ’s acquisitions and revealed that they had previously considered making their watch compatible with Android. Despite evaluating this plan for three years, technical limitations prevented the company from pursuing it.

If the Cupertino tech giant had not abandoned the idea and if it had actually come to fruition, cross-platform compatibility between different operating systems and devices would have been possible. This could have potentially led to Apple Watches being compatible with Android devices, potentially hindering the success of Wear OS smartwatches in the market.

Despite the potential for success if Apple had pursued the idea of their watch being compatible with Android devices, we will never know for sure. However, with the existence of Wear OS, which may not be as widely embraced, it is still making a name for itself and will likely continue to do so in the future.

Have you considered pairing an Apple Watch with a high-end Android smartphone like the Galaxy S24 Ultra? Share your thoughts in the comments section.