Which Android Wear Watches Work with the iPhone?

Yesterday, Google finally released support for iPhone with Android Wear smartwatches. Here’s which Android Wear watches work with the iPhone currently.

iPhone support for Android Wear has been rumored for a while, with many hoping that Google would make it official at its yearly I/O conference earlier this year, but it was sadly MIA. However, the company made a surprise announcement yesterday revealing the news.

This means that smartwatches running Android Wear not only work with Android devices, but also on the iPhone, also meaning that the Apple Watch and the Pebble aren’t the only smartwatches that work with the iPhone anymore.

All you have to do is download the Android Wear iPhone app, which will allow you to pair your Android Wear smartwatch with your iPhone, as well customize settings and notifications that your watch receives. You can also use the app to change out watch faces.

Android Wear works with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, and it will most likely work with the iPhone 6s when it releases next month.

As for which Android Wear watches work with the iPhone, that’s another question entirely, and Google is a bit confused as to which smartwatches work with iOS.

Here’s what Android Wear watches work with iPhone right now.

Android Wear Watches on iPhone

Officially, Google only lists one specific Android Wear smartwatches that work with the iPhone, and it’s the new LG Watch Urbane. However, the company says that any new Android Wear device that releases from now on will be compatible with iOS:

“All future Android Wear watches, including those from Huawei, Asus, and Motorola will also support iOS, so stay tuned for more.”

What Google left out is that older Android Wear smartwatches actually work with the iPhone, just as long as the watch is updated to the newest Android Wear 1.3 version.

Based from users’ experiences, the LG G Watch, G Watch R, Moto 360, and the Samsung Gear Live work just fine with the iPhone. We haven’t heard any other reports of other Android Wear devices working with the iPhone, but if your smartwatch is running version 1.3 of Android Wear, it will likely work with the iPhone.

Of course, as time goes on, more and more Android Wear watches release and there will be an even bigger selection of smartwatches to choose from for your iPhone, so this is only the beginning.

What Can Android Wear Do on iOS?

So perhaps one of the bigger questions is what exactly can an Android Wear smartwatch do on the iPhone and what’s supported?

Well, to be frank, there’s not much you can really do. You can receive any notification that comes through the iOS Notification Center, including iMessage notifications, but you can’t act upon those notifications from the watch.

Aside from that, that’s about all you can do. You can use Google Now on your Android Wear watch, so that’s certainly a plus, but compared to the Apple Watch, Android Wear watches on iOS simply can’t do much.

Since the Apple Watch works seamlessly with iOS, there’s a ton of stuff that you can do with the device that Android Wear devices can’t do. However, it’s easy to see why some iPhone users might go with an Android Wear smartwatch instead of an Apple Watch, especially if you like the round design of the Moto 360. Plus, you can grab a used Moto 360 for as little as $100, saving you over $200 from the price of an entry-level Apple Watch.

Hopefully, Google opens up more functionality for Android Wear, but it’s possible that many of the downsides are Apple’s fault, since the company likes to close off a lot of its features to third-party developers and manufacturers.

Android Wear for iPhone: What You Should Know

iPhone support for Android Wear has been rumored quite a bit over the last several months, but it’s finally hear. Here’s what you should know about Android Wear for iPhone.

It was rumored all the way back in March that Android Wear could make its way to the iPhone at some point, and many users thought that Google would announce it at their yearly I/O conference, but sadly it was MIA.

We’ve even seen hacks from developers getting the Moto 360 smartwatch to work with the iPhone, however limited the functionality was. It still proved that it could be done, even without help from Google, but luckily that didn’t need to happen.

Google made a surprise announcement today revealing the details of Android Wear on iOS, allowing iPhone users to use Android Wear devices with their iOS-equipped smartphone, giving them more options other than using the Apple Watch, which was the only smartwatch compatible with iOS before today besides the Pebble devices.

Luckily, users can now take advantage of the many Android Wear smartwatches on the market and use them with their iPhones. However, there are a few things you’ll want to know about Android Wear for iPhone before you get started.

Android Wear iOS App

In order to pair an Android Wear device to your iPhone you’ll need the Android Wear iOS app, which is rolling out today, and you may already see it in the App Store.

The app obviously allows you to connect and Android Wear smartwatch to your iPhone, but it also allows you to customize a number of things, including which notifications pop up on your smartwatch, and the app will even guide you through your watch and show you the ropes.

The app is free to download and is available today. If you don’t see it yet when searching for it in the App Store, give it some time to appear or click on the link above to go directly to to the app listing.

Compatible iPhones and iOS Versions

Unfortunately, Android Wear for iPhone won’t work on every Apple device. Currently, you need an iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus in order to use Android Wear on your iPhone.

Furthermore, your iPhone needs to be updated to at least iOS 8.2 in order to use the Android Wear iOS app.

Unfortunately, the app isn’t compatible with the iPad, which means you can’t pair your Android Wear smartwatch with your iPad, but that’s to be expected.

Compatible Android Wear Smartwatches

One of the biggest things that you should know before you dive into Android Wear on iOS is that there’s only one Android Wear smartwatch that’s currently compatible with the iPhone officially, and it’s the LG Watch Urbane.

However, any new upcoming Android Wear smartwatches that release will automatically be compatible with iOS. However, older Android Wear devices like the Samsung Gear series, Moto 360, etc. are not officially supported just yet, but it should be arriving soon enough. For what it’s worth, though, the Moto 360 actually pairs to the iPhone just fine.

What You Can and Can’t Do

Of course, there are handful of things that you can’t do with your Android Wear watch on iOS, mostly due to the limitations that iOS puts on non-Apple devices.

For instance, you can’t reply to notifications from your Android Wear watch and receive phone calls. You also can’t run third-party apps and not all third-party watch faces are available on the iOS version.

However, we like to see the glass as half full, and you can still do a whole lot of stuff with your Android Wear smartwatch on iOS, including using Google Now, receive any notification, and using Google Fit to track fitness.

Once we try out Android Wear for iOS, there will most likely be a whole lot of stuff that we’ll learn to use with our iPhone, but for now it’s good news that Android Wear is on iOS in the first place.