Apple Watch: Apple explored compatibility with Android
from David Haydl 
on March 22, 2024, 18:54 pm | Write a comment
As is well known, the Apple Watch and Android smartphones do not get along. In fact, Apple worked on supporting the OS for several years. But why did it fail?
Not only does Apple currently have to respond to EU regulations as part of the Digital Market Act, but it has also now been confronted with an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice in the USA. One point of the lawsuit is that the Apple Watch is a big part of Apple's monopoly status:
Apple's smartwatch - the Apple Watch - is only compatible with the iPhone. So if Apple convinces a user to buy an Apple Watch, it will be more expensive for them to switch to another smartphone later because they have to give up the Apple Watch in the process.
Apple responded to this and admitted for the first time that it had been working on interoperability with Android devices for three years. This also corresponds to insider reports from last year. After this time, however, the idea was abandoned due to technical problems. Apple's statements do not indicate when these experiments actually took place. In any case, it is questionable whether pairing an Apple Watch with Android would have offered a good user experience due to the lack of apps and other issues.