Android Wear comes to Apple iOS – How Motorola, LG, Asus and Huawei smartwatches are hot this Christmas 2015

On Monday August 31^st 2015, Google made an announcement that I think is a stroke of genius, come Christmas 2015.

The latest update of Google Android Wear will now be able to work with Apple iPhones as reported in the article “Google's Android Wear smartwatches now work with iPhones”, published August 31, 2015 by Richard Nieva, CNET News.

Before this, Google Android wear smartwatches could only be paired with a Google android smartphone. But Google, realizing that they're slowly losing the battle against the ever expanding juggernaut that is Apple, decided since they can't beat 'em, they might as well join 'em.

Connecting your Android Wear Smartwatch is as simple as downloading the Android Wear App from the Apple iTunes Store and going through the procedure to synch via Bluetooth to connect your Google Android Wear Smartwatch.

So says Google's latest post on Monday August 31^st 2015 on their Android Office Blog entitled Android Wear now works with iPhones.

Not only does this expanding their possible user base built it also gives Apple iPhone users options as it relates to purchasing a smartwatch, as they'll no longer be restricted to the Apple Watch alone as pointed out in the article “Why Android Wear will give the Apple Watch a run for its money”, published September 4 2015 by Sarah Silbert, Fortune. 

Also the Apple Watch is super hot, a 4 million strong since the end of the Second Quarter of 2015 as reported based on the numbers from analyst Strategy Analytics as reported in my blog article entitled “Apple sells 4 million Apple Watches - How Samsung, Asus, Huawei, LG and Motorola Empire Strikes back at IFA Trade Show”.

Alas there are a few catches as I'd suspected, as it's a little too good to be true.

Android Wear comes to Apple iOS – How Motorola, LG and Huawei smartwatches will beat Apple Watch this Christmas 2015

For one, users won't be able to access the 4,000 Android Wear apps from the Google Play Store, as those apps can only run on Google Android.

But you do get some limited functionality from some Google Services as pointed out in the article “Android Wear smartwatches come to the iPhone”, published August 31, 2015 by Dieter Bohn, The Verge: 

1.      Notifications from the iPhone are mirrored on Android Wear

2.      Google Now Cards appear on the Smartwatch

3.      Installation of third party Android Wear Watch faces

4.      Weather and Google Translate app works

5.      Google Now Voice search works along with Voice reminders

6.      Google Fit fitness tracking also works

7.      Calendar and Gmail Notifications also work

Not so sure if you can use Samsung Pay if you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Gear S, which comes baked into their latest smartwatch offering as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 has Tizen OS powered Samsung Pay Winning Potential”.  I’m thinking Apple might block that functionality!

Also you'll have to purchase a brand New Android Wear smartwatch as pointed out in the article “Newer Android Wear Watches Now Work On iOS”, published Aug 31, 2015 by Frederic Lardinois, Techcrunch.

A good example of one such smartwatch is the US$350 LG Watch Urbane which is currently available as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “LG G Watch Urbane at MWC 2015 with a View to Kill Apple Watch”. 

On the Apple user’s side, their Apple iPhone has to be the latest models no further back than the Apple iPhone 5 running Apple iOS 8.2 and newer.

If you've been following the goings-on at the IFA Trade Show in Berlin, Germany which runs from Friday September 4^th 2015 to Wednesday September 9^th 2015, you’d have noticed that the smartphone makers have declared War on the Apple Watch with their lineup of smartwatches.

So there is a ton of smartwatches to choose from come Christmas 2015 as reported in the article “Android Wear on iPhone unofficially works with Moto 360, LG G Watch R, others”, published Stephen Hall, August 31^st 2015, 9to5Google.  As expected, Motorola updated the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R which was much rumoured for some time also got an update.

But the biggest surprise to me was the Huawei lineup of smartwatches as noted in the article “Huawei’s first Android Wear watch is up for pre-order now and works with iOS”, published September 2 2015 by Ben Woods, The Next Web.

So this is all good for Apple fans with the latest Apple iPhone planning to buy a new Android Wear smartwatch come Black Friday and Christmas 2015!!

Here’s the link:

Android Wear App from the Apple iTunes Store