November 3rd, 2023, 5:45 p.m. |
Reading time: 3 minutes
The Apple Watch is considered one of the most popular smartwatches on the market, but it cannot be used by a large group because it is not compatible with Android smartphones. According to a report, there were internal plans or projects to change that.
Apple had been toying with the idea of making the Apple Watch compatible with Android devices. According to one report, the work was already very advanced, but then it was put on hold.
That’s what happened to the plans to pair the Apple Watch with Android
Many Android users are probably wondering whether they can pair their Android smartphone with the Apple Watch. So far it has not been possible, but the Cupertino company has already had plans to make this possible. In one report Bloomberg (behind the paywall) says: “For a while, Apple engineers were also hard at work making the watch and health app compatible with the billions of Android devices in circulation.”
The project, codenamed “Project Fennel,” was very advanced. They were willing, among other things, to make the Apple Health app and the smartwatch itself accessible to Android devices. There were no problems from a technical point of view either; the reasons for the end were of a business nature.
Also interesting: Is the Apple Watch worth it even without an iPhone?
The reasons for the exit
It is not entirely clear from the report when this project took place. But Apple ultimately distanced itself from the considerations and decided not to make the Apple Watch compatible with Android devices. An informant who was apparently privy to Apple’s plans said: “The work was almost complete when Project Fennel was canceled, partly because the Apple Watch is a driver of iPhone sales.”
In short, one can say: There does not seem to be any plans for the Apple Watch to be compatible with an Android device in the near future. Also because the Apple Watch can only be used with an iPhone and therefore buying the iPhone is unavoidable, Android users will probably have to continue to rely on other smartwatches.
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Does something speak against it?
According to the US market research company “International Data Corporation” (IDC), global sales (Q3 2023) of iPhones were 17.7 percent, behind Samsung (19.7) percent and ahead of Xiaomi, Oppo and the Transsion Group, which together account for around 30 percent of smartphone sales.
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While the iPhone is in second place when it comes to smartphones, Apple is clearly the leader when it comes to smartwatches. The US tech market research institute “Counterpoint ResearchAccording to the report, the Apple Watch share was 22 percent worldwide in the second quarter of 2023. Huawei was in second place with 10 percent, followed by Noise, also with 10 percent. The remaining 58 percent were grouped as “other.”
Here you can clearly see why the company doesn’t want to make it possible to use the Apple Watch with Android devices. While the Apple smartphone and smartwatch are selling strongly, the situation is different for the competition. Samsung smartphones, for example, are very popular, but the South Korean company’s smartwatch is hardly so. So if you want to use an Apple Watch, you will inevitably have to get an iPhone. If you look at the sales figures, the strategy obviously works very well.