Google has released the Android Wear version for iOS and from now on, you can connect an Android smartwatch to your iPhone. Until now, you had to use a hack which allowed you to connect the Android Wear smartwatch to an iOS device, but that functionality was quite limited. From now on, the Android Wear is available on iOS and all the features will work like a charm with your iPhone.
Today we’re going to tell you all the steps you will need to take in order to make an Android Wear smartwatch to connect to an iPhone. Currently, the LG Watch Urbane is the only Android Wear smartwatch which is officially supported. However, it is good to know that older devices are working too, such as the Watch R, LG G Watch or Moto 360.
HINT: The Android Wear smartwatch works *ONLY* on iPhone 5 or iPhone 6 running on iOS 8.2 or later.
After you download and install the Android Wear application on your iPhone, you will need to update the Watch firmware. Unfortunately, you will not be able to connect the Android smartwatch on your iPhone and you will need to borrow an Android smartphone from a friend of yours. Use the Android smartphone to connect on the Android smartwatch and update its firmware.
After that, you will have to factory reset the Android smartwatch so that it can connect to your iPhone device.
Now that you’ve updated the firmware on your Android smartwatch and you’ve factory reset it, you will be able to pair it with your iPhone. The pair process is very simple and all you will need to do is to open the Android Wear application on your iPhone and connect the Android smartwatch to it via the Bluetooth, by using a code.
HINT: The Android Wear application will walk you through all the steps you need to follow.
Once you connect the Android smartwatch to the iPhone, you will be able to change the “face” from your wearable device via the Android Wear application.
On the Android Wear application, you will be able to swipe through the stock “faces”, but you can also download new ones also. Keep in mind that you can change the Android smartwatch faces directly from the wearable device too, but in there, you will have access only to the “stock” ones. In order to enable a watch face that you’ve downloaded from the internet, you will need to use the Android Wear application on your iOS device.
Notifications
If you have the notifications enabled for the applications that you have installed on your iOS, you will receive them on the Android smartwatch too. A preview of the latest notification will appear on the watch face and by swiping on it, you will be able to read it.
You will need to swipe down to view notifications for other applications, but keep in mind that if you swipe right, you will dismiss them.
The swipe left functionality will only work on default iOS applications along with a few Google applications such as “Gmail”, where you will be able to archive, reply, delete emails by using the swipe left function.
OK Google
From the watch face, you can also use the “OK Google” feature which will trigger the voice input, where you will be able to set timers, alarms, reminders and display health related information.
You will be able to use other usual commands to bring up info such as the weather, sports scores, perform a simple math equation and more. By using the “OK Google” command, followed by a keyword, you will receive some Google search results.
Once you receive a Google search result, you will be able to tap on it and the smartphone will send a notification to your smartphone, where you will be able to open the webpage inside of the Android Wear application.
Conclusion
Even if this Android Wear application is now official for iOS, the functionality is still quite limited for older wearable devices. Most of the notifications are not interactive, but we’re pretty sure that the developers will keep working on the application to make it better.
For now, we recommend you to use the Android Wear application for iOS only if you have an Android watch that’s compatible or only if you’re looking for a cheap alternative to the Apple Watch. Of course, the functionality will be expanded in the future, but for now, most of the Android smartwatches are quite limited.
With other words, you will either have to buy one of the Android smartwatches whereof we’ve told you above or just wait until the Android Wear application for iOS will support more Android smartwatches.
Will you use an Android smartwatch on your iPhone device or you will rather spend more money on the Apple Watch device and make sure that all functions are working properly?
