After the US Department of Justice (DOJ) formally filed an antitrust lawsuit towards Apple, the firm instantly defended itself towards the accusations with a sequence of statements. Interestingly, Apple even confirmed that it thought of making the Apple Watch compatible with Android sooner or later. However, doing so wouldn’t be easy for Apple from a technical and strategic standpoint.

Apple Watch and iPhone

When Apple Watch was introduced in 2014, Apple made it clear that it was designed as an adjunct for iPhone customers. Pairing and organising an Apple Watch requires a smartphone from Apple, and that’s it – it doesn’t work with an iPad or Mac, for instance.

As the years glided by, Apple made the Apple Watch rather less depending on the iPhone. You can, for instance, arrange an Apple Watch for a kid even when the little one doesn’t have an iPhone of their very own. However, an iPhone remains to be required, and the DOJ is utilizing this reality as proof to justify its declare that Apple is a monopoly.

Apple’s smartwatch—Apple Watch—is barely compatible with the iPhone. So, if Apple can steer a person in direction of shopping for an Apple Watch, it turns into extra pricey for that person to buy a unique sort of smartphone as a result of doing so requires the person to desert their pricey Apple Watch and buy a brand new, Android-compatible smartwatch.

According to Apple itself, the firm has thought of making its smartwatch compatible with Android smartphones. However, the concept was scrapped after a three-year investigation. Apple says the mission wasn’t possible attributable to technical limitations. While it’s easy to assume that the firm gave up on the concept due to its enterprise technique, there are in actual fact many technical limitations behind making Apple Watch compatible with Android.

watchOS closely depends on iOS

watchOS, the Apple Watch working system, is an impartial platform based mostly on iOS, identical to tvOS. However, due to the method watchOS was developed, it’s immediately tied to a lot of the options out there in iOS as a way to function.

In the early days of watchOS, it wasn’t potential to run apps utilizing the Apple Watch {hardware}. Instead, apps ran immediately on the iPhone and have been mirrored in the background to the Watch display screen. This was partly as a result of watchOS was a brand new platform, which gave Apple extra time to refine a local SDK earlier than making it out there to builders.

But at the similar time, Apple made the Apple Watch tremendous reliant on the iPhone as a result of it will additionally save loads of {hardware} utilization. The first Apple Watch didn’t have a robust chip – those that had the expertise of utilizing one most likely keep in mind how lengthy it took to open an app or reboot the Watch.

The Apple Watch is actually a mirror for what occurs on the iPhone.

The Apple Watch has turn out to be extra impartial, however…

Lots of issues have modified since then. With watchOS 2, Apple lastly allowed builders to create apps that run natively on the Apple Watch {hardware}. Native apps can hook up with Wi-Fi and work even when the iPhone isn’t close by. At the similar time, new variations of the Apple Watch have been geared up with extra highly effective chips.

Apple Watch Series 3 was additionally a major leap ahead when it got here to lowering reliance on the iPhone. With the introduction of the Cellular model, Apple made loads of modifications to make extra watchOS apps work on their very own with out the iPhone. This allowed customers to ship iMessages and even stream Apple Music immediately from the 4G community.

Apple Watch is now extra impartial than ever. Most apps work with out an iPhone close by, particularly for individuals who have a Cellular model. However, the basis of watchOS 10 is actually the similar as earlier than. There are nonetheless loads of iOS frameworks which might be required to make the Apple Watch work. The setup course of nonetheless will get all the pieces it wants from an iPhone.

An excellent instance of that is that, as a way to use some new watchOS options, customers additionally must replace to the newest model of iOS due to the shared frameworks between the two platforms.

Apple Watch for Android wouldn’t be unimaginable, however would it not make sense?

Does this imply that it’s unimaginable to make Apple Watch work with an Android telephone? Not actually. However, it will definitely require much more effort from Apple, which remains to be slowly engaged on making the Watch much less dependent by itself smartphone.

Apple must utterly overhaul the Apple Watch setup course of and the method it handles issues like eSIM, for instance. Because earlier than making the Apple Watch compatible with Android, Apple must utterly separate watchOS from iOS. Could Apple try this finally? Absolutely. Would it be price the effort? I don’t assume so.

At this level, Apple most likely sees extra worth in convincing individuals interested by having an Apple Watch to purchase an iPhone than promoting a couple of extra Watch models to a couple Android customers right here and there. And we will’t blame Apple for that – there are competitor smartwatches that solely work with Android.

If there’s one factor the firm might do proper now, it will be to open up its APIs in order that different corporations can higher combine their smartwatches and different equipment with iOS with out having to depend on methods and workarounds. But that’s a subject for an additional article.

What about you? Let us know for those who would use an Apple Watch with an Android telephone if it have been potential.