We finally know why Apple watches aren’t compatible with Android. Apple was forced by the courts to explain the reason for this incompatibility

JVTech News We finally know why Apple watches aren’t compatible with Android. Apple was forced by the courts to explain the reason for this incompatibility

You’ll always have smartphones that run Android, but you’ll have your eye on Apple watches. These very elegant connected watches are equipped with advanced features that other brands are still struggling to emulate. However: To use Apple Watch, you must have an iPhone.

We can note that the converse is not true: Most watches that work with Android also work with iOS. But Apple is playing the sole rider role, and this is the reason for the recent complaint against the company by the United States Department of Justice.

Restrictions imposed on consumers

The complaint, supported by 16 attorneys general, is precisely about Obligation imposed by Apple on consumers: Buy iPhone to use Apple Watch. Currently, the desire to lock down the firm’s ecosystem to this extent is getting worse.

According to Apple, the cause of this condition is not really its fault. The company defended itself by explaining that it had been trying to make its watches compatible with Android for three years, but without success. in question, “Technical Limitations” No more details than necessary, but the main problem will come from the synchronization system between watchOS and iOS, which will be complicated to adapt to Android.

However, we can recall an article by Mark Gurman, a journalist expert on Apple products, dating from November 2023.
Bloomberg

he explainedApple considers the Apple Watch to be really strategic in selling the iPhone, and therefore, opening it up to Android would have been synonymous with financial loss. Originally, Apple was going to offer compatibility with Android, but changed its mind at the last moment for this reason.

The Apple Watch and Android aren’t Apple’s only problem

in short, Apple’s response to the allegation remains unclear, and we can wonder if that will satisfy the judges. As a bonus, this isn’t the only criticism against the Cupertino company. The complaint also targets the exclusivity of the App Store within iOS, an issue that has not existed in Europe since the implementation of the DMA.And which clearly shows that when Apple is forced to do something, it does it, even if it’s with decidedly ill will.

The limitations of NFC between the Apple Watch and iPhone or the degraded quality of messages when communicating from an iPhone to an Android smartphone are also at the center of discussion. It can be emphasized If the European DM forced Apple to open up iOS to application markets other than the App Store, the EU was not interested in the question of the Apple Watch, which is not compatible with Android. According to
Check notebook
, This situation may also have prompted Samsung and Google to make no special efforts to make their latest watch models compatible with iOS. Some would say it’s fair game.