Google is ramping up its efforts in the wearables war, rolling out Android Wear support on Apple’s iOS. This means Android Wear watches will be compatible with iPhones but at the moment only one watch supports this. Here’s more on the news.
Android Wear will work with the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, or 6 Plus running iOS 8.2+. At this stage, Android Wear for iOS only works with the LG Watch Urbane, but all future Android Wear watches will support iOS, according to Google. iOS does restrict some of the normal functions that Android Wear supports. Here are the features Android Wear for iOS does support:
- Call, message and app notifications from paired iOS devices will show up on Android Wear
- Automatic tracking of fitness when you’re walking and running with consolidated information on your weekly progress with Google Fit.
- Google Now support which provides various alerts including when you should leave for appointments. There’s also voice search capabilities.
For those that are looking into buying a smartwatch with customisable design features like the wristband and watch face, Android Wear devices will definitely be a more attractive option than the Apple Watch. Now with iOS support, Apple is facing a tough opponent in the wearables space.
Android Wear support for iOS also makes the platform more attractive to developers. Google has already made a swathe of resources available for people who want to develop apps for for wearables, which you can find here.
[Via Google Blog]
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