Android Wear in iPhone Review: 2 Months Later

Android Wear for iPhone has been on the market for two months now. Here’s how it happened after using an Android Wear smartwatch with my iPhone during this time.

Google made a surprise announcement in late August, releasing Android Wear for iPhone, finally allowing iOS users to use a smartwatch other than the Apple Watch. With the availability of the Android Wear iPhone app, iPhone users now have more choices when it comes to wearables.

I bought a Moto 360 to use with my iPhone because the Moto 360 is one of the best looking smartwatches out there. Although it seems like the traditional style of smartwatches at the moment, I don’t like square-shaped watches very much.

Of course, it’s worth mentioning the elephant in the room, and Android Wear smartwatches aren’t fully supported by iOS – certainly not as much as the Apple Watch and will likely stay that way for a long time, if not forever.

But what can Android Wear watches do on the iPhone and is it worth a try? Here’s the performance of Android Wear on iPhone over the past few months.

While the Moto 360 is not officially supported by the Android Wear iPhone app, it actually worked perfectly fine and any Android Wear watch with the latest update can work with the iPhone.

However, don’t expect too much in terms of features and functionality. The Apple Watch is a must-have smartwatch for a reason, due to its seamless integration with iOS and iPhone. Android Wear, on the other hand, is not full of features when connected to an iPhone.

Essentially, the biggest and only feature you’ll get with Android Wear on the iPhone is that every notification you get on your iPhone buzz on your Android Wear smartwatch, and even that isn’t a great experience sometimes. Most, if not all, of the notifications I receive will have a good 5-10 second delay before they reach my Moto 360. At this point, I could pull out my iPhone and have a look.

An example of a Moto 360 notification.

Also, you can’t move at all on the watch itself based on these notifications, but you can turn off notifications and they will be dismissed on your iPhone as well, which is pretty cool, but that’s as far as interaction between the two. devices.

Android Wear for iPhone truly acts as a glorious watch that can tell the time on your wrist, but can also show notifications from your iPhone. Of course, the Moto 360 itself has native features like a pedometer, heart rate monitor, and Google Assistant.

However, there is a seamless integration with Gmail and Google Calendar, which I use both, but I don’t really need a smartwatch to use them as I don’t get notifications for either app, but users may find it handy.

The Moto 360 is already a beautiful watch to own, and even the stand-alone watch is a great watch to have on your wrist to compliment any outfit. You can usually get a used Moto 360 for around $100; this is a good price to pay for any watch, let alone a smartwatch. However, these low prices are certainly reflected in its functionality (or lack thereof) when you pair it with an iPhone.

In the end, I’m still wearing my Moto 360 because I’ll still wear a watch and have a watch on my wrist that can give my iPhone notifications, but Android Wear on the iPhone wants more, and I guess that’s where the Apple Watch comes in.

Android Wear actually gives you a little idea of ​​what a true smartwatch experience is like on the iPhone, but you’ll really need an Apple Watch to get the full uncensored experience. But $350 for a smartwatch right now is too much. Maybe on Black Friday when prices drop, but we’ll see.