With the launch of Apple Watch pre-orders kicking off today, Apple is bringing the fight with perennial foe Google to one more market segment. While Android Wear devices got the early start, the Apple Watch is widely expected to dominate the smartwatch market. Needless to say, Google and its partners are none too pleased about such a possibility. Now comes word that Google is looking to expand the reach of Android Wear platform by making it compatible with the Apple iPhone. Such a move would allow Android Wear smartwatches to compete directly against the Apple Watch.
According to The Verge, Google has nearly completed the technical details. An iPhone app manages the connection between the iPhone and Android Wear smartwatch and supports basic functionality like notifications, Google Now information cards, voice search and more. By the time it’s ready, it should also work with the iOS version of Google’s apps like Gmail.
As Pebble has demonstrated with its iOS app, Google should also be able to add even more functions like music control and watch apps. Whether it does so in the first release or a later one remains to be seen.
Google’s biggest stumbling block in getting Android Wear on the iPhone is likely not technical though. It will instead need to convince Apple to approve the companion app into its App Store. With Apple focused on the Apple Watch, it certainly does not have a lot of incentive for letting its competition encroach on its territory.
It’s not the first time that we hear that Google wants to bring Android Wear to the iPhone. Android Wear product manager Jeff Chang suggested as much back in October 2014.
Google I/O 2015 only a few weeks away. Could Android Wear for iOS be among this year’s announcements?
Would you use an Android Wear smartwatch with your iPhone? Let us know below.
Source : The Verge