Apple Reveals Failed Three-Year Project to Enable Apple Watch on Android
The United States government is going after Apple in a huge way. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a major lawsuit accusing the tech giant Apple of being a monopoly.
They claim Apple has too much control over its mobile devices, apps, and services like the Apple Watch smartwatch.
According to the DOJ, the fact that the Apple Watch only works with iPhones and not Android phones is proof that Apple is unfairly monopolizing the market.
Apple’s Claim
However, a recent report from 9to5Mac reveals that Apple actually tried for three whole years to make the Apple Watch compatible with Android smartphones.
The report says that after putting in a ton of effort for three years straight, Apple eventually gave up because of “technical limitations” that made it too difficult.
Another report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg also wrote last year that Apple’s engineers were very close to finishing an Apple Watch that would sync with Android, but the project was suddenly canceled.
The Lawsuit’s Allegations
In the massive lawsuit against Apple, the DOJ outlines many different ways that Apple allegedly broke anti-monopoly laws.
The biggest claim is that Apple purposely makes it extremely hard for iPhone users to switch to an Android phone from a different company.
By only allowing the Apple Watch to work with iPhones, it becomes very costly for someone to leave the Apple ecosystem since they’d have to buy a whole new smartwatch that works with Android.
The lawsuit also alleges that Apple intentionally crippled the experience when other smartwatch brands tried connecting to iPhones, giving the Apple Watch an unfair advantage.
Technical Challenges
So why was it so hard for Apple to make their Apple Watch work with Android phones after trying for three years?
The main issue seems to be that the watchOS software running on Apple Watches is deeply intertwined and dependent on iOS, the operating system for iPhones. watchOS basically acts as a mirror or extension of iOS in many ways.
For the Apple Watch to function properly, it needs access to many core capabilities and frameworks that exist only on iOS. Making it work on Android’s totally different software would have required Apple to completely re-architect and rebuild watchOS almost from the ground up.
While extremely difficult, some argue it was still possible for a company as rich and talented as Apple to achieve if they truly wanted to.
Other Perspectives
However, Apple simply may not have been interesting in putting in the effort for the integration. Their contention is that Google’s Wear OS smartwatch platform has failed to produce any compelling or popular smartwatch options, even after Google acquired Fitbit. They claim that there may not be a big enough Android audience interested in Apple Watches to justify the huge investment required.
On the flip side, critics contend that instead of building full Android compatibility, the better path would have been for Apple to simply open up their APIs and let other companies integrate their smartwatches more deeply with iOS and iPhones. This would promote competition and consumer choice rather than shutting it down.
User Reactions To This News
“Apple has the resources to overcome any technical hurdles if it truly wanted Watch on Android.” – TechFan82
“With the ongoing antitrust scrutiny, not supporting Android was probably a wise business decision for Apple.” – SmartUser91
“Google’s neglect of Wear OS is to blame here, not Apple. They failed to create a compelling smartwatch ecosystem.” – WearOSFan29
“Apple is just using ‘technical limitations’ as an excuse to protect its product lock-in strategy.” – OpenSourceGuy
“It seems outrageous. But yes, the DOJ’s lawsuit does argue that Apple is doing something wrong by making an Apple Watch that is only compatible with iPhone.” – isaacbunny
“Forcing a company to adopt another company’s APIs is a bridge too far for me. Simply opening them up is standard in the tech world.” – camelCaseCoffeeTable
“Garmin can’t reply to messages like it if paired to an android for example. Notifications handling is also less granular. That works in favor of making competition with apple watch unfair.” – radiatione
“If it’s really bad for consumers then nothing happens.” – apollo-ftw1 on lack of DOJ action against problematic companies.
“It’s the same bad faith straw manning from Apple fanboys that happened with the DMA.” – UGMadness on dismissive reactions.
“The fact that so many people parrot this line when sh*t doesn’t work well across platform shows how brainwashed some users are with Apple’s marketing and intent.” – eastvenomrebel on Tim Cook’s “Buy your mom an iPhone” quote.
Should Apple Make its Watch Compatible With Android?
The debate around whether Apple should be required to make the Apple Watch compatible with Android devices continues to stir controversy.
On one side are those who argue Apple is abusing its dominant position by keeping its smartwatch tightly locked into its own mobile ecosystem. This makes it extremely difficult and costly for iPhone users to switch to an Android phone since they would have to purchase a new smartwatch.
On the other side, Apple claims there are legitimate technical hurdles due to the deep integration and reliance of watchOS on iOS frameworks.
Some also argue that with Google’s failure to create a compelling Wear OS smartwatch platform, the demand or benefits of an Android-compatible Apple Watch are limited.
However, others counter that rather than full Android support, Apple should simply be compelled to open up its smartwatch APIs and allow third-parties to build richer integrations between their wearables and iOS.
The outcome of the DOJ’s high-stakes antitrust lawsuit against Apple could have major implications for the company’s closed ecosystem approach that has been core to its business strategy.
For now, readers remain divided on the real motivations behind Apple’s stance on Apple Watch-Android interoperability and whether government intervention is warranted.
As the technology world awaits the result of this historic legal battle, one thing is clear – the fierce debate around balancing innovation with competition in the smartwatch and wearable markets is far from over.