Google’s willingness to cross platforms and port all its apps to iOS devices seems to know no bounds — and is a pleasant contrast to the format wars that traditionally dominate smartphones. After much speculation, Google announced that Android Wear smartwatches will now work with iOS devices. Previously, iPhone users who wanted a real smartwatch could only look to the Apple Watch or the Pebble. Now Android Wear smartwatches are free game, too.
Android Wear for iOS is rolling out today, August 31, to any iPhone 5, 5C, 5S, 6, or 6 Plus running iOS 8.2 or higher. Android Wear for iOS works only with the LG Watch Urbane at the moment, but future Android Wear watches like those from Huawei, Asus, and Motorola will all support iOS. It’s unknown how many older Android Wear smartwatches will gain iOS support. Regardless, Google says all of the upcoming and highly anticipated Android Wear watches will work with iPhones from now on.
Just last week a posting on Amazon for the Huawei Watch hinted that iOS support was forthcoming, and now that’s been confirmed.
As with many Google apps, Android Wear will undoubtedly work differently on iOS, depending on app permissions and the nature of Apple’s mobile operating system, but most of the key features of Android Wear will work the same way on a smartwatch that’s paired to an iPhone as a smartwatch that’s paired with an Android phone. Google says that Google Now support will allow for the following Android Wear functions to work effortlessly:
Only time will tell what limitations iOS puts on Android Wear, but based on Google’s statements, it seems that it’ll be a full-featured experience. Although it may sound counterintuitive for Google to allow Android Wear watches to work with iPhones (and vice versa), Google says it just wants to accommodate its varied user base.
In the closing of its blog post, Google quoted Dr. Seuss and added its own thoughts: “‘Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.’ We agree. So whoever You are, and whatever You like — Android Wear lets you wear what you want.”
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.