Moto 360 iPhone Support Rumors Heat Up

Android Wear smartwatches currently only work with Android devices, but that could change in the near future, as it’s said that Google might be preparing to add iPhone support to Android Wear devices like the Moto 360.

According to developer Mohammad Abu-Gabreyyeh, there is iOS-related code in Android Wear 4.4, which points to the possibility that Google is working on adding Android Wear support to the iPhone in the future.

Abu-Gabreyyeh also recorded a video showing that iOS can send notifications to the Moto 360, and even answering iPhone calls through the smartwatch (seen below).

Android Wear support on iOS isn’t anything far-fetched, and it’s certainly possible, as you can see in the video. Abu-Gabreyyeh connected his Moto 360 smartwatch to his iPhone using the ANCS protocol, which is the same process used by the Pebble Watch to connect to the iPhone.

This is more of an interesting proof-of-concept at the very least, but it could provide us with hints on how Google plans to implement Android Wear support for the iPhone.

Furthermore, a previous report said that Google is planning to add Android Wear support to the iPhone at some point in the near future. It’s said that Google is working on an Android Wear app that will work on iPhone and iPad, which will naturally bring support for Android Wear over to iOS devices.

The report says that Google could release an Android Wear iPhone app during its Google I/O conference in May, but it could also play it by ear depending how well initial sales are for the Apple Watch. Google could want to target an Android Wear iPhone app to those iOS users who didn’t initially buy an Apple Watch, either because of the price, or because of the features.

However, the Apple Watch will be the supreme wearable to get if you’re an iOS user, as it will have full compatibility and come with exclusive features that an Android Wear/iPhone relationship most likely wouldn’t be able to achieve.

The company announced the Apple Watch back in September at its iPhone 6 event and will officially release the device on April 24. The Apple Watch will start at $349, which is a bit steep, considering that you can buy a Moto 360 for $249. Because of this, if Android Wear support did come to the iPhone, a price war could be upon us fairly quickly, as some users may go with the cheaper option.

Furthermore, Android Wear smartwatches haven’t been selling too well, so expanding support to iOS will increase Google’s market for Android Wear, and could increase sales with iPhone and iPad users in the mix, considering the popularity of iOS devices.

In any case, we’ll have to wait until May for Google I/O to kick off to see what the company plans to do about the relationship between Android Wear and iOS. Google already has a huge foot inside the iOS door, with plenty of apps to go around for iPhone users, including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive, etc. Adding Android Wear to the mix would certainly be a welcomed addition.