One major factor in the wearables market is device compatibility. At this time, Apple Watch users will have to have an iPhone to use it, just like Android Wear devices require the user to have an Android phone. However, recent reports from insiders seem to imply that Google is looking to change that.
"Google is working on getting its Android Wear smartwatch platform to work with the iPhone, and it is close to finishing the final technical details, according to a source close to the development team," reports The Verge. Such a change would make it so that Android Wear could actually compete with the Apple Watch for the attention of iPhone users.
The current version of this app would reportedly allow users to receive simple notifications on their Android Wear phone, as well as access to Google Now's ambient information cards, voice search and other voice actions. The app would also allow users to access any other Google-related apps that the iPhoner user has installed.
These are all fantastic features, but they are rather limited and leave a lot of functions up to the imagination. For example, will the Android Wear device have the ability to interface with Apple's Music feature or with third-party apps like Spotify? It's unclear. It's certainly possible, since the Pebble Watch has that particular function available.
While this will be the official way for getting access to Android Wear, hackers figured out how to do it months ago. "Some third party developers have already hacked together a solution that makes Android Wear work on iOS," reports The Verge.
Android Wear product manager Jeff Chang has alluded to the possibility of an iOS-based Android Wear app in the past. "We always want as many users as possible to enjoy our experience, so in terms of enabling more people to use Android Wear we're very interested in making that happen," he told Huffington Post.
The only question is whether Apple would actually approve such an app, since approving it would basically be Apple giving its competitor money.
