Apple Watch with an Android phone?
October 5, 2020 8:24 PM Subscribe
I am thinking of buying an Apple Watch 4, but I don't have an iPhone (or an Apple computer), but rather an Android phone. I know most of the functionality of the watch should be fine, but are there any major problems with this?
I know the Apple Watch and the Android phone cannot connect. I guess my question is how the watch can connect to my Windows PC.
I want to use the watch for playing songs and podcasts while I run, track my GPS, and the ability to upload my health data to my PC or the web. With an iPhone it would do all of this, but I wonder if it would without. My PC has WiFi so I'd be able to connect the watch to the home network.
Anyone with experience with this, an Apple Watch with nary an iPhone in sight?
I know the Apple Watch and the Android phone cannot connect. I guess my question is how the watch can connect to my Windows PC.
I want to use the watch for playing songs and podcasts while I run, track my GPS, and the ability to upload my health data to my PC or the web. With an iPhone it would do all of this, but I wonder if it would without. My PC has WiFi so I'd be able to connect the watch to the home network.
Anyone with experience with this, an Apple Watch with nary an iPhone in sight?
Best answer: I seriously considered this a while ago and decided against it, it's not a supported use-case and the whole point of Apple stuff is that it's better... so long as you use it the way Apple intended.
The Apple watch is designed to be used with an iPhone. You will require an iphone to even set it up, so it can't be done without an iPhone in the picture, at least initially. You can, in theory, use it as a watch afterwards (if you borrow** an iphone for the setup) but this use-case is not supported by Apple.
See also: Use Apple Watch without its paired iPhone, which lists which features will and will not work with an iPhone present.
Assuming you set it up with a borrowed iPhone** you would be able to do some of the things you wanted:
-podcasts and music will work without the iPhone, but you'll need to sign-in to whatever music app you use or load the music from an iPhone. Apple Podcasts does not appear to have a way to subscribe to NEW podcasts from the watch app. Same for pocketcasts.
-fitness tracking may work with third party apps, but syncing/saving the data would be a problem. You'd have to test to see which use their iPhone counterpart for sync and which don't. Apple Health is not accessible via the web without another iOS device, so that's not going anywhere useful for your scenario.
-some stand alone apps may work, but installing them using the watch interface only is going to be annoying (there is an app store on the watch itself, but browsing on that small screen is not ideal). Also many, if not all, 3rd party apps will expect you to sign-in on the iPhone app and then sync your credentials/account and potentially run the setup on an iPhone. I've never seen an option to sign into something directly on the watch.
As of Watch OS7 and iOS14, there is now way to connect an apple watch to a windows PC, mac OS computer, or android phone. It won't even connect to an ipad, it has to be an iPhone.
**This is a serious borrow, you'll need to wipe the iPhone, set it up as your own, then setup the apple watch, then wipe the phone before returning it, you can't just set it up with your friends as-used iPhone or you'll end up getting their data and notifications. You'll also need to do the usual iPhone to android switching things, like disabling your phone number from iMessage so you can get texts on your Android phone from other iOS users. Any apps that require sign-in and don't support doing so on the watch will also need to be configured with a borrowed iPhone.
I would recommend against this, as even if you do borrow and phone and get the watch setup and working at first, you will have no control over how long things continue to work before credentials expire and apps time out with no connection to an iPhone.
posted by tiamat at 8:50 PM on October 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
The Apple watch is designed to be used with an iPhone. You will require an iphone to even set it up, so it can't be done without an iPhone in the picture, at least initially. You can, in theory, use it as a watch afterwards (if you borrow** an iphone for the setup) but this use-case is not supported by Apple.
See also: Use Apple Watch without its paired iPhone, which lists which features will and will not work with an iPhone present.
Assuming you set it up with a borrowed iPhone** you would be able to do some of the things you wanted:
-podcasts and music will work without the iPhone, but you'll need to sign-in to whatever music app you use or load the music from an iPhone. Apple Podcasts does not appear to have a way to subscribe to NEW podcasts from the watch app. Same for pocketcasts.
-fitness tracking may work with third party apps, but syncing/saving the data would be a problem. You'd have to test to see which use their iPhone counterpart for sync and which don't. Apple Health is not accessible via the web without another iOS device, so that's not going anywhere useful for your scenario.
-some stand alone apps may work, but installing them using the watch interface only is going to be annoying (there is an app store on the watch itself, but browsing on that small screen is not ideal). Also many, if not all, 3rd party apps will expect you to sign-in on the iPhone app and then sync your credentials/account and potentially run the setup on an iPhone. I've never seen an option to sign into something directly on the watch.
As of Watch OS7 and iOS14, there is now way to connect an apple watch to a windows PC, mac OS computer, or android phone. It won't even connect to an ipad, it has to be an iPhone.
**This is a serious borrow, you'll need to wipe the iPhone, set it up as your own, then setup the apple watch, then wipe the phone before returning it, you can't just set it up with your friends as-used iPhone or you'll end up getting their data and notifications. You'll also need to do the usual iPhone to android switching things, like disabling your phone number from iMessage so you can get texts on your Android phone from other iOS users. Any apps that require sign-in and don't support doing so on the watch will also need to be configured with a borrowed iPhone.
I would recommend against this, as even if you do borrow and phone and get the watch setup and working at first, you will have no control over how long things continue to work before credentials expire and apps time out with no connection to an iPhone.
posted by tiamat at 8:50 PM on October 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
I believe that you have to use either an iPhone or (as of the latest software) an iPad to set up the watch. You’d also need an iPhone to install apps for music and podcasts, and to get music or health data on or off the watch. Unfortunately, I think it’s just not possible to use an Apple Watch without some other mobile device from the Apple ecosystem.
posted by duien at 8:51 PM on October 5, 2020
posted by duien at 8:51 PM on October 5, 2020
Sorry duien, I don't think you can use an iPad yet. Unless I'm missing something, "watchOS 7 requires iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later".
I think they did add the ability to manage multiple watches, but I don't think that helps here.
There is an new option to setup an Apple watch for someone who doesn't have their own iPhone, but this still expects the person doing the setup to have an iPhone: Set up a family member’s Apple Watch.
posted by tiamat at 9:01 PM on October 5, 2020
I think they did add the ability to manage multiple watches, but I don't think that helps here.
There is an new option to setup an Apple watch for someone who doesn't have their own iPhone, but this still expects the person doing the setup to have an iPhone: Set up a family member’s Apple Watch.
posted by tiamat at 9:01 PM on October 5, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks tiamat, that's very helpful. Your last comment may be the buried lede, as my wife has an iPhone and I may be able to use hers. Anyway, I've used this Android phone for five years at least, maybe it's time to get a new phone anyway, might as well be an iPhone.
posted by zardoz at 9:08 PM on October 5, 2020
posted by zardoz at 9:08 PM on October 5, 2020
I will add that in the end I decided to switch to Apple and now own an iPhone and Apple watch. I previously owned a couple Samsung smart watches and some Android Wear devices, and I can say without a doubt the Apple watch is 10x better. The phone isn't better or worse as such, but the watch really is.
I still occasionally miss being able to do stuff on Android that I can now longer do on iOS (sideload apps without performing brain surgery), and Apple JUST got around to having useful widgets and the ability to change default apps for mail and browser, but even though it's annoying to live in the apple walled garden where one must do things the apple way or not do them at all, I still find it to be an overall better experience then Android.
I also expect the apple things I own will last longer as apple devices get OS updates and security updates for MUCH longer then 95% of Android devices. iOS 14 (2020) supports everything back to the 6S (2015!), and unless you use the Pixel phones there's just no comparison in the android world for that length of support timeline.
posted by tiamat at 9:09 PM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
I still occasionally miss being able to do stuff on Android that I can now longer do on iOS (sideload apps without performing brain surgery), and Apple JUST got around to having useful widgets and the ability to change default apps for mail and browser, but even though it's annoying to live in the apple walled garden where one must do things the apple way or not do them at all, I still find it to be an overall better experience then Android.
I also expect the apple things I own will last longer as apple devices get OS updates and security updates for MUCH longer then 95% of Android devices. iOS 14 (2020) supports everything back to the 6S (2015!), and unless you use the Pixel phones there's just no comparison in the android world for that length of support timeline.
posted by tiamat at 9:09 PM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
> unless you use the Pixel phones there's just no comparison in the android world for that length of support timeline
Just adding to this as a Pixel owner: support for my Pixel 2 ends this month (well, there's a final security update due in December) and while my phone is a delight and is still in excellent condition getting only three years of support is really mean. I don't want to be hacked so I'll probably move myself and my family to iPhones for the longer support.
posted by anadem at 12:29 PM on October 6, 2020
Just adding to this as a Pixel owner: support for my Pixel 2 ends this month (well, there's a final security update due in December) and while my phone is a delight and is still in excellent condition getting only three years of support is really mean. I don't want to be hacked so I'll probably move myself and my family to iPhones for the longer support.
posted by anadem at 12:29 PM on October 6, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sixswitch at 8:36 PM on October 5, 2020