Samsung’s latest Galaxy smartwatches won’t support iPhones

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic smartwatches won’t be iOS compatible, meaning they won’t work with iPhones, unlike the previous models.


STORY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch models won’t support iOS
  • Key features are exclusive to Samsung Galaxy phones
  • iOS support for previous models shall continue

Samsung's promotional image showcasing the Galaxy WAtch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic models powered by Wear OS

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 models pull iOS support

Aside from other goodies, like attractive foldable phones, Samsung announced a pair of new smartwatch models at its 2021 Unpacked event. The new Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Classic file as the first smartwatches powered by Google’s and Samsung’s new Wear OS.

Also, they won’t be compatible with iOS, ArsTechnica has learned.

For the first time—and perhaps as a result of the Google/Samsung collaboration—the new Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic will not be able to pair with iOS devices. Samsung told us that it currently has no plans to stop legacy support for previous Galaxy Watches that were compatible with iOS devices.

Samsung made some pretty decent iphone-compatible smartwatches before, running the company’s capable  Tizen operating system. With the new Wear OS, a collaboration between Samsung and Google, the companies hope to better compete with Apple on wearables.

Apple Watch needs better competition

Poor hardware stemming from sub-par chipsets has been holding back Wear-powered smartwatches. Android partners like Qualcomm just wouldn’t invest enough into producing a competitive chipset that could rival Apple’s S-series processors.

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But Samsung’s recently announced Exynos W920 powering the new Galaxy Watch 4 promises to change all that. And with a decent smartwatch chip now a reality, thanks to Samsung, it’s completely conceivable that other chipmakers like Qualcomm will soon put out compelling chips enabling Wear OS to better compete with the Apple Watch platform.

And that’s a good thing. Competition is always a good thing and Apple Watch customers could benefit from the Google camp catching up with improved devices and the new Wear OS.