This app lets you use an Apple Watch with an Android phone
If you moved to Android, your Apple Watch can come with you.
Whether the iPhone is the best smartphone around is debatable, but what's undeniable is how well Apple has nailed the products that surround it. The AirPods continue to dominate the truly wireless earbuds market, and the Apple Watch remains one of the most polished smartwatch experiences you can get. Unfortunately, Apple's accessories work best when you have an iPhone to go along with them. In fact, the Apple Watch straight up doesn't work with Android.
Moving to an Android device usually means leaving the Apple Watch behind or carrying an iPhone just to keep the wearable useful. However, an application called Merge Watch aims to bridge the gap by letting users pair an Apple Watch with an Android phone. Past workarounds required cellular versions of the Apple Watch, keeping the two devices somewhat isolated.
Setup Process
Setting up the cross-platform connection requires first activating the Apple Watch with an iPhone. Next, install the Merge Watch app on the Apple Watch via the App Store and on the Android device via the Google Play Store. Launching the app on both devices requires granting specific permissions, including Bluetooth, health data, notification access, and battery optimization exceptions. Finally, tap the phone's name on the Apple Watch and confirm the pairing request using a six-digit code.
Health data syncs with Google Fit, though it may take a brief moment to populate after initial setup. Once configured properly, the Android phone and Apple Watch can communicate.
How well does Merge Watch work?
Pairing the devices is only the first step, as the extent of the carried-over experience matters. Notification forwarding functions remarkably well, allowing users to reply to messages directly from the wrist. Media playback controls also appear on the watch when playing music through apps like Spotify, and health data successfully syncs to Google Fit.
To prevent constant wrist buzzes, users can toggle notifications on a per-app basis within the Merge Watch application on Android. Additionally, ECG recordings and detailed sleep tracking data appear on the phone.
Limitations
Despite the connection, the experience lacks the seamless polish of an native ecosystem, particularly given its paid model. Notifications arrive via the Merge app rather than appearing as native watchOS alerts, creating the impression of running an app within an app to view or reply to messages.
Other installed watch apps continue to function independently, with Merge Watch strictly handling notification forwarding and shared data. Unlike the iPhone, which intelligently routes notifications to the appropriate screen, the Android phone will still buzz even when the user is actively interacting with the Apple Watch.
Using an Apple Watch with Android
While sharing sensitive health data with a third-party app raises privacy questions, Merge Watch's policy states that most data remains on the device, and internet relays for notifications are end-to-end encrypted. A more immediate hurdle is the subscription model, which requires paying up to $6 a month to unlock all features.
Testing the setup with a disconnected iPhone reveals mixed results regarding daily reliability. Merge Watch relies primarily on Bluetooth rather than an active internet connection for notifications. However, occasional missed nudges require manually launching the app on the watch to wake it up, which can cause a sudden influx of delayed alerts.
Running the app continuously in the background also leads to higher battery consumption on the watch. Operating system optimizations, such as aggressive background task management on certain Android skins, can occasionally introduce notification delays even when battery optimizations are disabled.
Overall, Merge Watch offers a functional, reasonably reliable workaround for pairing an Apple Watch with an Android handset. Although a one-time purchase would be preferable to a recurring monthly fee, it remains one of the few viable solutions available.
