Apple Watch locked to iPhone

Apple Watch does not work with Android phones, forcing users who switch to Android to carry an iPhone just to keep their watch functional.

“the Apple Watch straight up doesn't work with Android”

Merge Watch bridges the gap

Merge Watch is an app that claims to let you pair an Apple Watch with an Android phone. You must first activate the watch with an iPhone.

Setup requires permissions

Install Merge Watch on both your Apple Watch and Android device. Grant Bluetooth permissions, health data access, notification access and battery optimization exceptions.

Notifications work well

Notification forwarding works reliably. You can reply to messages from your wrist, control Spotify playback and see ECG recordings and sleep tracking data on your phone.

Experience feels clunky

Notifications appear through the Merge Watch app rather than as native watchOS notifications, making it feel like opening an app within an app to check messages.

Six dollars a month required

Merge Watch costs six dollars a month to unlock all features. The app claims most data stays on your devices and notifications are end-to-end encrypted.

Reliability issues emerge

Testing with iPhone off showed occasional notification delays and missed alerts. The app sometimes requires manual launching to work. Battery drain increased on the Apple Watch.

Decent option despite flaws

Merge Watch is a reliably working solution for pairing Apple Watch with Android, though the monthly fee and occasional glitches make it imperfect compared to native iPhone integration.

“it's hard to complain when there are barely any other working solutions”