Opening iOS is good news for smartwatches

Look at every smartwatch buying guide on the internet. I guarantee they’re either divided into separate guides for iOS and Android, like The Verge’s, or include categories like “Best for iPhone owners” or “Best for Android.” (Also, like The Verge’s fitness tracker guide.) It wasn’t always this way.

Five years ago, you could buy a Samsung or Fossil smartwatch and use it with an iPhone. The problem was it was never quite as good. Apple Watches were superior, not only because they could seamlessly connect with your Mac and AirPods, but you could also send quick replies to texts. Other third-party smartwatches couldn’t do all that.

Losing the ability to interact with other devices was hardly a deal breaker — it’s not that hard to go through the regular Bluetooth pairing process. But most people view smartwatches as an easy way to stay connected without glancing at their phones. Losing quick replies because you might prefer the look or features of a third-party device? For many people, it’s a tradeoff that doesn’t make sense. For years, I’d ask device makers why this feature wasn’t available. Every single time, from companies large and small, the answer was that Apple didn’t allow it. So, I was hardly surprised when Android smartwatch makers started kissing iOS goodbye in 2021 with Wear OS 3. In the years since, the number of platform-agnostic wearable makers continues to dwindle.

This is a big reason why it’s a good thing that the European Commission recently gave Apple marching orders to open up iOS interoperability to other gadget makers. You can read our explainer on the nitty gritty of what this means, but the gist is that it’s going to be harder for Apple to gatekeep iOS features to its own products. Specific to smartwatches, Apple will have to allow third-party smartwatch makers to display and interact with iOS notifications. I’m certain Garmin fans worldwide, who have long complained about the inability to send quick replies on iOS, erupted in cheers.

Apple, and at least one tech publication, has decried this decision as hindering Apple’s ability to innovate. In a statement, Apple spokesperson Marni Goldberg told The Verge that it will force the company to “give away our new features for free to companies who don’t have to play by the same rules.”

But the last few years have been fairly lackluster for smartwatch innovation. Samsung blatantly copied Apple in its 2024 smartwatch lineup with the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch FE. Google has mostly stuck to refining the Pixel Watch.

Apple introduced an Ultra model in 2022, but otherwise, last year’s Series 10 was another iterative update. The Ultra 2 only got a new color. (Even though that color was sick as hell.) In the wearables world, smartwatches are kind of… just there.

These days, I receive far more queries about smart rings and smart glasses — because everyone knows that if you have an iPhone, you get an Apple Watch, and if you have an Android, you get a Galaxy Watch or a Pixel Watch. (Maybe a OnePlus Watch 2 or 3 if you really care about battery.) If you’re an endurance athlete, you get a Garmin. There’s not much incentive for any of these companies to zhuzh up designs or think out of the box when ecosystem lock-in all but ensures they don’t have to. There’s no urgency. The result is smartwatches have become boring as we wait for the next Big Health Feature to get FDA clearance. I long for the weird, frenetic excitement of 2014-2020 era smartwatches. Instead, I have a hard time believing 2025 smartwatches will be much different from last year’s. (For the record, I would love to be proven wrong.)

Fans of walled gardens have to admit it doesn’t always work out. The Powerbeats Pro 2 ought to be a cautionary tale of how the “it just works” philosophy can backfire. Despite being an Apple product, Android users actually have more choice when it comes to how they use the Pro 2. On iOS, the heart rate feature is limited to seven apps and users must choose between monitoring heart rate or listening to tunes when connected to gym equipment. Android users have no such limitations. Do the Powerbeats Pro 2 work more seamlessly on the iOS apps it does support? Yes. But that’s not important to everyone. Some people just want the ability to choose how they use the products they buy.

The bottom line is the EU’s move improves a consumer’s ability to pick the best smartwatch for their needs regardless of their phone. There’s no reason a grizzled marathoner who prizes in-depth training metrics, free coaching plans, and monthlong battery life should have to get an Apple Watch Ultra over a Garmin just because they also want to have quick replies. I’ll admit that it is mind-numbingly convenient and pleasant to stay in one ecosystem. But if the Apple Watch is truly the best smartwatch out there, it should be able to defend that title even if third parties have access to iOS notifications.