Watch Out Google, Samsung Also Eying iPhone Support For Lauded Gear S2 Smartwatch
The first “modern” smartwatch to capture the attention of techies around the world was no doubt the Motorola Moto 360. You can chalk up the excitement surrounding the Moto 360 to its mostly rounded display and dashing good looks. The Moto 360 then had to take a backseat to the hype surrounding the Apple Watch, but now there’s a newcomer that’s not only grabbing attention from Android users, but also those in the Apple camp.
Samsung has managed to create the Gear S2 that not only includes a fully circular display (unlike the “flat tire” effect seen on the Moto 360), but includes relatively slim bezels and a thin profile. The Gear S2 Classic steps things up a notch by taking on a more traditional wristwatch appearance while still retaining all of the smartwatch capabilities.
We already know that the Gear S2 will work with more than just Samsung smartphones (a cruel side effect with previous Samsung smartwatches running Tizen), as support has been extended to quite a long list of competing Android smartphones that are running Android 4.4 or later and have at least 1.5GB of RAM. Now, Samsung is looking to extend that support to iPhone users, but it could be a challenge to implement.
“We are looking at possibilities to open it up to iOS,” said a Samsung spokesperson in an interview with Digital Spy at IFA 2015. “Because we opened it up to Android, we are looking at this.”
If you recall, Google just recently extended support for newer Android Wear smartwatches to iPhones (going back as far as the iPhone 5). This was no easy undertaking, obviously, for Google, but the search giant at least has a lot of familiarity with iOS and its APIs — Samsung, not so much. Google also has a whole smorgasbord of apps available for iOS (Gmail, Calendar, Chrome, etc.) which can pass along detailed information to Android Wear devices.
Samsung definitely has a lot of work to do to enable support for iPhone users with the Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic, but it may be well worth it for Apple fans that aren’t exactly bowled over by the Apple Watch’s rectangular display.
