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In November 2023, a report surfaced that Apple considered making the Apple Watch compatible with Android phones. The company has now officially confirmed it. The iPhone maker says it worked on adding Android support for three years before dropping the project because of technical limitations. The revelation came as part of its response to the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit.
Apple tried adding Android support to its watches
The DOJ has filed an expansive antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of using its products and services to run a monopoly in the smartphone market. Unsurprisingly, the Apple Watch is part of this discussion. “Having copied the idea of a smartwatch from third-party developers, Apple now prevents those developers from innovating and limits the Apple Watch to the iPhone to prevent a negative impact on iPhone sales,” the lawsuit states.
The Justice Department cited a 2019 email from Apple’s Vice President of Product Marketing for Apple Watch in which they acknowledged that the watch “may help prevent iPhone customers from switching” to Android phones. The 88-page lawsuit further states that Apple doesn’t want to make its watches compatible with Android because this would “remove an iPhone differentiator.”
In response, Apple said that it considered adding Android support to the Apple Watch. The company investigated the scenario for three years and determined that it wasn’t doable because of technical limitations. It eventually scrapped the idea, limiting the Apple Watch to the iPhone. Interestingly, the November report from Bloomberg said Apple dropped the project, called Project Fennel due to “business considerations.”
Either way, Apple did try bringing its watches to Android phones at some point. However, the DOJ might argue that it dropped the idea and that the Apple Watch is still an iPhone differentiator. It likely sees this as an anti-competitive business practice as anyone with an Apple Watch will probably buy an iPhone, and vice versa. If the watches supported Android, consumers would get more freedom when buying phones.
Apple says the lawsuit threatens its principles
The DOJ’s lawsuit targets many Apple products and services, including CarPlay, digital keys, and more. Apple says the lawsuit threatens “the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets.” The company fears that it could hinder its “ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple” and “set a dangerous precedent.” The iPhone maker labeled the lawsuit “wrong on the facts and the law.”