We thought it was coming, and a blog post by Google today made it official: Android Wear will now work with iOS. Apple iPhone models 5 and newer, running iOS 8.2 or better, will be able to sync with watches running Google's wearable operating system.

According to The Verge, only three Android Wear watches (two of which you can't get yet) will support iPhone right now: the Asus ZenWatch 2, the Huawei Watch, and the LG Watch Urbane. But all future Android Wear watches will have the ability to work with iOS.

Now, Android Wear for iOS won't be able to do as much as the Apple Watch, which was designed from the ground up to be dependent upon the iPhone and bring as much of it as possible to your wrist. When it comes to working with Apple, Google, despite its giant status, is just another third-party customer that has to work within the limitations of what Apple will allow it to do. But Android Wear watches can work with iOS to deliver notifications from apps, check phone calls and messages, do fitness tracking, and perform most of the other basic functions you want out of a smartwatch.

It's great news for iPhone users thinking about taking the smartwatch plunge: Now, you've got some choice. Maybe you want to buy the Apple Watch and keep all your devices within the same ecosystem. But maybe you'd rather get a less expensive Android Wear device—or you just like the style of one of those better. It's up to you.

Source: Google, The Verge

From: Popular Mechanics