Apple says it spent three years trying to make the Apple Watch compatible with Android. The company itself said this in response to a huge antitrust lawsuit in the USA.

Android manufacturers like Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo can do it. Other companies such as Garmin or Pepple also have no problem with this. But Apple, with its army of engineers and $73 billion in cash, had to fold after three years. The iPhone maker tells 9to5Mac that it tried to make its Apple Watch compatible with Android, but the attempt yielded no results. Despite Android’s broad wearables ecosystem, Apple stated that the project failed due to technical limitations.

Not a coincidence

Apple’s claims are somewhat dubious. First of all, we’re hearing it the day after the US filed a massive antitrust lawsuit against the iPhone maker. That someone who buys an Apple Watch is obliged to remain in the Apple ecosystem is one of the arguments in this complaint. Furthermore, the claim contradicts Bloomberg’s previous revelations in several key areas.

That publication said in 2023 that support for the Watch for Android was almost ready and was dropped at the last minute for “business reasons.” The value of the watch for the iPhone would decrease due to the additional compatibility. Or to put it another way: According to this argument, Apple wanted to protect its ecosystem. Technical limitations did not emerge as a decisive argument at the time, although Apple itself did not confirm the reports.