Pair Apple Watch with Android: What Actually Works

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A developer has published an open-source tool that lets you pair Apple Watch with Android and skip the iPhone step entirely, at least on one specific device combination.

The project, called Apple Watch Companion, pairs and activates an Apple Watch Ultra 2 directly from an Android phone, PhoneArena and Android Authority reported Oct. 14.

Before anyone treats this as proof that Apple Watch Android compatibility has arrived, the fine print matters. The setup requires a rooted phone, it's been demonstrated on a single hardware pairing, and major features, including calls and health syncing, still don't function. This is early, one-developer experimentation, not something to build a daily routine around.

What the Apple Watch Companion project can do on Android

Developer Md Ismail Šojal built Apple Watch Companion to recreate Apple's native Bluetooth and IDS pairing and activation process outside Apple's ecosystem, publishing the code to a public GitHub repository.

The project targets Android, Linux, and Windows through a shared Flutter-based companion app, with macOS using the same interface but a more limited Bluetooth backend.

The developer's published demonstration shows successful pairing, activation, and a working watch face on one tested setup: a rooted OnePlus 13 paired with an Apple Watch Ultra 2 running watchOS 26.2.

Once paired, users can check battery status, manage watch faces, and adjust certain settings, according to Android Authority.

That's the extent of the core functionality demonstrated so far. Broader compatibility hasn't been established through independent testing, and PhoneArena described the project as a proof of concept rather than a finished app.

The project's code has already undergone changes intended to make additional Apple Watch models easier to support, but those changes don't establish that other devices work. Development remains ongoing.

What still doesn't work, and what's simply unverified

Calls and health-data integration remain missing or incomplete, and the project isn't close to full parity with Apple's own Watch app, according to PhoneArena and Android Authority.

Notifications and other everyday functions also remain unfinished. On macOS, device discovery is implemented, but the complete pairing and activation process isn't yet available.

Cellular service is a bigger open question than a confirmed limitation.

Apple's official setup documentation ties standard cellular activation to an iPhone and a supported carrier plan, generally requiring the iPhone and watch to use the same carrier.

One exception is Apple Watch For Your Kids, which allows a family member without their own iPhone to use a cellular Apple Watch. However, the initial setup still requires a family organizer's iPhone.

Nothing in the current reporting on Apple Watch Companion establishes whether it can provision cellular service independently.

That remains unverified rather than definitively impossible, which matters for anyone hoping to use an Apple Watch without an iPhone for more than basic Bluetooth functions.

Why rooting raises the stakes

Apple Watch Companion's Android implementation requires a rooted phone running Magisk, a modification that falls outside normal manufacturer-supported configurations.

Rooting isn't automatically catastrophic, but it can introduce consequences that vary by device, manufacturer, and carrier.

PhoneArena writer Mariyan Slavov described rooting one of his Huawei phones years ago by unlocking its bootloader through an unofficial process.

The phone subsequently stopped receiving updates, while contactless payments and some health-related features stopped working.

That's one writer's experience with one phone, not a guaranteed outcome for every device someone might root to try Apple Watch Companion. Still, it illustrates the potential trade-offs.

Earlier academic research also helps explain why rooting is involved in this kind of work.

The WatchWitch research project, published in 2025, reverse-engineered Apple Watch wireless protocols and demonstrated Android interoperability, including notification forwarding and access to health data.

That effort required a rooted Android phone and a jailbroken iPhone to extract cryptographic material from an existing Apple Watch pairing.

Its developers didn't fully recreate the initial Bluetooth pairing process. Instead, they relied on an already paired iPhone to obtain the information needed for communication.

Apple Watch Companion's reported iPhone-free pairing therefore represents a different technical achievement.

However, it remains a developer-reported proof of concept rather than a broadly tested replacement for Apple's pairing system. WatchWitch also shouldn't be described as conclusively peer-reviewed without establishing its publication status.

Alternatives if you already own an iPhone and Apple Watch

For anyone with both an iPhone and an Apple Watch available for initial setup, Merge Watch offers a more practical, though imperfect, bridge.

An Engadget review tested Merge Watch on an Apple Watch Series 10 connected to a OnePlus 15 running Android 16, with watchOS 27 on the watch.

The reviewer found that notification forwarding worked well, alongside message replies from the watch, media playback controls, Google Fit syncing, and access to certain health information, including ECG and sleep data.

The trade-offs were specific to that test setup.

Notifications appeared through the Merge app rather than as fully native watchOS notifications. The reviewer also encountered occasional delays, sometimes requiring the app to be reopened, and observed slightly higher battery consumption.

Full functionality required a subscription costing $6 per month at the time of the review.

Merge Watch still requires an iPhone for initial Apple Watch activation. It doesn't remove that dependency, but it can provide an ongoing connection to an Android phone afterward.

Several Chinese phone makers, including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei, have also introduced partial Apple Watch interoperability features.

Those implementations vary in capability, but the reported approaches still require an iPhone for initial Apple Watch setup and activation.

None of these options, including Apple Watch Companion, currently combines demonstrated iPhone-free activation with complete everyday Apple Watch functionality.

What to do with this right now

Android-only buyers without an Apple Watch already in hand shouldn't treat Apple Watch Companion as a reason to purchase one.

Given its single demonstrated hardware pairing and missing calling and health features, it isn't a consumer-ready option.

Anyone who already owns both an iPhone and an Apple Watch and wants an Android connection today can consider Merge Watch, weighing its $6 monthly subscription and app-based notification handling against the convenience.

Owners of the tested combination, a OnePlus 13 and an Apple Watch Ultra 2 running watchOS 26.2, who want to experiment should use a spare device rather than their primary phone.

Rooting introduces potential security, compatibility, and update-related consequences, while cellular support and broader hardware compatibility remain unresolved.

Everyone else should watch the project's GitHub development for expanded device support, independent testing, and security reviews before reconsidering it.

The central achievement, pairing and activating an Apple Watch from Android without an iPhone, is worth watching. It just isn't proven enough yet to rely on for everyday use.