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Developer hacks Android Wear to show iPhone notifications (Video)

From 9to5Google: 

Android Wear and iOS (direct connection) - YouTube 2015-02-22 11-02-59

Android Wear is great, but if you’re an iOS user, it looks like the Apple Watch is going to be your only option for a while. Google has yet to make any of Android Wear’s functionality compatible with Apple’s operating system, and it doesn’t look like they plan to do so any time soon. But that’s not stopping one developer, Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh, from hacking Android Wear to at least support notifications from iOS devices.

While one might presume that this requires a jailbroken device to work, that’s actually not true. According to the video description, it works the same way a Pebble does, using Apple’s official APIs to send notifications over Bluetooth LE.  But while this wouldn’t require any modifications on the iOS side, there’s almost surely a modified version of Android Wear running on the watch. The developer posted a video of the hack in action, and there’s no reason not to believe it’s legitimate considering this guy is known for his modules made for the Xposed framework:

Notably, getting notifications to show up on an Android Wear device is only the first step toward these watches working with iOS. Getting other things to work, like apps, syncing of health data, and Google Now, would require a lot more tinkering—and likely wouldn’t be possible without a jailbreak. So even if this modification was readily available, I wouldn’t run out to the store and buy a Moto 360 just yet.

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Comments

  1. I think these are the best smart watch on the market for now (will see about Apple Watch) but that screen, how it’s not a full circle spoils it and looks awful.

  2. crichton007 - 9 years ago

    Given the behavior it looks as if the iPhone has been Jailbroken.

  3. beyondthetech - 9 years ago

    What? Google is purposely limiting capabilities? Now, that’s really copying Apple! :)

  4. Yeah, the iPhone is jailbroken. The icons do not bounce when receiving a notification on the iPhone without a jailbreak.

    • Please update the article

      • The phone is jailbroken, but the notification does not require a jailbroken device. The phone and watch are connected directly using ANSC, the same as a watch such as Pebble uses. The special bit here is in an .apk loaded to the watch.

        Please update your post asking the author update his factually correct article.

  5. patstar5 - 9 years ago

    I love my lg g watch, only paid $80 for it. It would really benefit google if they got android wear to work with Ios. Undercutting the apple watch and bringing a viable alternative. (Moto 360 looks way better than apple watch. It look fat like 1st generation iphone.)

    • Jason Edwards - 9 years ago

      Looks better in your opinion. In my opinion the Apple Watch looks great as does the Moto 360. The LG G looks like crap to me personally.

      • patstar5 - 9 years ago

        I didn’t say the lg looked good, it is very basic. Now the lg g round looks decent but moto 360 still looks the best.

    • John H Harris - 9 years ago

      Indeed! It does the same thing for 1/3 the price, yet the idiots will be snapping them up, screaming IT’S APPLE!!! like an eight year old girl at a One Direction concert.

      P.T. Barnum would be proud…

  6. H2Play (@h2play1) - 9 years ago

    I think it is not modified android wear.
    Android wear has bluetooth module so it can receive from iOS device.

Author

Avatar for Stephen Hall Stephen Hall

Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.