What you need to know
- Qualcomm has confirmed that Wear OS 3 will support iOS.
- Previous indications were that Wear OS 3 would drop iPhone support.
- The Montblanc Summit 3 is set to be the first Wear OS 3 watch to be released outside of Samsung.
Wear OS 3 has been available to the public for almost a year at this point. And when the Galaxy Watch 4 series launched, we learned that the upgraded software dropped support for iOS and iPhone users. However, it seems that won't be the case with future Wear OS 3-powered smartwatches.
Speaking to Wareable, a Qualcomm spokesperson confirmed that the upcoming "Montblanc Summit 3 smartwatch will let iPhone users get in on the Wear OS 3.0 action." The Montblanc Summit 3 was announced earlier in June and is set to be the first non-Samsung smartwatch to be released with Wear OS 3.
Until now, only the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic have been available with Wear OS 3. This has led to much confusion in the wearable space about which smartwatches will or won't be getting the upgrade from Wear OS 2. The only "catch" with the Summit 3 is its steep price tag, as the smartwatch is set to retail for around $1,290 and won't be arriving until mid-July.
Along with confirming that iPhone users will be able to use Wear OS 3 smartwatches once more become available, this also seems to give some hope that some of the best Android smartwatches will receive the Wear OS 3 update. Of course, the Summit 3 is a brand new offering, whereas something like the TicWatch Pro 3, using the same Snapdragon 4100+ chip, is getting a bit outdated at this point.
As for upcoming smartwatches, only Google's Pixel Watch has been confirmed to be powered by Wear OS 3. But other watchmakers, such as Fossil and Mobvoi, have stated that upcoming wearables will make use of the software. Unfortunately, it's just unknown as to what those models are, and when they will ultimately be released.
Going on a better part of a year with the assumption that Wear OS 3 compatibility with an iPhone is non-existent, isn't the greatest look. This platform shift has already been confusing as it is, but at least there's some bit of clarity starting to flow in.
