How to Use Apple Watch Without iPhone – Pairing with Android Phone

Does Apple Watch work with Android phones? This is one big question many owners of this wearable device is actually asking. Your curiosity will be satisfied if you are one of them. In this article, I will be showing you how to use Apple Watch without iPhone. This can be done by simply pairing the Apple Watch with an Android phone.

We all love Android devices, but if we want to be honest with ourselves, Apple has really beaten Android in the smartwatch game. Though the early generation Apple watches are mixed, the recent ones are really unique, having a refined user interface and an edge-to-edge display that looks great on your wrist. Generally speaking, Apple Watches have better battery life and more advanced features than what we have seen on any android watches.

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Despite it not being advertised, but do you know you can pair an Apple Watch with an Android phone? But to be sincere, as you might expect, there are many limitations to this too. Apple states on its website that you can only sync an Apple Watch with the iPhone. This is true because the pairing app only exists on iOS. But do not worry, I will still show you how to use Apple Watch without iPhone.

Here is the fact though, if you have an LTE Apple Watch, you can cut a couple of corners to make your Apple Watch work perfectly with an Android phone. This should not be a reason why you should go and buy an Apple Watch, but If you have switched to an Android phone and you still want to get your Apple Watch to work, you might want to give this method a try.

How to Use Apple Watch without iPhone by Pairing it with an Android Phone

Actually, what we did, in this case, is to pair the Apple Watch with an iPhone, and set everything up so it is working fine. Then we put the iPhone in airplane mode. We then remove the SIM, put the SIM into an Android phone, and then find a strong LTE signal. Though it is not guaranteed to work, many users have theirs working perfectly with this method.

All that is needed are two unlocked phones – one Android and another iPhone – because you will be swapping SIM cards around. Unless you have two SIM cards for the same carrier, this method can only work for unlocked phones.

If you are looking for how to use Apple Watch without iPhone by pairing it with an Android phone, just follow the steps outlined below.

• Set your Apple Watch up with the iPhone.
• Make a test call or two to ensure everything is fine.
• Put the iPhone into airplane mode so it cannot reach out. Or turn it off.
• Turn off the Apple Watch.
• Swap the SIM from theiPhone to your Android phone and boot it.
• Turn on the Apple Watch.
• Wait for the disconnected notification to disappear from the Apple Watch.

Limitations of this method

Once you are connected, you should be able to make and receive calls and use Siri to perform some basic functions. The two devices (Apple Watch and Android phone) are not directly communicating as far as I can tell. Instead, they are using the network to communicate. This is why only the very basic functions are possible with this method.

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You cannot use any of the more advanced functions of the Apple Watch. Obviously, you will have no access to the SmartWatch app on your Android phone and will not really be able to make and receive calls. Also, you cannot ask Siri some basic questions.

Voice commands can also be used to make calls as long as you use the name the contacts are saved with on your SIM and not your Android phone. The second limitation will be on battery life. The Apple Watch does not have an amazing battery to start with, and by using LTE constantly, the battery will not last very long.

I guess that apart from trying this method out because you can, the only time you would ever want to use it is when something happened to your iPhone and you really wanted to use your Apple Watch. Apart from this, there is actually no need.

However, the aim of this article on how to use Apple Watch without iPhone, is just to prove that you can actually pair an Apple Watch with an Android phone and get it working. If you have tried this out and it works perfectly, kindly share your experience in the comment section.