iPhones May Soon Work Better With Third-Party Smartwatches

Apple whitethorn beryllium moving connected caller functionality that would grow what third-party smartwatches are capable to bash erstwhile connected to an iPhone. As noted by Macworld, iOS 26.1 codification mentions a Notification Forwarding diagnostic that could beryllium designed for third-party watches.


"Choose Which apps tin nonstop notifications to your accessory," reads 1 line. "Notifications tin beryllium forwarded to 1 accessory astatine a time. Notifications volition not look connected Apple Watch portion Notification Forwarding is turned on," reads different line.

There are besides references to caller accessory pairing features, specified arsenic an AccessoryExtension model for pairing a third-party instrumentality with an ‌iPhone‌.

The wording is ambiguous truthful there's nary warrant that it's applicable to third-party smartwatches, but the European Union's Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party smartwatches and different devices with entree to notifications and different features that are usually reserved for the Apple Watch.

Apple's constricted enactment for devices that vie with the Apple Watch is besides 1 of the U.S. Department of Justice's cardinal arguments successful the Apple vs. DoJ antitrust case. The Department of Justice claims that Apple prevents third-party smartwatches from offering Apple Watch-like functionality by denying them the cellular connectivity options the Apple Watch has and restricting them from acting connected incoming notifications.

What the DoJ has to accidental astir smartwatch functionality is of involvement due to the fact that Apple has been addressing the claims successful the DoJ's suit successful the twelvemonth and a fractional since it was filed. The DoJ's assertion that Apple suppresses unreality streaming games is nary longer relevant, for example, due to the fact that Apple added enactment for unreality streaming and apps offering mini games successful iOS 17.4. The DoJ targeted Apple's delayed enactment for RCS, but with iOS 18, Apple implemented ‌RCS‌ enactment for amended cross-platform messaging. The DoJ besides took contented with Apple's refusal to let integer outgo providers to entree the ‌iPhone‌'s NFC chip, and Apple opened up entree to NFC successful iOS 18.1.

If Notification Forwarding is so related to third-party smartwatches, it could beryllium an EU-only relation aimed astatine addressing the Digital Markets Act requirements successful the EU, but it could besides beryllium a alteration that Apple plans to instrumentality worldwide.
This article, "iPhones May Soon Work Better With Third-Party Smartwatches" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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