Sketchy rumor suggests Apple Watch will be able to sync with Mac & iPad

Posted:
in Apple Watch
A new leak suggests that the Apple Watch may soon be capable of syncing with more than one Apple device at once -- although it's not clear why.

Apple Watch Ultra
Apple Watch Ultra


Allegedly, Apple Watch owners will soon be able to sync their devices across multiple iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

The rumor popped up overnight from a relatively new source, "Analyst941" on Twitter.

Apple Watch can sync across more than one Apple device too, finally. I don't know how this will be implemented. All I know, again, **ALL** I know, is that Apple Watch will sync across multiple iOS/iPadOS/Mac devices, and will no longer be tied to one single iPhone.

-- 941 (@analyst941)


The leaker did not specify whether this will be restricted to a yet-unreleased Apple Watch, such as the Apple Watch Series 9, or whether it will be added for all supported models.

It's unclear how this will be implemented, but it suggests that Apple has plans for an iPadOS and macOS Watch app.

It's also not apparent if the user would still need an iPhone for the initial setup or whether it could be done from a Mac or iPad.

And, it's not at all clear why Apple would do this. There are about 25 iPhone users for every Mac in service, and nearly the same ratio of iPhone to iPad owners. While possible to do so, given how Bluetooth works and commonalities in the operating systems, there's just not a great reason for Apple to get it done.

The Apple Watch lineup has been awash in sketchy rumors in 2023. In January, a rumor based on very flimsy supply chain info suggested that Apple is going to produce an "Apple Watch X" for 2024, carrying as radical a change as the iPhone X was to the rest of the lineup at the time.

In February, a highly suspect report suggested that a 2.13-inch micro LED Apple Watch Ultra, bigger so-called Apple Watch Series X, and Apple Watch SE 3 with Series 8 design will launch in 2024.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    Simple Watch for phone calls iPad mobile computer no need for phone at all. 
    lollivermcdavewatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 22
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,664member
    Don’t see how this is sketchy. 

    Syncing to multiple devices or even all of them is common sense. 

    Sometimes you may switch up what you have with you. If you use an iMac at home and travel with an iPad, that makes sense to have your watch data wherever. Same thing with an iPhone, MacBook Pro, etc. 

    I’m sure they’ll have a way of doing this with the Apple ID, just like music, email, messages, etc. 

    limiting watch data sync is kind of old school. 

    Account based rather than device based. 
    edited April 2023 designrgilwavebloggerblogwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 22
    gilwavegilwave Posts: 20member
    Last Friday, on a trip home from Houston to Nashville, I inadvertently left my iPhone 14 Pro at the airport 

    My son who lives near the Houston airport located the phone using Find My on Saturday and shipped it back to me via UPS

    I’m in atrial fibrillation, and use the Apple Watch and an Oura ring to monitor my heart rate and sleeping/waking activity.

    I used my iPad mini and my MacBook Pro for the four days I didn’t have my phone

    Not being able sync my watch or ring to the iPad was disconcerting and discomforting, to say the least.

    So I for one welcome multi-device sync.
    designrjohnbroussard9secondkox2lolliverroundaboutnowbloggerblogmacpluspluswatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 22
    I am part of that segment that would prefer to not have to use a phone. I would prefer ipads and macs and watches. For some reason, the phone is the thing I enjoy using the least. I would prefer only to have it be a camera. Doing anything else on a computer or the watch is preferable to me.
    gilwavewatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 22
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    One the one hand having the AW exclusively for  iPhone drives iPhone sales for those android users that really want an AW.
    I doubt there are that many though.

    On the other hand there might be reasons a person doesn’t have an iPhone, or iPhone is not accessible for a time, but  they might have an iPad or a Mac.

    The gripping hand is enabling an AW to sync across all Apple devices makes the AW more accessible to a larger number of users, potentially increasing AW sales.
    edited April 2023 designrwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 22
    emoelleremoeller Posts: 574member
    There are a lot of folks that have a Mac or iPad and no iPhone (they prefer Android phones).   This is an untapped market for Apple's Watch, which is a gateway to Apple fitness, etc..   So this makes sense to me.

    I doubt there would be separate apps for each device, rather this would be built into Settings.  


    designrJaphey9secondkox2lollivermuthuk_vanalingamgilwave
  • Reply 7 of 22
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    Every Apple product has been more successful post tether than tethered and the Watch is well past the timeframe of tethering that other devices suffered*. They should go further allow it to work in non-apple ecosystem devices. with say iCloud app for larger screen needs but yes completely have a Native App of iPad and Mac that matches the Phone.

    *Will necessary at times with devices tethering them to another product has never been a great solution and one they should always be trying to break. 




    designr9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 22
    lolliverlolliver Posts: 493member
    I would have bought my kids the Apple Watch SE years ago if they could sync them with their iPads. I am considering the cellular watches for them as I could then set them up from my iPhone but that would require changing my phone provider.  
    mattinoz9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 22
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    I want it to sync with iCloud why is it tethered to any device like an iPod?
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 22
    Remember when the iPhone was de-tethered from iTunes?

    Same thing here, just allow the Watch to be setup on its own, and optionally sync with what-ever you have/iCloud.

    Makes perfect sense, especially considering many Healthcare companies are giving away and Apple Watch with plans, so this would allow anyone to use it, regardless of their phone OS.

    Now, I just wish that one of the Carriers here in Ireland would finally start supporting the cellular Watch. Radio silence every time I ask them about it.
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 22
    petripetri Posts: 118member
    Makes a lot of sense and it’s always seemed weird to me that the watch wasn’t linked up to all these things before anyway.

    I can control my phone music from my watch, that’s great, but why can’t I also control my iPad playback?  It has better speakers so I often use it as a portable music player, my watch can be used as a remote for Apple TV so why can’t it be a remote for my iPad?

    Theres a fitness app on my iPad already, why don’t I see any of my fitness data there?  It’s all in the cloud anyway, why do I have to dig my phone out of my pocket when the iPad is right there in front of me?

    Virtually everything else in the Apple ecosystem is synced across devices and just picks up right where you left off on whichever device… why was there ever this weird, artificial wall sealing in just the watch + iPhone? 
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 22
    XedXed Posts: 2,519member
    emoeller said:
    There are a lot of folks that have a Mac or iPad and no iPhone (they prefer Android phones).   This is an untapped market for Apple's Watch, which is a gateway to Apple fitness, etc..   So this makes sense to me.

    I doubt there would be separate apps for each device, rather this would be built into Settings.  


    How many is "a lot of folks". While I'm sure there are Mac and iPad users who have no interest in an iPhone who want to use an Apple Watch, I do question how large that number is to make this a focus for Apple. This far into the iPhone's existence and it being the great toolbar getting WinPC users to switch to Mac, I don't see many Mac users who prefer an Android phone.

    The only group that I can imagine this would touch are older individuals with home and dumb cellphones that have moved from WinPC (or no PC) to an iPad who may be interested in the Watch for health and safety reasons. For this reason I'm surprised that Apple hadn't already made the iOS Watch app available on iPadOS, which tells me that the market likely isn't large enough to warrant that move, so making it work via macOS would be much further down that adoption road.
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 22
    XedXed Posts: 2,519member
    petri said:
    Makes a lot of sense and it’s always seemed weird to me that the watch wasn’t linked up to all these things before anyway.

    I can control my phone music from my watch, that’s great, but why can’t I also control my iPad playback?  It has better speakers so I often use it as a portable music player, my watch can be used as a remote for Apple TV so why can’t it be a remote for my iPad?

    Theres a fitness app on my iPad already, why don’t I see any of my fitness data there?  It’s all in the cloud anyway, why do I have to dig my phone out of my pocket when the iPad is right there in front of me?

    Virtually everything else in the Apple ecosystem is synced across devices and just picks up right where you left off on whichever device… why was there ever this weird, artificial wall sealing in just the watch + iPhone? 
    Have you actually explored the Watch app on your iPhone? Can you imagine setting up an enter Watch with that small tech screen? I can, and it sounds like a miserable experience which is why I don't think we'll be seeing the Watch completely untethered from the iPhone. At best I think we can hope for making other devices conduits for the Watch.
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 22
    It may be a sketchy rumor, but it is not a sketchy idea.
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 22
    Xed said:
    petri said:
    Makes a lot of sense and it’s always seemed weird to me that the watch wasn’t linked up to all these things before anyway.

    I can control my phone music from my watch, that’s great, but why can’t I also control my iPad playback?  It has better speakers so I often use it as a portable music player, my watch can be used as a remote for Apple TV so why can’t it be a remote for my iPad?

    Theres a fitness app on my iPad already, why don’t I see any of my fitness data there?  It’s all in the cloud anyway, why do I have to dig my phone out of my pocket when the iPad is right there in front of me?

    Virtually everything else in the Apple ecosystem is synced across devices and just picks up right where you left off on whichever device… why was there ever this weird, artificial wall sealing in just the watch + iPhone? 
    Have you actually explored the Watch app on your iPhone? Can you imagine setting up an enter Watch with that small tech screen? I can, and it sounds like a miserable experience which is why I don't think we'll be seeing the Watch completely untethered from the iPhone. At best I think we can hope for making other devices conduits for the Watch.
    I agree using the small Watch screen for set up and configuration would not be great. All the more reason to have the option to use an iPad or Mac to configure and/or synch with the Watch.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 22
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,664member
    seanie248 said:
    Remember when the iPhone was de-tethered from iTunes?

    Same thing here, just allow the Watch to be setup on its own, and optionally sync with what-ever you have/iCloud.

    Makes perfect sense, especially considering many Healthcare companies are giving away and Apple Watch with plans, so this would allow anyone to use it, regardless of their phone OS.

    Now, I just wish that one of the Carriers here in Ireland would finally start supporting the cellular Watch. Radio silence every time I ask them about it.
    This x1000. 

    Even without cellular, you have WiFi. 
    edited April 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 22
    iPad Mini with cellular + Apple Watch with cellular is ideal. You get the bigger screen of iPad mini with the resolution of full size iPad and you get the phone functions of the watch. The iPhone is not super useful on its own unless you need the camera. It’s too small to surf the web but big enough that you need to have a loose pocket. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 22
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    mattinoz said:
    Simple Watch for phone calls iPad mobile computer no need for phone at all. 
    Yes, but where I live I can use my Apple Watch to make phone calls, which I do, with a $10 monthly plan but that plan isn't available unless I'm paying for a real phone plan, which I am. If I wanted to get a Watch-only plan it would likely be $50/month so I wouldn't be saving much money.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 22
    I think this would be a great idea. It would be nice to view health stats on a bigger screen, and import the stats in to a spreadsheet. 
    designrwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 22
    XedXed Posts: 2,519member
    I think this would be a great idea. It would be nice to view health stats on a bigger screen, and import the stats in to a spreadsheet. 
    Getting Health on my Mac would be nice, but that can do that regardless, the way that Weather, Stock, et al. are all on macOS now, not just iOS (and iPadOS).
    watto_cobra
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