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These are the major US retailers that accept Apple Pay
Apple Pay is more secure than your debit card. Here's who accepts it and who does not
Apple Pay is everywhere. Restaurants, stores, and gas stations have the Apple logo next to their payment terminals, inviting iPhone users to tap their devices and be on with their day. Google Pay is less ubiquitous in the United States, but NFC technology means even the cheapest Android phones can use Apple Pay terminals. So how does it work, and who accepts Apple Pay in the United States?
How to turn off Apple Watch's passcode feature
Disabling the Apple Watch passcode offers convenience, but it comes with several caveats
Apple prompts users to add a passcode to their Apple Watch to protect their personal information. When you manually lock the Apple Watch, reboot the system, or remove the wearable from your wrist, you'll enter a passcode to get past the lock screen. If tapping four digits on your Apple Watch screen is inconvenient, use the tips below to turn off a passcode. Although you can use Apple's wearable with an Android phone, we use the iPhone as an example in the guide below.
Making an Apple Watch for Android users could be surprisingly simple
Here's how it could work for everyone, including Apple
How many times have you read the words “Apple should make an Apple Watch for Android?” As a die-hard tech fan and a regular user of both platforms, I’ve also those words myself — and often read comments across all social platforms that say the company would never do it, that it would go against its walled-garden policy, and so on.
US sues Apple for iPhone monopoly, points to iMessage and Apple Watch dominance, among other tactics
Antitrust suit raises similar concerns to the EU's recent DMA mandate
The US is one of the few countries where most people still text from their telephone number instead of using a secure messaging app like WhatsApp. This is partly due to carriers offering free SMS messaging with their plans in the early days of smartphones, but most of us following the mobile industry blame it on one thing: the dominance of iMessage in America. This and other aspects of Apple's walled garden, like its reluctance to fully support non-Apple Watch wearables, are being called into question in a new antitrust case filed by the US Justice Department today.
How to pair and use an Apple Watch with an Android phone
The Apple Watch is designed to work exclusively with iPhone, but with a few life hacks, you can use it with Android
Apple Watch remains the default smartwatch choice for iPhone users. The Apple Watch has undergone generational changes and frequent yearly watchOS updates since its introduction in 2015 to achieve a polished design and seamless connectivity in the Apple ecosystem. Android manufacturers with their top smartwatches aren't far behind and now give the Apple Watch a run for its money. You can use your Apple Watch with an Android phone with a few caveats and limitations.
Smartwatch battery showdown: Which wearable lasts longest?
Flagship watches from Samsung, Google, and Apple go head-to-head
If you're a fan of smartwatches, you'll know that they're feature-rich, but every new generation of features comes at a cost. While our insatiable desire for our devices to do more shows no slowing, battery technology isn’t evolving at the same rate, and battery is one of the biggest concerns when picking a reliable smartwatch.
8 Apple Watch tips and tricks to keep you productive and healthy
Your Apple Watch includes lots of helpful functionality - if you know where to look. Here are the best tips for new Watch users
The Apple Watch can do a lot. It's one of the most comprehensive smartwatches available. It measures your vitals, tracks sunlight exposure, and sends messages with a flick of your hand. If you want a watch that matches with Android devices, the Watch is a powerful accessory for your life. We have ways to make it even better for beginners!
Google Pixel Watch 2 vs. Apple Watch 9: Do you prefer Android or iOS?
Two great devices, but they are truly extensions of what's in your pocket
The Android space is filled with various great smartwatches, including Google's Pixel Watch. Last year was Google's' first attempt at creating a smartwatch, and they came out swinging for the fences. While they didn't quite knock it out of the park first time, the company succeeded in creating one of the best Android smartwatches on the market. For its second iteration of the Pixel Watch, Google looked to retain the best parts of its first attempt while improving on its shortcomings. While it's still early, the Pixel Watch 2 looks like it's going to be another hit for the company.
It's time to standardize smartwatch charging
Smartphones have finally fallen in line, and it's time for wearables to do the same
The wearable market has been growing fast over the past decade, to the point where smartwatches and fitness trackers seem to be everywhere these days. Nearly every major and minor tech brand is offering a wearable accessory to pair with your favorite smartphone. The most ubiquitous, at least in the US, would be the Apple Watch. But for Android users, there are good options from a number of manufacturers. Though all the smartwatches for fans of the green text bubble run Wear OS, charging methods are anything but consistent.
How to change fitness goals on an Apple Watch
The Apple Watch makes it easy to set simple daily fitness goals for health improvement. Here's how it works
Apple's Activity app (a.k.a. the Fitness app) is deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem, capable of storing tons of helpful data for you, your trainer, and your doctor. The fitness app pairs especially well with an Apple Watch. The latest models have extensive sensors to keep track of your heart rate, steps counted, and the oxygen in your blood. Tracking your numbers can help you get your resting heart rate down, get your cardio heart rate up, and increase your calories burned, among other smartwatch-oriented goals.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic: Circle or square?
Does the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic require more than looks to keep up with Apple?
Last year's Apple Watch Ultra blew everyone away when it was announced. It featured top-of-the-line specs and could, in some ways, compete with professional equipment in the diving and mountaineering space. Now it's time for a refresh, refining what was already there and adding a few extras. When it comes to the best Android smartwatches, we have the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, another chunky device that ticks as many boxes as possible. How do these watches stack up? Let's find out.
Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Google Pixel Watch: Which is better for you?
It will largely depend on which phone you own, but there are some important differences
With Apple showing off its shiny new Watch Series 9, many customers may be considering an upgrade of their smartwatch. While the Series 9 features some impressive enhancements, it’s not the only smartwatch in the marketplace, and if you’re using an Android phone, the experience is not a pleasant one.
What is watchOS?
Apple's watchOS covers all the software that powers the Apple Watch: Here's what's going on
As of Fall 2023, Apple is on the 9th generation of its Apple Watch (and has introduced another Apple Watch Ultra model), continuing its more-or-less unchallenged reign as the high-end smartwatch maker. If you want a watch that instantly measures your altitude while calculating your blood-oxygen levels and playing your favorite songs, the latest Apple Watch Series offers functionality you can't get elsewhere.
No, Apple did not just invent hand gestures for smartwatches
The Apple Watch's new double tap gesture sure is convenient, but Samsung smartwatches can do that, too
The Apple Watch enters its tenth generation next year, and the company is expected to bring a major redesign to its smartwatch similar to what the iPhone X did for the phone series six years ago. That’s perhaps the reason the Apple Watch Series 9 turned out to be a mild iterative upgrade, save for a few improvements on the inside. But one Watch feature that got the most limelight at the event is the new Double Tap gesture. While Apple did make much of this feature on stage as it is wont to do, hand gestures like this are anything but new.
Android wearables need some fresh ideas to compete with the Apple Watch
Unless Wear OS devices stop being scared to experiment, the Apple Watch Series 9 will continue to dominate the market
Apple's fall 2023 hardware event has come and gone, with the iPhone 15 series, Apple Watch UItra 2, and Apple Watch Series 9 taking center stage. This year's phones didn't receive any major design changes, though Android fans should pay attention to five key areas that did see upgrades. But rather than focusing on the phones, it's worth looking at the new Apple Watch Series 9 lineup. If you missed this year's keynote and haven't seen what the company's new watches look like, well, just take a look at last year's Apple Watch 8, or the Watch Series 7, or the Watch 6 Series before that. You'll get the idea.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 9: An extra-bright showdown
Android or Apple? Only one can grace your wrist.
The world of smartwatches just got a bit more crowded following the reveal of Apple’s Watch Series 9. The newest Apple smartwatch series comes with a ton of features, but how does it stack up to one of the best Android smartwatches out right now? Here’s how the Watch Series 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 compare side-by-side.
The iPhone 15 finally brings USB-C to the pockets of your blue bubble friends
Alongside the Apple Watch Series 9, Watch Ultra 2, and some USB-C-equipped AirPods
While both staff and loyal readers of Android Police alike are (im)patiently awaiting for Google to unveil the Pixel 8 in New York on October 4th, it's hard to completely ignore the other company releasing new iterations of some pretty popular smartphones today. Yes, it's Apple announcement day, practically a holiday for plenty of tech fans across the web, and while AP might not be as focused on today's event as other sites, it's still worth exploring the four smartphones that might keep your friends and loved ones from switching to our favorite Android phones — no matter how many times you explain what RCS is.
Apple Watch Ultra review: Why non-athletes can love it, too
You don't have to be a marathon runner to benefit from Apple's chunky, flagship watch
It shouldn't come as a shock that most of us here at Android Police are using Android smartphones and rocking Wear OS watches. Even so, we like to keep an eye on what's happening across the industry — including in Apple country. To that end, we wanted to give Apple's newest, flashiest wearable a spin.
The Google Pixel Watch's health features pale in comparison to the Apple Watch
The Fitbit integration into the Pixel Watch needs some work
Even though Google just came out with its first smartwatch, it isn't new to the smartwatch world. It has had Wear OS for nearly a decade and has experience working with many OEMs during this time. Google acquired Fitbit not too long ago, a company synonymous with fitness tracking. With so much going in Google's favor, you would want the Google Pixel Watch to be the perfect smartwatch for Android phones as the Apple Watch is for the iPhone.
Google needs a budget Pixel Watch A-Series to succeed with Wear OS hardware
The Pixel Watch's price is too damn high
Years after the company launched software for smartwatches, the Google Pixel Watch is available to buy as the first self-made hardware running Google's Wear OS—long after other manufacturers are already offering great Android smartwatches. As beautiful as the Pixel Watch is as a fashion device and as a watch, it falls short in other areas that might be key to a successful wearable. One of those areas is the price. If you weren't lucky enough to live in an area where you could get the Pixel Watch as a free preorder bonus for your Google Pixel 7 Pro or Pixel 7, it costs you at least $350. That's a problem for Google, as it will have a hard time convincing anyone to buy an expensive watch that comes with compromises.