Samsung brings iOS compatibility to the latest Gear devices

Samsung has announced that they have extended iOS compatibility to the latest Gear family of devices including the Gear S3, Gear S2, and Gear Fit2. You'll need to have an iPhone 5 or newer and be running iOS 9 or higher on it to use the new app, so most iPhones out there should be compatible.

Starting today, users can download the Samsung Gear S app for the Gear S2 and Gear S3 or the Samsung Gear Fit app for the Gear Fit2 on compatible iOS devices from the Apple App Store. Once the appropriate app is downloaded, users will be guided through steps to complete pairing with the user's compatible Samsung wearable device.

On the functionality side, Samsung mentions that features will vary by device, the Gear S3's built-in GPS, altimeter, barometer and speedometer apps are supported as well fitness tracking by monitoring distance and route traveled, running pace, calories burned and heart rate.

Samsung making their smart watches available to more users is a smart move — especially iOS users. Research shows that iPhone owners tend to have the most disposable income to buy luxury products with, and the design of the latest additions to the Gear family stand out in the sea of wearables. We're not sure how many iPhone users wanted to use something like a Gear S3, but now every one of them can.

Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.