Samsung Galaxy Watch users, your watch may soon be compatible with rival brands’ iPhones via a new feature called Notification Forwarding, as the report says.
Currently, only a few selected Galaxy Watches are compatible with iOS through the Galaxy Watch iOS app, including Galaxy Watch 3, Watch Active, and Watch Active 2. Noticeably, all of these models are based on Samsung’s older Tizen OS, which allowed iPhone users to pair their devices for notifications, fitness tracking, and more.
While the newer Galaxy Watches, starting from the Galaxy Watch 4 to the most recent Galaxy Watch 8, are all based on Google’s Wear OS, which is not compatible with connecting to iPhones. Noticeably, Samsung hasn’t developed an app that makes it possible for newer smartwatches to pair with an iPhone.
A new report from Macworld revealed that Apple is considering allowing iPhones to send notifications to third-party smartwatches, including Galaxy Watches, through a feature called Notification Forwarding. Reportedly, this new feature has been spotted within the latest iOS 26.1 beta code.
However, there’s a catch, as it will only send notifications to one accessory at a time, meaning you cannot receive notifications on multiple smartwatches simultaneously. The report also found a reference to a new framework called AccessoryExtension within the beta code; this framework is expected to enhance how third-party accessories connect and pair with iPhones. One of the reasons behind this could be that the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) orders Apple to make iPhones interoperable with devices from other brands.
