Skip to main content

Samsung is testing iOS support for Gear S2 and Gear Fit 2 in South Korea

Samsung’s Gear S2 is a powerhouse of a smartwatch, no doubt. It’s slim, sleek, and thin, sports a rotating mechanical bezel that doubles as an input method, packs a 1.2-inch AMOLED display and 1GHz dual-core processor, and features a myriad of sensors — an accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and heart rate and ambient light monitors, to name a few. Until now, though, taking advantage of all that wearable goodness required a Samsung phone, or at the very least an Android one. But that’s changing: on Wednesday the Seoul, South Korea-based electronics maker launched a beta test of a Gear companion app for Apple’s iPhone.

It’s the iOS compatibility Samsung promised at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in January. Back then, the company was only to commit to a beta test “by the end of this year.” Subsequent, unsubstantiated reports suggested that integration would debut a lot sooner, in March, but the rumored windows came and went with nary a new development.

Recommended Videos

This appears to be the real deal, though: in a news release on its Korean press website, Samsung said the an iOS-compatible version of Gear Manager, the Gear app on Android, would launch in a limited capacity over the next few weeks.

The integration has long been in the works, apparently. In April, crafty developers were able to extract images from a beta Gear app for iOS capable of, among other tasks, delivering notifications to a Bluetooth-paired Gear smartwatch. It reportedly packed an app manager, too — it could manage and install Gear apps — and ran in the background when not in use, presumably so as to maintain a connection with the wearable.

Signing up for Samsung’s iOS beta is a relatively simple affair, but there’s a bit of a catch: testers must both (1) own an iPhone running iOS 8.4 or later, and (2) reside in South Korea. Proud owners of the Gear S2 and Gear Fit 2 who meet those criteria, though, can waltz right over to Samsung’s sign-up page.

The beta test is a bit more comprehensive than might have been expected. In addition to the standard issue Gear S2, Samsung is testing iOS connectivity of both the cellular variant of the Gear Fit 2 — that is to say, the model which connects to 3G networks — and the Gear Fit 2, its activity-tracking fitness band. That could lend credence to rumors that the company is laying the groundwork for future iOS integration down the line, but that’s likely remain the stuff of speculation … at least until the company’s August 31 press conference at IFA in Berlin.

The testing period ends on September 19, the firm has said. Assuming everything goes as planned, a public release will likely follow.

The Gear S2 won’t be the first third-party wearable to hit iOS. Pebble devices have long been compatible with both iOS and Android, and Android Wear, Google’s operating system for smartwatches, debuted on Apple’s platform last year. But better late than never, as they say.

Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
5 phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
A person taking the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge out of a pocket.

It's an undeniable fact that smartphones have gotten larger and larger over the years. Samsung is trying to turn back the years with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, a smartphone that embraces everything we love about modern phones, but tries to make it just that little bit more svelte. The result is a phone that's just 5.9mm thick, making other flagships look like lumbering brutes.

The Galaxy S25 Edge's slimness is going to mean compromises, of course — chiefly, the battery size is smaller than its competitors, and while the build is thinner, there's a worry that could make the phone easier to damage. All of this is pure supposition until we get chance to review the phone, of course, and if you're considering buying the S25 Edge, we'd recommend waiting until our final review until you make a decision. But that doesn't change the fact that there are a number of strong smartphones out there that can do the S25 Edge's job well, and sometimes, better. Here are five phones you should buy instead of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Read more
iOS 18.5 arrives as Apple edges closer to big iOS 19 reveal
The iOS 18.5 update waiting on an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple has released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the latest software updates for its iPhone and iPad models. As the version numbers suggest, Apple is gradually getting closer to the announcement of iOS 19, which will almost certainly be one of the main topics during its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote which takes place on June 9. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about iOS and iPadOS 18.5.

Apple iPhone and iPad owners can check their devices for the update now by opening the Settings app, tapping General, and then Software Update. If iOS 18.5 or iPadOS 18.5 is available, it’ll show up here and you only need to follow the instructions to install it. What will you find once it’s all up and running?This isn’t a big software update, so don’t expect to spot any major alterations. Likely the most obvious will be a new wallpaper in Apple’s 2025 Pride collection, which follows the recent release of a special Pride 2025-themed Sport Band for the Apple Watch. If you’re a parent and your child has an iPhone, you’ll receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used, provided both devices have iOS 18.5 installed. 

Read more
Your current iPhone battery could last longer with iOS 19, thanks to AI
iOS 19 leak renders with squircle icons.

Imagine downloading a software update for your current iPhone and the battery life getting extended. That could be a reality thanks to iOS 19.

According to a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, we can expect iOS 19 to leverage AI in such a way as to actually improve battery life efficiency on iPhone.

Read more