Samsung Releases iOS Apps for its Gear Family of Smartwatches - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Samsung Releases iOS Apps for its Gear Family of Smartwatches

by

Samsung today announced the first iOS apps for its popular Gear family of smartwatches, which were previously only compatible with Android phones.

The Samsung Gear S app brings iPhone connectivity to the company's Gear 2 and Gear 3 wearables, while the Gear Fit app offers similar compatibility for Gear Fit2 watches. The apps allow device owners to monitor features and manage applications installed through the Gear appstore.

Samsung Gear

While features and functions will vary by device, iOS users will be able to enjoy the Samsung Gear S3's timeless and stylish design, IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as the built-in GPS, Alti/barometer and Speedometer apps.

It is available in two bold models – the Gear S3 frontier, which takes inspiration from the active explorer with a rugged design, as well as the Gear S3 classic, featuring an elegant style with the balance found on luxury timepieces. Users will also be able to track their fitness by monitoring distance and route traveled, running pace, calories burned and heart rate.

Apart from being able to manage apps on their Samsung Gear devices, users can also adjust individual app settings, control update notifications and enable/disable automatic updates, as well as use the Find my Gear feature for lost watches. Syncing health and fitness data with S Health is also supported, as are iPhone notifications on the wearables.

Samsung Gear S and Gear Fit apps are available as free downloads for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.

Top Rated Comments

127 months ago
The Samsung Gear S2 and S3 and especially the S3 Frontier is the best looking smartwatch in my opinion. I am a watch fanatic and I have old school mechanicals, mainly diver watches. To me (this is my opinion and yours may differ) round looks better. Granted, the rectangular shape of the Apple Watch is far more functional for a smartwatch, however as a watch guy that likes mechanical watches, rectangular is not attractive at all. Again, this is my preference.

I had a LG G Watch R connected to my iPhones, needless to say Android Wear on iOS sucks badly but it worked with many limitations. When connected to an Android device, it was as good as Android Wear can be, on iOS, it was way too limited.

The Samsung OS Tizen is also not the greatest, but when connected to iOS it is better than an Android Wear device connected to iOS. It is obvious that an Apple Watch connected to an Apple phone offers the best experience like an Android Wear device connected to an Android phone.

It is my opinion that if you want a round watch and you have an iPhone, the Samsung Gear S2 or S3 is the way to go. There are far more watch faces, you can also download the face making app and make your own. On Android Wear for iOS, you were stuck with the crappy ones they offered. There are more apps for Samsung on iOS than Android on iOS, there are not many but it is better. It's a compromise when you want a round watch and love iPhones, Samsung is the better of the two choices as of now in my opinion.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleFan91 Avatar
127 months ago
Always good to have compatibility, but only so much you can do when the other company only cares to close their customers in.
Omg, I love pointless apple-bashing on a pro-apple website, it's so hip and trendy Yo!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
127 months ago
Omg, I love pointless apple-bashing on a pro-apple website, it's so hip and trendy Yo!
Sadly more and more these days it's the actual apple fans that are being sarcastic and cynical , and for that don't blame them, blame Tim and his dream team who are raking in the big bucks while we look down the amazing product pipeline and see cobwebs ...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
127 months ago
Omg, I love pointless apple-bashing on a pro-apple website, it's so hip and trendy Yo!
It's really hard for some people to come to terms with the fact that Apple doesn't make the products they want anymore, and that they would be better served by going with one of Apple's competitors.

And then you have the people that have proudly sworn off Apple and stick around here to tell us how we're all sheep. Which is understandable, being that this is the internet.

Me personally, I think it's cool that Samsung now has a line of smartwatches that work on both major mobile operating systems.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sevanw Avatar
127 months ago
Always good to have compatibility, but only so much you can do when the other company only cares to close their customers in.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
127 months ago
It's really hard for some people to come to terms with the fact that Apple doesn't make the products they want anymore, and that they would be better served by going with one of Apple's competitors.

And then you have the people that have proudly sworn off Apple and stick around here to tell us how we're all sheep. Which is understandable, being that this is the internet.

Me personally, I think it's cool that Samsung now has a line of smartwatches that work on both major mobile operating systems.
That’s not the only thng that breeds dissatisfaction and you know it. Most dissatisfaction is from features being hobbled/removed while the price shoots up. It’s all well and good to say, Go buy a PC instead, but you’ve already made the investment and at Apple prices it’s a significant one. So you want those people to suddenly trash everything Apple in one fell swoop? People may be moving to other manufacturers but they still have some Apple gear, as far as I’m concerned that entitles them to gripe about it.
Another source is being left out in the cold, like having to take them to court to get a graphcis card problem simply acknowledged let alone fixed.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone duo cover glass

Apple to Pay $250 Per iPhone Duo Foldable Display in Samsung Deal

Friday September 11, 2026 3:10 am PDT by
Samsung Display has signed a three-year exclusive supply agreement with Apple to provide foldable display panels for the iPhone Duo and future models, reports Chinese leaker Instant Digital. The iPhone Duo is the first device on the market to feature Samsung's M16 OLED material set, said to bring improvements to brightness, color performance, lifespan, and power efficiency over previous OLED...
iphone duo hero

Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo

Wednesday September 9, 2026 1:28 pm PDT by
Samsung took to social media today to mock the iPhone Duo while Apple announced the device. In a series of sarcastic posts that did not explicitly mention Apple or the iPhone Duo, Samsung made comments like "Let us know when you're done reheating our leftovers" and "Was it exciting? No. Did it happen? Yes." Samsung used an #ItsTimeToSwitch hashtag in some of its posts. Launching on...
iphone duo hero

iPhone Duo is Dust-Tight With IP68 Rating, Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8

Wednesday September 9, 2026 5:46 pm PDT by
The iPhone Duo has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, beating Samsung and tying Google. Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold8 models have an IP48 dust and water resistance rating, which means they aren't able to hold up to dust as well. Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold also has an IP68 rating. IP6X for dust means the iPhone Duo is "dust-tight" and no dust is able to get in. The IPX8 rating for ...
Latest Stories
New iPhone Setting Lets Users Shake Off Motion-Sensing Ads
New iPhone Setting Lets Users Shake Off Motion-Sensing Ads
22 minutes ago
Apple Intelligence Taking up 30GB+ on Some Macs Running macOS 27
Apple Intelligence Taking up 30GB+ on Some Macs Running macOS 27
2 hours ago
New Mac Mini Has Two Storage Downsides, Including Unremovable SSD
New Mac Mini Has Two Storage Downsides, Including Unremovable SSD
9 hours ago
Apple Card Savings Account's Interest Rate Just Went Up
Apple Card Savings Account's Interest Rate Just Went Up
9 hours ago
Apple Releases First Public Betas of iOS 27.2 and macOS Golden Gate 27.2
Apple Releases First Public Betas of iOS 27.2 and macOS Golden Gate 27.2
13 hours ago
OpenAI's New GPT-6 Sol and Luna Models Bring Astra Improvements to Cheaper Tiers
OpenAI's New GPT-6 Sol and Luna Models Bring Astra Improvements to Cheaper Tiers
15 hours ago
Apple Park Visitor Center Just Lost an Attraction Offered Since 2017
Apple Park Visitor Center Just Lost an Attraction Offered Since 2017
17 hours ago
Shazam App for iPhone Updated With New Icon and iMessage Stickers
Shazam App for iPhone Updated With New Icon and iMessage Stickers
17 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 5.5 With Fable-Level Performance at a Lower Price
Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 5.5 With Fable-Level Performance at a Lower Price
17 hours ago
Apple Releases Firmware Update for Beats 360
Apple Releases Firmware Update for Beats 360
18 hours ago
Beats 360 Pre-Orders Open at Amazon With Cushion Kits on Sale, Plus More Beats Deals
Beats 360 Pre-Orders Open at Amazon With Cushion Kits on Sale, Plus More Beats Deals
19 hours ago
Apple Puts AirTag-Sized AI Pin on Hold
Apple Puts AirTag-Sized AI Pin on Hold
19 hours ago
Beats 360 Ear Cushion Kits Just $9.99 Each Until the End of October
Beats 360 Ear Cushion Kits Just $9.99 Each Until the End of October
19 hours ago
Apple Testing Prototypes of Whoop-Like Screenless Fitness Band
Apple Testing Prototypes of Whoop-Like Screenless Fitness Band
19 hours ago
Apple Will Soon Announce an All-New Operating System
Apple Will Soon Announce an All-New Operating System
20 hours ago
Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
20 hours ago
Apple's Smart Glasses to Enter a Rapidly Growing Market
Apple's Smart Glasses to Enter a Rapidly Growing Market
20 hours ago
Apple Event This October? These 7 New Products Expected Next Month
Apple Event This October? These 7 New Products Expected Next Month
21 hours ago
Beats 360 Deliver Customizability and a Revamped Over-Ear Headphone Design
Beats 360 Deliver Customizability and a Revamped Over-Ear Headphone Design
22 hours ago
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro, Save Up to $600 on Amazon
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro, Save Up to $600 on Amazon
23 hours ago
Apple Planning to Bring iPhone Duo Display Tech to Pro in 2029
Apple Planning to Bring iPhone Duo Display Tech to Pro in 2029
23 hours ago
Apple Announces 'Tap to Pay on iPhone' Availability in 8 More Countries
Apple Announces 'Tap to Pay on iPhone' Availability in 8 More Countries
23 hours ago
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Now Available for Same-Day Pickup at Apple Stores
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Now Available for Same-Day Pickup at Apple Stores
1 day ago
Apple Still Working on Anti-Snatching Feature That Locks Stolen iPhones
Apple Still Working on Anti-Snatching Feature That Locks Stolen iPhones
1 day ago
Apple Quietly Excludes Older iPhones From New Camera Feature
Apple Quietly Excludes Older iPhones From New Camera Feature
1 day ago
App Switcher Returns in watchOS 27.2 Beta With New Launch Gesture
App Switcher Returns in watchOS 27.2 Beta With New Launch Gesture
1 day ago
Apple Music Hall Spatial Audio Venue Opens in Battersea Power Station
Apple Music Hall Spatial Audio Venue Opens in Battersea Power Station
1 day ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Talks iPhone Duo Design, Siri AI, and Becoming CEO
Apple CEO John Ternus Talks iPhone Duo Design, Siri AI, and Becoming CEO
2 days ago
You Can No Longer Downgrade From iOS 27 to iOS 26
You Can No Longer Downgrade From iOS 27 to iOS 26
2 days ago
macOS 27.2 Beta Brings New Volume and Brightness Sliders
macOS 27.2 Beta Brings New Volume and Brightness Sliders
2 days ago