Apple was hit with a major antitrust lawsuit filed by the DOJ on Thursday. The iPhone maker was accused of creating a monopoly with the iPhone, but other devices were mentioned including the Apple Watch. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says the smartwatch made it hard to use the Apple Watch on a non-iPhone, but it appears that Apple did try to give it a shot.
Apple spent three years looking to add Android support to the Apple Watch, according to a report from 9to5Mac on Thursday. The company cited “technical limitations” as the reason it didn’t happen.
The DOJ, along with 17 state and district attorneys general, allege Apple is monopolizing the smartphone markets, and the Apple Watch was one of multiple examples of the company’s business practices that violated antitrust laws. Other examples included the 30% App Store fee, the dreaded green bubble text in iMessage given to Android users, and the sharing of personal information when using Apple Wallet.
Apple has since responded to the lawsuit saying the suit is wrong in the facts and the law.
This suit is a major legal action against Apple here in the U.S., but in the European Union, the iPhone maker has been hammered with regulations. From making its devices support USB-C instead of Lightning cables to adding support for third-party app stores on Apple devices. But don’t expect any major changes to happen for a long time as this lawsuit plays out in the courts.
Even without Android support for the Apple Watch, Google has tried to make the most of it with its lines of wearable tech. It has the Pixel Watch, which is faring better with the release of the Pixel Watch 2. Google also has the Fitbit line of wearable devices. Fitbit will even begin to incorporate AI into the device to give users health and fitness tips.