(Credit: Eric Zeman/PCMag)
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Apple may be working on improving iPhone support for third-party smartwatches, Macworld reports, citing the iOS 26.1 beta 1 code.
The latest code mentions a new feature called Notification Forwarding. It can be used to forward notifications from your iPhone to a third-party device or accessory and needs to be enabled from Settings. A string in the code says notifications can only be forwarded to "one accessory at a time," and that accessory can't be the Apple Watch.
The code also mentions a new framework called "AccessoryExtension." Though incomplete, the framework could hint at improved pairing for third-party devices, Macworld reports.
It's no secret that the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) is forcing Apple to open up its devices and services to third-party providers. Last year, after a long-drawn battle, it was compelled to allow third-party app marketplaces on iPhones for the first time.
Earlier this year, in an order explaining the extended implementation of the DMA, the EU also asked Apple to make some of its iOS features—such as notifications, AirPlay, AirDrop, and proximity-triggered pairing for Apple Watch and AirPods, among others—available for third-party devices.
The deadline for iOS notifications and instant pairing is set for June 1, 2026, while AirDrop and AirPlay have a deadline at the end of next year. However, since improved interoperability has already been hinted in iOS 26 code, some of those changes may arrive soon. Don't expect it with iOS 26.1, though, Macworld notes, adding that Apple might need some more time to finish work on the new framework.
Improved interoperability may be intended for users in the EU, but there's a small possibility that Apple might implement it for users elsewhere as well. Case in point: The USB-C port was mandatory only for iPhones sold in the EU, but Apple made it standard on all iPhones starting with the iPhone 15.
If the extended support does arrive, pairing a Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch with an iPhone (without workarounds) might become possible.