Vivo has teased that its upcoming X Fold 5 will be the first Android phone to support the Apple Watch – but we’re from convinced.
In a teaser on its Weibo channel, Chinese phone maker Vivo has said the upcoming foldable would enable users to answer calls, read texts and sync health data on a connected Apple Watch.
The teaser suggests the Apple Watch will also be able to display notifications from the X Fold 5 and sync health data to the Vivo health app.
However, it’s not clear how this connection will work. Apple has always been very strict about its smartwatch not pairing with Android devices, and it seems very unlikely that Apple is specifically allowing this niche foldable Android phone to be the first Apple Watch-compatible device.
Vivo may be taking advantage of the iOS and macOS integrations we’ve seen in recent releases from other brands to allow an app workaround that routes the data through an iPhone.
However, nothing has been confirmed, and we’re suitably confused about whether this whole process will work reliably. We’d also wonder whether it’s something Apple would step in to stop it working, if it were to become a viable product.
Vivo’s announcement is pretty exciting nevertheless, and we’re looking forward to seeing the high end specs on offer from the X Fold 5. Android Authority has also reported that the phone could support iCloud services, and even be used as an extended screen for your Mac.
Given Apple’s tight control over its ecosystem, it’s possible this integration might not hold up against future software updates from Apple. Apple launched watchOS 26 at WWDC this week, with elements of the Liquid Glass design seen inside iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
We’ll have to wait and see, but we wouldn’t turn down the chance to use the Apple Watch with what could be one of the best foldable phones of 2025.
Opinion
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to read this story the week of WWDC – and I still can’t quite imagine how it would work. I would assume that if it was to work in some way, it would be a janky workaroud that could be easily stopped by Apple at any time.
