Developer pairs an Apple Watch Ultra 2 with Android, no iPhone needed, but you’ll have to root your phone

An open-source project can now pair and activate an Apple Watch on an Android phone without an iPhone involved at any point. Android Authority reports that a developer got an Apple Watch Ultra 2 working directly with an Android handset, which is the part earlier workarounds never managed. The catch is that it’s a proof of concept: it needs a rooted phone, and it has only been confirmed on one device.

What the project does

The tool is called Apple Watch Companion and is hosted on GitHub. It came to wider attention through a post on X from the account @0x0SojalSec, which describes it as AI-assisted reverse engineering and says pairing, basic management and interface control already work, but full feature parity isn’t there yet.

AI reverse engineering, Now you can now pair an Apple Watch Ultra-2 with Android.

This open-source tool connect an Apple Watch to Android devices instead of being locked to iPhone.

– and manage parts of the watch from a non-Apple phone.

– Android version currently requires Root… pic.twitter.com/6ogfP5qcje

— Md Ismail Šojal (@0x0SojalSec) October 14, 2026

According to Android Authority, once the watch is paired you can check battery information, manage watch faces and change certain settings from the Android side. That’s a long way from the everyday Apple Watch experience, because calling and health data integration are among the features still missing or incomplete.

The catch: root, one phone, one watch

The requirements are steep. Android Authority says you need a rooted phone running Magisk, and the developer has only verified the software on a OnePlus 13 paired with an Apple Watch Ultra 2 on watchOS 26.2. Anyone with a different phone or watch is in untested territory, so a Galaxy or Pixel owner shouldn’t expect the same result.

How it differs from earlier workarounds

This isn’t the first attempt to loosen Apple’s grip. Android Authority notes that Chinese phone makers including HUAWEI and vivo have built their own Apple Watch support, and that Xiaomi has also been getting involved. All of those still need an iPhone to set the watch up first. The same goes for the Merge Watch app, which Engadget covered in September : you first activate the watch with an iPhone, then install Merge on both the watch and the Android phone. Skipping the iPhone entirely is what sets this project apart.

For now, it’s one for tinkerers. We wouldn’t buy an Apple Watch for an Android phone on the strength of it, and we’d keep any rooting experiments off the phone you rely on daily. Whether the developer closes the gaps on calling and health data, or other phones get verified, will decide if it grows into something more than a demo.

Do I need an iPhone to set up an Apple Watch with this tool? No. According to Android Authority, the project can pair and activate the watch without one. Huawei, vivo and Xiaomi’s solutions, by contrast, still need an iPhone for the initial setup.

Will it work on my Samsung or Pixel phone? It’s unconfirmed. Android Authority says the developer has only verified it on a OnePlus 13 with an Apple Watch Ultra 2 running watchOS 26.2, and the project needs a rooted phone with Magisk.

Can I take calls or sync health data on the watch through Android? Not yet. Android Authority lists calling and health data integration among the features that are missing or incomplete.