An Apple Watch can now show calls, texts, and app notifications from a non-iPhone phone. Huawei’s newest HarmonyOS 7 phones link to it through a free watch app.
I think the app is pretty useless for most of us today, but it is an interesting step in a new direction. Specifically, phone makers have started building for Apple Watch so owners can switch phone brands without giving up their watch.
What the app does
Huawei announced Apple Watch and AirPods support at its HarmonyOS 7 launch on 7 September, according to IT Home and Mydrivers. The watch app appeared on China’s App Store a month later as HarmonyOS Interconnect, published by Thunder Software Technology (ThunderSoft).
According to Huawei’s support instructions, the 3rd party app does two things:
- Incoming calls, texts and notification summaries from the Huawei phone appear on the watch. You cannot answer a call from the watch.
- The Apple Watch can make the non-Apple phone ring at full volume, and the phone can do the same to the watch. It does not use Apple’s Find My network.
The watch app does all the work, much like a sports sensor app, which probably explains the dropouts early users report. Huawei’s phone compatibility notes list the Mate 90 series and two others, with more to come.
What it does not do
- Workouts, heart rate, sleep, and other health data don’t reach the Huawei phone. The watch stays paired to an iPhone, and that data still goes there, e.g. to Apple Health.
- It does not yet work reliably. At the time of writing, the watch app had 14 ratings averaging 1.5 out of 5, with reviewers describing dropped connections and messages that only arrive when the app is opened.
It suits someone who keeps an iPhone for health data but carries a Huawei phone and wants calls and messages on the wrist. Anyone who wants fitness, health or training data on the Huawei phone gets nothing.
The opposite of Garmin’s iPhone problem
Garmin and other watch makers have spent years asking Apple for iPhone features that only Apple Watch gets. In the EU, the Digital Markets Act has started to prise some of them open. I set out the missing smart features last year, and since then background sync, replies, and Live Activities have arrived, but only for EU owners.
Huawei has come from the other end, needing only App Store approval to put its own bridge on the watch. Garmin faces a similar problem on Huawei phones: its global app needs Google Play, and the native HarmonyOS version of Garmin Connect in China still lacks smart notifications, at least that’s the case according to Garmin China’s support page.
A strategic choice, and only a first step
Apple Watch is one of the things that keeps people on an iPhone. A phone maker that supports it removes one reason not to switch. Huawei released an app in November 2025 to swap files with iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and its watch and AirPods support extends the same idea to the devices people wear. Huawei has not described it as a strategy, so that is my reading.
Huawei is not alone. Vivo says its Apple Watch app for Android phones already sends workout, heart rate, and sleep data to its own health app so that other Android makers could follow suit.
Huawei’s next test is health and workout data. Until that arrives, an Apple Watch on a Huawei phone is a notification screen and a phone finder, and an athlete still needs an iPhone to train with it. The best Apple Watch for sport still assumes an iPhone, and Huawei’s own watches, such as the Watch Fit 5 Pro, remain the natural partner for a Huawei phone. The Huawei spec pages list the current range.
Take Out
As of today, if you want a Huawei smartphone, buy a Huawei Watch for a FAR richer experience than I’ve described here – most of the ones I’ve tested here are pretty good and tightly integrated with their branded phone.
Quick answers
Can an Apple Watch connect to a Huawei phone?
Yes, on a Pura X View, Mate 90 or Mate XT 2 running HarmonyOS 7.0.0.109 or later, with watchOS 10.0 or later on the watch. Install a free app on the watch and scan its QR code with your phone.
Do Apple Watch workouts sync to a Huawei phone?
No. Huawei’s instructions cover calls, texts, notifications and a ring-to-find feature only. Workouts and health data stay in Apple Health on the iPhone.
Can I answer calls on an Apple Watch paired with a Huawei phone?
No. Huawei says the watch shows incoming calls but cannot answer them.
Last Updated on 11 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Kineon MOVE+: Red light therapy for niggles. It works.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
