How to connect Apple Watch 4 to Android

Apple Watch Series 4 was the redesign that reset Apple Watch in 2018: a 30% larger display, the first FDA-cleared ECG sensor in any consumer wearable, fall detection, and the 40mm and 44mm sizes that became the template for every Apple Watch that followed. Apple built it exclusively for iPhone - Merge changes that. One iPhone activation session is all it takes; after that, Series 4 connects to your Android phone delivering Android notifications, health sync to Google Fit, and the Merge feature set to your wrist.

What Merge delivers

Series 4 pioneered ECG in a consumer wearable - and with Merge, every ECG reading you take on the watch syncs to the Merge app on your Android phone. Heart rate, sleep, steps, calories, and workouts sync to Google Fit and Health Connect.

Notifications from every app on your Android phone appear on your wrist in real time. You control which apps send alerts and can fine-tune the notification types per app - so your watch shows exactly what you want and nothing you don't. From the watch you can reply to messages and trigger quick actions without reaching for your phone. Music playback on your Android phone is controllable from the watch, and Find My lets you ring either device to locate it nearby.

The connection between Series 4 and your Android phone is end-to-end encrypted - it works over Bluetooth when the devices are nearby and continues over the internet when they're apart. Merge also manages a Smart Hotspot automatically, keeping the watch connected when it moves away from Wi-Fi without any manual hotspot switching on your part.

One-time iPhone activation

Every Apple Watch needs an iPhone for initial setup - it's how Apple handles Apple ID linking, software configuration, and App Store access on the watch. You do it once and don't need the iPhone afterward.

Series 4 runs up to watchOS 10, which requires an iPhone XS or later (or iPhone SE 3rd generation) running iOS 17 or later. Your own iPhone? The Watch app on your iPhone handles the whole flow. Borrowing someone's phone? Use Set Up for a Family Member in their Watch app, configure the watch with your Apple ID, and ensure both Apple IDs are in Family Sharing - you can create that group during setup. After activation, watchOS updates install directly on the watch via Settings - General - Software Update over Wi-Fi.

Installing Merge

Both apps need to be in place before you start pairing.

1. Open Google Play on your Android phone, search for Merge Watch, and install it.
2. On your Apple Watch, open the App Store, search for Merge Watch, and install it.

Pairing Series 4 to Android

Keep phone and watch within a couple of feet of each other throughout.

1. Open Merge on your Android phone and grant every permission it requests.
2. With the Android app still open, open Merge on your Apple Watch and approve the Bluetooth permission prompt.
3. Your Android phone should appear on the watch screen - tap it.
4. A PIN code will appear on your Apple Watch - type it into your Android phone. Pairing completes in a few seconds.
5. Set up your Merge subscription via the Android app if prompted.
6. On your Apple Watch, grant notification access and health permissions when asked.
7. On your Android phone, approve the health permissions prompt as well.

Day-to-day with Series 4 on Android

ECG is what Series 4 pioneered - the first FDA-cleared electrocardiogram in any consumer wearable - and every reading you take syncs to the Merge app on your Android phone. Fall detection, the other safety feature Series 4 introduced, runs entirely on the watch regardless of which phone is paired. The 40mm and 44mm sizes this model established became Apple's template for every generation that followed, so the dimensions feel considered and balanced even years after launch. Notification delivery runs reliably, health data moves to Google Fit and Health Connect in the background, and Merge holds the connection over the internet when the devices aren't in Bluetooth range of each other.