KeepMyWatchUsing an Apple Watch without an iPhone
Short answer
Partly. An Apple Watch has to be set up with an iPhone, and a new or reset watch needs one again. After that the watch runs on its own over Wi-Fi or cellular, and with KeepMyWatch it gets your Android phone’s notifications and calls while the iPhone stays switched off.
What still needs an iPhone
- Setting up a new or reset watch. Apple’s guide to setting up Apple Watch starts with an iPhone, and there is no Android version of the Watch app. Borrowing an iPhone for a few minutes is enough.
- Settings that live only in the iPhone’s Watch app.
What the watch does on its own
Apple explains what a watch can do without its iPhone nearby: on Wi-Fi or cellular it keeps running its own apps and getting their notifications. A watch app can use that to receive your Android phone’s notifications over the internet.
With KeepMyWatch, iPhone switched off
Tried on a Series 9 with the old iPhone fully switched off, and a Samsung Galaxy S26 or S24 as the phone:
| What | With the iPhone off |
|---|---|
| Notifications from every app on the Android phone | Works |
| Reply (apps that offer a reply, such as WhatsApp) | Works |
| Phone and WhatsApp calls | Shown, with Decline |
| Find my phone | Works |
| Music on the phone | Works |
Limits to know
- The watch needs Wi-Fi or cellular. A Wi-Fi watch can use your phone’s hotspot when you’re out (see the hotspot guide).
- Low Power Mode on the watch turns Wi-Fi and cellular off, so notifications pause until it’s back to normal.
- No root needed. Some projects pair a watch with a rooted Android phone; KeepMyWatch installs from Google Play and from the App Store on the watch.