The Apple Watch could soon be rid of the iPhone for good

If you buy an Apple Watch today you pair it with an iPhone, sync it with an iPhone, and it's forever attached to that iPhone and no other. That could all be about to change when Apple releases watchOS 10 later this year.

That's according to a new report by Twitter leaker @analyst941 which suggests that there are big changes coming to the Apple Watch. In particular, the report claims that the Apple Watch will soon sync with multiple devices at once, removing the one-iPhone limit. And that's just the start.

According to the leaker, who rose to prominence last year when they shared details about the iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island before it was announced, the Apple Watch will soon connect to iPads and Macs for the very first time. That would be quite the departure for Apple whose Apple Watches have long been linked to one, and only one, iPhone.

Being able to pair an Apple Watch with a Mac or iPad would presumably mean some version of the Watch app also being rolled out for those devices. That would be needed to not only handle the initial setup of the Apple Watch but also the ability to configure it, install apps and watch faces, and more.

All of this is unlikely to require new hardware but would rather be part of the watchOS 10, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 software updates that are expected to be released to the public this September or October. Those updates are set to be announced during the WWDC23 opening keynote on 5 June so we should hear more about this change then, assuming the report is accurate.

This kind of big change is something that would be befitting of a tenth-year software update. It would also potentially allow Apple to sell Apple Watches to people who don't own an iPhone - all they would need is an Apple device of some sort, whether that's an iPad mini, MacBook Air, or anything else in the lineup.

2023 is already shaping up to be a very big year for Apple. WWDC23 is also expected to see the unveiling of the much-rumored AR/VR headset, thought to be called Reality Pro. That won't ship until later this year however, possibly around the same time that Apple also announces and then releases the entire iPhone 15 lineup. Beyond that, a new Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra, and Apple Watch SE could also be in the cards.