In Synergistic Turn, Samsung Says Smartwatch Will Work With Apple’s iOS

*Alanna Cotton, vice president of Samsung Electronics, presents the Gear S2 Classic watch at a news conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday.Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images *

(Wall Street Journal) Samsung SSNHZ 0.00%Electronics Co. said it would make its latest smartwatch compatible with rival Apple Inc.AAPL -1.96%’s operating system, marking the latest wrinkle in a complex relationship between the world’s two biggest smartphone makers.

The announcement by Samsung, made in a one-sentence remark at the end of an hour-long presentation on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, underscores the delicate dance between the two giants, which both want to expand in the fledgling smartwatch market—while staking out a leading position for their respective platforms.

Samsung Vice President Alanna Cottonsaid that the smartwatch, which the company released last fall to positive reviews, would be compatible with Apple’s iOS operating system for phones and other devices. She didn’t elaborate on exactly how its smartwatch would be compatible with iOS, and a spokesman didn’t reply to requests for comment.

Samsung’s newest smartwatch, the Gear S2, is powered by its homegrown Tizen operating system, which is itself an alternative to platforms controlled by Apple and Alphabet Inc. GOOGL -0.29%’s Google.

Samsung began loading Tizen onto all of its connected televisions last year, and sold more than 1 million Tizen smartphones, many of them low-price models aimed at the Indian market, last year. The company said it is committed to promoting Tizen as a platform for an array of connected devices.

But with its announcement of compatibility with iOS, Samsung appears to besignalinga more inclusive approach on smartwatches, a nascent product category that needs to reach as many potential consumers as possible as it seeks to make inroads into the mainstream.

It is also a sign that smartwatches are increasingly being seen as accessories—companion devices to smartphones that need to work with a broad array of platforms, not true computing devices that are a platform in and of themselves.

Google said last year all of its Android Wear watches would work with both Android phones and iPhones.

Samsung’s announcement likely didn’t require the cooperation of Apple, whichallows rivals to create software apps to work with its devices. If Samsung wanted to create an app—which is how other wearable makers like Fitbit Inc.FIT-5.76% makes its devices compatible with the company’s iOS software—Apple would still need to approve it. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif.-based company declined to comment.

Samsung and Apple are both rivals and partners. The two companies’ flagship smartphones compete directly with one another, and their long-running patent dispute may be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But Apple’s iPhones also contain many key components manufactured by Samsung, and the companies’ top executives talk frequently.

Samsung has played nice with competitors before. After a patent feud last year with Microsoft Corp.MSFT-1.82%, the South Korean company settled with the Redmond, Wash.-based firm and began pre-loading its Office apps on Samsung smartphones.

AtTuesday’sevent, Samsung touted Windows 10, adding that “partnering with Microsoft was a clear choice” when developing its new tablet.