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Phone Setup

ZSWatch supports both Android and iOS. The setup differs depending on your platform.

Android​

GadgetBridge is a mature, open-source Android app that works with ZSWatch and many other smartwatches.

Install GadgetBridge​

Download GadgetBridge (Bangle.js version) from:

Not recommended: Original Gadgetbridge also works, but then internet access from the watch is not supported.

Add the Watch​

  1. On ZSWatch, go to Settings → Bluetooth and enable Pairable.
  2. Open GadgetBridge on your phone.
  3. Go to Settings → Discover and pair options.
  4. Enable Discover unsupported devices and set Scanning intensity to maximum.
  5. Go back to the main screen and press the + (plus) button.
  6. GadgetBridge will scan. You should see a device called ZSWatch.
  7. Long press on it.
  8. In the dropdown, select Bangle.js as the device type and press OK.

Pair​

  1. Tap the newly added device in GadgetBridge to start pairing.
  2. A Popup should be seen on ZSWatch that it was paired.
  3. The watch icon in GadgetBridge should now indicate ZSWatch is connected.
Weather​

If you are not using the Bangle.js version of GadgetBridge, you need to configure weather manually; follow the GadgetBridge Weather Wiki for setup. GadgetBridge Weather Wiki

Troubleshooting​

TBD

Option 2: ZSWatch Companion App​

The ZSWatch Companion App is an open-source Flutter app built specifically for ZSWatch. It provides notifications, music control, firmware updates, health tracking, and developer tools.

Download it from Google Play (requires an invite, everyone who bought a DevKit with a Google account email has been added). If you need access, reach out on Discord or email mail@zswatch.dev.

note

The Android companion app may have issues keeping the BLE connection alive in the background on some devices. If you experience this, use GadgetBridge instead and let us know.

See the Companion App page for full details and setup instructions.

iOS​

The official ZSWatch Companion App is available on the App Store and is the recommended way to use ZSWatch with an iPhone. It provides firmware updates, developer tools, and more.

On iOS, notification forwarding and media control are handled automatically by the watch using Apple ANCS/AMS.

Download it from the App Store, then see the Companion App page for setup details.

Pairing (without the companion app)​

On iOS, ZSWatch uses Apple's ANCS (notifications) and AMS (media control) services directly. No companion app is required.

Pair​

  1. On ZSWatch, go to Settings → Bluetooth and enable Pairable.
  2. On your iPhone, open the nRF Connect app (free, from the App Store).
  3. Scan for devices and connect to ZSWatch.
  4. Press Bond in the nRF Connect app.
  5. Accept the pairing request on both devices.

Once paired, notifications and media control work automatically through the system BLE services.

note

We are working on making ZSWatch appear directly in the iOS Bluetooth settings so that nRF Connect will not be needed for pairing in the future.

Troubleshooting​

TBD