By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
San Francisco - Things are about to get a lot more interesting in the wearables game. Apple just introduced a bona fide WatchOS 2.0 framework for creating true Watch apps that can run indepenently of tethered iPhones. Giving developers the ability to create native Apple Watch apps can extend the device's functionality and use cases.
"We’re excited for developers to start building native apps for watchOS 2,” said Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of Technology. “We think Apple Watch users will love being able to see information from their favourite apps right on the watch face, and enjoy the many new experiences developers will dream up now that they have access to even more innovative features of Apple Watch.”
The Apple Watch, which has been shipping for a little over a month now, relies on apps to be installed to a paired iPhone. If these apps have a watch component, then this can be used to send notifications or offer glances or bite-sized interactions with the phone app via the Watch.
This has proven to be less than ideal, the processing has to take place on the iPhone and then the results are pushed to the Watch, which usually takes longer than simply completing a task on the iPhone. With WatchOS 2, the Watch will be able to run applications natively and mostly independently from a connected phone.
Watch App developers now have greater access to Watch hardware. WatchKit now gives them access to key hardware like the Digital Crown, Taptic Engine, heart rate sensor, accelerometer and microphone.
New software APIs enable audio and video playback and animation, and with the ClockKit framework developers can represent their data as complications on the watch face. This offers even more personalization and various convenient ways to push information to the Watch via faces or glances.
Another interesting feature called Time Travel allows users to use the Digital Crown to move back and forth in their 'history', this means they don't just have access to present information, they can look into the future and see what their appointments, apps and complications will be like anytime they want to look ahead.
With Mai on Apple Watchl, you can now respond quickly using dictation, Smart Replies or emoji. You can create multiple Friends screens, each of which can hold up to twelve friends, and new friends can be added directly on Apple Watch. Digital Touch lets you draw and send sketches with multiple colours on the same canvas, giving you more tools for creative sketches.
Additional watchOS 2 features include a Nightstand Mode that transforms Apple Watch into a bedside alarm clock, with the Digital Crown and side button serving as snooze and off buttons for the alarm;
The ability to use merchant rewards and store-issued credit and debit cards with Apple Pay, which can be added to Wallet, support for Transit in Maps.
Users can you view detailed transportation maps and schedules, including walking directions to the nearest stations with entrances and exits precisely mapped; workouts from third-party fitness apps contributing to your all-day Move and Exercise goals; using Siri to start specific workouts, launch Glances and reply to email; and an Activation Lock, which lets users secure their Apple Watch with their Apple ID, preventing another user from wiping or activating the device if it is lost or stolen.
Additional watchOS 2 features include:
Nightstand Mode that transforms Apple Watch into a bedside alarm clock, with the Digital Crown and side button serving as snooze and off buttons for the alarm;
the ability to use merchant rewards and store-issued credit and debit cards with Apple Pay*, which can be added to Wallet;
support for Transit in Maps, so you can view detailed transportation maps and schedules, including walking directions to the nearest stations with entrances and exits precisely mapped; workouts from third-party fitness apps contributing to your all-day Move and Exercise goals; using Siri to start specific workouts, launch Glances and reply to email; and
Activation Lock, which lets users secure their Apple Watch with their Apple ID, preventing another user from wiping or activating the device if it is lost or stolen.