Apple is introducing a major update to the Apple Watch operating system. It adds support for new watch faces made from photos, photo albums, or even time-lapse images. There’s also a new night-stand mode that basically turns the watch into a digital clock when it’s charging on your nightstand overnight.

But the biggest change is support for native apps in WatchOS 2. This will let developers do things like bring sports scores, flight times, or other information to watch faces or create new types of apps that aren’t currently available for Apple’s first wearable device

w2_08

Right now when a developer creates an app for the Apple Watch using the first-generation of WatchKit, what they’re actually doing is creating apps that run on an iPhone and interact with the watch.

Native apps will run entirely on the watch itself and work even when your phone isn’t nearby. This lets them connect to known WiFi networks.

Apple says developers can now access features of the watch that weren’t previously available. That means Watch apps will be able to use the Apple Watch mic or speaker, display video, play audio through the speaker or Bluetooth, access the accelerometer, HomeKit, and HealthKit.

Developers can also now use the digital crown on the Apple Watch to let users do things like adjust the temperature of thermostat by dialing the crown forward or back.

WatchOS 2 also adds support for:

  • Facetime Audio
  • Digital Touch drawings with multiple colors
  • Easier adding of friends
  • Start a workout with Siri
  • Get transit directions from an iOS 9 device

A WatchOS 2 developer beta is available starting today, and it will be available as a free update for all Apple Watch users this fall.

 

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,547 other subscribers

One reply on “Apple Watch to support native apps this fall”

  1. The early-alpha dev software gets bumped to beta stage this fall. Well, it certainly doesn’t have the same ring to it…

Comments are closed.