HOW WE MADE THE REVIEW
If you are in digital space, you need to frequently talk about recent trends, and Apple Watch is one of such trends. So we’ll try to equip you with some selected apps, their UX peculiarities, and how Apple Watch apps influence behaviors. Once you think of developing the Apple Watch app for yourself, you’ll be already aware of patterns to keep in mind.
Actually, the idea for making a review of Apple Watch apps was born during the discussion of Decisionator.io, an app developed by Letzgro Apple Watch specialists and our partner Aericon. The app itself is rather simple, so we didn’t want to dedicate the whole post to it but rather make an overview of different apps from various categories and focus primarily on those which are especially functional on Apple Watch.
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Our strategy in making this review was to analyze the existing ratings, AppStore statistics and some of the apps we personally use every day. We excluded some super popular applications like Instagram and Twitter every Apple Watch owner probably uses anyway. The main goal was to find something interesting in every category and show you what you probably don’t have but should.
WEARABLES MARKET
According to AppAnnie analytics, the number of apps on Apple watch store has reached 11,469 in September compared to 7,567 in July. The market of wearables is clearly expanding, so we have decided to quickly go through Letzgro favourites among Apple Watch apps.
1Password
If you regularly get totally perplexed not being able to remember one of the many passwords, logins, credit card numbers, bicycle lock combinations and many other digits in your head, 1Password will be a real life-saver for you. This app will securely store all this data on your wrist and you can access it in no time without reaching out for your phone somewhere in your pocket.
Peak
This educational app has been developed in collaboration with the renowned neuroscientists and it helps you to train your memory, creativity, attention and other cognitive skills. The app features many engaging games divided into categories, so you can focus on challenging specific brain functions.
Evernote
Evernote has made their Apple Watch version rather usable, therefore, it’s one of the top AW apps virtually on every rating. You may keep all your daily tasks, lists and ideas on your wrist, dictate your thoughts and do voice search to get things done without putting in too much effort.
HealthMate
Needless to say that health apps have always come out the top in the portables world. HealthMate is definitely the winner among Apple lovers. This convenient tool will help you to measure your heart rate and blood pressure, track your activity and weight to stay fit and healthy.
Pandora
In just one glance at your wrist, you may see all your favourite songs and access them easily with this music app. Controlling the volume or changing the station has never been easier.
XE Currency
This great app for travellers provides exchange rates for more than 150 countries. It might help you avoid being fooled and also control your spendings more easily.
iTranslate
Language barriers are becoming smaller with the new advanced translation apps like this one. Although absolutely adequate translation from and into any language is still a dream, this app provides translation into more than 90 languages. Of course, tapping a text into Apple Watch is highly inconvenient, that’s why voice recognition software is available for this piece of technology.
Epicurious Smart Timer
Epicurious are well-known for their excellent cooking app with a wide range of recipes followed by step-by-step instructions. But recipes are long and it would be uncomfortable to read them on a tiny Apple Watch screen, wouldn’t it? That’s why Epicurious Apple Watch version is all about timing and cooking basics. The biggest benefit though is that you don’t need to look for your phone in all the kitchen mess.
Philips Hue
If you are as crazy about smart home technologies as we are, you’ve probably heard about Hue lights by Philips. Now it is possible to control the lighting system remotely right from your wrist with Apple Watch app. Mind you, it’s not only about instantly creating an unique atmosphere in your home, but also sustainable living and saving resources.
Decisionator.io
Developed by Aericon in cooperation with Letzgro, this app will help you to take decisions faster and easier. When it seems that both options are good enough, it’s time to flip the coin. If it’s a more complex dilemma, you may roll the dice and leave it all to chance. So good luck!
WHY HAVE AN APPLE WATCH APP
If you work in digital space, having an apple watch, and even better, designing an Apple Watch app for your iPhone app will be super beneficial. The reason is Apple Watch is being bought by innovators and early adopters (speaking in terms of diffusion of innovations), and they are the opinion shapers in modern tech-driven society. In his book ‘Diffusion of Innovations’ Everett Rogers describes how new technologies are adopted and, apparently, these groups are prone to taking risks and demonstrating opinion leadership. Now it’s high time to win the hearts of these guys and occupy the niche of Apple Watch apps.
EXPERT’S VIEW
Developing for Apple Watch is simpler than one might think. Taras Chernyshenko, our specialist in watchOS wearables was happy to give some tips to those planning to create an Apple Watch app: ‘Apple Watch has no native support for animations. All the animation is happening through the set of images coming in a sequence. Data transition between Apple Watch and iPhone is still not perfect. Apparently, using third-party library MMWormhole is the most convenient. Library ensures data and commands transmission between the device and Apple Watch and also supports CFNotificationCenter Darwin Notifications. On the other hand, applications for Apple Watch are faster and easier to develop, as their functionality is usually simpler than in iPhone apps. The market of watch apps is considerably smaller, so you can occupy your niche faster and easier’. So if you are considering having a mobile or Apple Watch app developed, and would like to go quickly through the stages of the process and budget estimate, get in touch with Taras and let our Apple Watch team help you weigh up all the pros and cons.
