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Apple will require all new Apple Watch apps to use the native SDK from June 1

Apple has announced that it is ending support for the original watchOS SDK and original Apple Watch 1.0 apps, which required a phone to even open. From June 1st, Apple will require developers of new Apple Watch apps to use the native SDK, which came with watchOS 2. The requirement was posted on the Apple Developer news page last night.

A major criticism of Apple Watch is that it is not fast enough, with apps often sluggish to open and respond to user input. Native watchOS 2 apps are significantly faster than the old-style of apps where all computation happened on the paired iPhone, with data streamed to the Watch over-the-air. Apple’s new requirement will ensure a minimum standard for Watch apps going forward.

June 1st is just a fortnight away from Apple’s next WWDC developer conference, where it is expected to unveil watchOS 3 alongside iOS 10, OS X 10.12 (macOS?), and more. Effectively, this means the watchOS 1.0 SDK will be EOL in the timespan of two system updates.

Although the reasoning to keep Watch apps modern is sound, it is still a very short time window for Apple to terminate public APIs. It seems watchOS 1.0 was very much a short-term stop-gap.

Apple’s plans to encourage everyone to make native apps may align with an upcoming hardware Apple Watch refresh, Apple Watch 2. Rumors expect the new hardware to launch later in the year and it is likely to take advantage of watchOS 3 technologies. At least one analyst has indicated Apple could unveil new Watch hardware at WWDC, although this belief is unsubstantiated from other sources.

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Comments

  1. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    Besides speed improvements I hope this helps Apple make the Apple Watch a standalone device, that doesn’t have to be constantly wirelessly smtehthered to an iPhone.

    I wonder how long Apple will continue to support the legacy iPhone apps that support support Apple Watch. Hopefully Apple makes a hard push for native Apple Watch apps and get developers do update the non native apps.

    • vanilla199 - 8 years ago

      My guess is you’re probably going to have to wait a bit longer for that one. This update will surely just be a speed boost (maybe slight thinning), the next to be a redesign, and then potentially following that we will get the standalone device, with GPS so that it can actually act on it’s own more easily.

      • ipedro1979 - 8 years ago

        The second generation of new Apple devices are usually a major advancement over the pilot device before it settles into the tick tock of “S” versions and redesigns.
        The iPad 2 was a huge leap forward and a completely different design, significantly thinner and faster.
        The iPhone 3G was much better than the first iPhone and had a major redesign not just a small polish.
        That AppleWatch 2 hasn’t been announced a year after the first is a sign that they’re following that pattern and the second gen Watch is going to be a major revision and all new design.

  2. Alex Moran - 8 years ago

    Apps are not truly native on the watch right now. Hence still runs like shit

    • therazorpit - 8 years ago

      As a new adopter of the watch I was wondering why some simple apps were so slow to load and I kept getting the spinny dots thing. I thought everything was running native now so this all makes sense now.

  3. William - 8 years ago

    “Native watchOS 2 apps are significantly faster..”

    I have to say i didn’t find that to be true – the whole ‘loading’ dials stuff on my watch drove me to teh point if selling my SS classic leather watch. It’s the first apple product i’ve not been in love with and it drove me insane waiting about and disastrously sluggish loading of apps – native ones included.

    • ipedro1979 - 8 years ago

      Like every other operating system, developers have to know its limitations and design around them. There are plenty of great apps on Apple Watch that when they went native, launch immediately as they should on a wrist worn device.
      Hopefully by the next generation Watch, developers will learn how to write apps that are specific to the wrist and instant. They’ll be aided by a faster processor next time around.

      • William - 8 years ago

        The other issue appears to be the speed of the data – that has to be downloaded – getting from phone. The app may be native but – like maps – if it takes an age – to get the data via the phone – it still stays slow

  4. gradly - 8 years ago

    As a user, I actually didn’t feel a difference between the old or the so called native apps later on, all the apps are solow and sluggish even the Appe stock app stuttering when you use them and I mainly use fitness apps. I hope second gen watches will get at least double performance/speed and half response time/delay

    • ipedro1979 - 8 years ago

      I felt it in apps that were rebuilt from scratch for WatchOS 2 SDK. Things by Cultured Code is one of them. There was a sigifnicant bump in performance. It loads instantly now.
      Other devs just clumsily ported their iPhone apps to the Watch which of course isn’t nearly as capable.

      • William - 8 years ago

        Well, apple’s own apps aren’t exactly speedy. I haven’t had a watch for 2 months now so may be it magically speed up but I felt like i wasted 799 euros on a wrist brick

  5. vkd108 - 8 years ago

    It has recently been reported that not a single person who was in their right mind has bought an Apple Watch.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.