Facebook debuts experimental Apple Watch app ‘Kit’ for robust Messenger communication

Facebook’s new product experimentation team has released a new Apple Watch app today called Kit, which is designed to easily let you “talk to your closest friends.” While Facebook Messenger already offers an Apple Watch app, the goal of Kit is to focus specifically on close contacts.

Kit, which stands for Keep in Touch, was released on the App Store today and first noted by TechCrunch. To get started with the app, you first scan the QR that appears on your Apple Watch to link it to your Facebook account. You can then pick which Messenger contact you want to communicate with through Kit.

All messages sent through Kit are sent over the Messenger service. There are a few different ways to send a message. You can send a voice recording itself, or you can use dictation to translate speech to text. You can also compose messages using the Apple Watch’s scribble input feature. There’s also support for sending emoji and even your current location.

Here are all of the features highlighted by Facebook, including rich notifications:

1. Onboarding: Log in by scanning a QR code on your watch, or by entering an access code at fb.com/devices.
2. Contact selection: Select a Messenger connection from your suggested and recent contacts with one click. Tap on “Change Contact” in the settings page to switch.
3. Sending a message: Send a message with one tap via audio recording, emoji, location sharing, scribble, or dictation input.
4. Receiving Messages: Swipe to see your contact’s messages on the right.
5. Notifications: Receive and respond to notifications from your top Messenger contact.

The Kit app is completely independent and runs only on Apple Watch. There is no iPhone companion app; instead, this appears to be Facebook’s way of experimenting with Apple Watch communication features. Kit is an extension of the Messenger experience, designed solely for Apple Watch.

You can download the Kit app for Apple Watch in the App Store for free. The app is still propagating, so if you don’t see it on your Apple Watch just yet, keep checking throughout the day.

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