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Apple Watch iPhone ‘Companion’ app revealed w/ new Watch features, monograms

Yesterday, we reported that the latest iOS 8.2 beta reveals that an Apple Watch application for the iPhone is in the works. Now, we have some more details. Within Apple, the application is currently called the Apple Watch “Companion” app for iPhone. This application manages settings for Apple Watch applications, as well as settings for iPhone/Watch interactivity. The Companion app’s settings reveal some novel new functions that are coming to the Apple Watch. Below, we highlight some of the most interesting new features and settings.

 

Home Screen: 

  • Users will be able to manage and organize applications on the Apple Watch Home Screen via a virtual view on the iPhone Companion application.

Clock Functions:

  • A new clock face feature called Monogram has been added as a complication (a background detail you can choose to enable or disable). Like a real monogram, this feature will allow users to include a virtual, embedded stamp of 1-4 letters – typically your initials – directly on the clock face. This is an interesting customization, giving you the chance to make your watch look more individually designed.
  • Users will also be able to enable a subtle red dot that appears atop the Apple Watch’s clock face whenever a new notification is received on your iPhone.
  • You can choose a stock to track via a watch face complication, seeing either its current price, point change, percentage change, or market cap. The same stock will appear in Glances, as well.

Messages:

  • Lacking a keyboard, the Apple Watch will allow users to respond to messages via voice. As Apple has previously detailed, users can respond via either transcribed dictation or actual audio messages. The app can switch between Dictation or Audio Replies as the default mechanism for replying to text messages. You can also choose to use either form of reply at the time of the individual message.
  • Users will be able enable or disable Read Receipts, just like on the Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
  • Users will also be able to set up and manage default text replies for incoming text messages.
  • Users will also be able to choose to not receive text message alerts or just to receive them from people in their contacts list. Like on the iPhone, you can also choose how many alerts you get per individual incoming message.

Maps:

  • Users will be able to enable or disable Taptic Engine tapping of the user’s wrist when it is time to turn for turn-by-turn directions.

Accessibility:

  • Like Apple’s other products, Apple Watch will have a series of key accessibility features.
  • To access Accessibility Settings on the fly, users will triple-click the Digital Crown.
  • The Apple Watch will have a VoiceOver feature that can speak text that is displayed on the screen. Users will be able to scroll through text to be spoken using two fingers. VoiceOver can be enabled either by merely raising a wrist or by double tapping the display.
  • Users will also be able to zoom on the Apple Watch’s screen: double tap with two fingers to zoom, use two fingers to pan around, and double tap while dragging to adjust the zoom.
  • There will also be accessibility settings to reduce motion, control stereo audio balance, reduce transparency, switch to grayscale mode, disable system animations, and enable bold text.

IMG_2193

Passcode:

  • Like on the iPhone, you will be able to set up a dedicated four number passcode for your Apple Watch.
  • The passcode system is required to use Apple Pay; you can only make Apple Pay payments if you’ve entered the passcode after putting the watch on your wrist. If you remove or change your passcode, you will need to re-enter the details for your Apple Pay credit cards.
  • Users will also be able to unlock the Apple Watch by unlocking the connected iPhone, possibly for people who want to use lengthier passcodes. This feature will only work if the Apple Watch is attached to your body.
  • There will be an option for the Apple Watch to wipe its own data if its passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times.

Activity, Motion & Fitness: 

  • The Companion app will let you activate granular fitness features such as stand reminders when you’ve been sitting, activity progress every 4/6/8 hours, completion of move/exercise/stand goals, achievements, and Monday summaries of movement.
  • You can separately activate or deactivate heart rate tracking to automatically calculate calories burned, as well as tracking of your body movements to determine step counts and fitness level.

About Screen: 

  • Within the Companion app, the About Screen for the Apple Watch will show storage capacity, the number of songs stored on the device, the number of photos stored on the device, the number of apps on the Watch, and device serial number, Bluetooth, and WiFi details. This confirms that the Watch will have usable storage space. Apple has previously said that users can store music on the device itself, though photos were not explicitly mentioned in much detail aside from saying favorited photos will appear.

A gallery of additional screenshots, based on a software mechanism developed by Steven Troughton-Smith that runs the Companion app on an iPhone, spotlights other features. The user interface of the application will likely change by launch, but these images do portray the current interface in testing in addition to the more important feature set.

The Apple Watch was first announced in September alongside the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Pay. Apple has only said it will ship in “early 2015,” but sources with knowledge of the company’s plans have said that the Watch is currently on track to ship in March. It is likely that the Apple Watch Companion app for iPhone will ship alongside the Watch and iOS 8.2 in March.

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Comments

  1. jjduf18 - 9 years ago

    I think Gurman’s source is Tim Cook

  2. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    I love the placeholders for the round icons. It looks like what you see when you take the face of a watch off.

  3. Cameron Scott - 9 years ago

    So more bloat-ware forced apps on the iPhone? As if the iOS is not a big enough file eating into the storage space as it is…..

    • heelturn31 - 9 years ago

      That was exactly my first thought. Just another app to put in my “unused” folder.

    • What? Where are you reading that the Companion app is part of the OS? How is this “bloatware”?

    • Avenged110 - 9 years ago

      It may be hidden akin to how the Nike+ app currently is.

      • Mike Beasley - 9 years ago

        Yeah, the Nike+ app is so hidden that it got completely removed from iOS.

      • Avenged110 - 9 years ago

        @Mike, oh, I’m still on iOS 6 so I was just assuming.

    • acslater017 - 9 years ago

      Just what are you complaining about? iOS 8 may need a chunk of space to install OTA, but it’s not because of bloatware. The large Apple iLife apps are all optional. Things like Passbook and Health are 10 and 15 MB.

      • TechSHIZZLE.com - 9 years ago

        Quit with that logic-talk.

      • David  (@idoodler) - 9 years ago

        True but apple could clean up their frameworks, they still contain a lot of iOS 6 Artwork, i think its useless to store iBooks, Tips and Podcast in the /Application directory. They are shipped as native apps like Settings or the Musik app. Apple really could make those optional again!

    • David  (@idoodler) - 9 years ago

      I was not able to find any evidence of a native Watch app in the current iOS 8.2 Beta 4 filesystem. But just like Apple added the Tips app in their release version of iOS I am sure that Apple is adding the Watch app in their final or GM release of iOS 8.2, so its a “surprise” for everyone:)

    • atokosch - 9 years ago

      It’s most likely going to be an app that is downloaded from the App Store. This is what Android did. Apple knows not everyone will have an Apple Watch so they won’t have the app already on the device. It may be on there but it will probably be able to be deleted if so like iLife apps. I understand that the settings for it are in the iPhone settings but once the beta period is over it may be enabled once the app is downloaded or it may just be on there and you can’t do anything with it until a watch is registered to the phone or something. Lines of code in the software for the watch won’t take up much space since it’s not in an app. But we’ll have to see.

  4. Michael Doherty - 9 years ago

    Its funny because on the UK website it says coming 2015, on the american website, it says coming early 2015….

  5. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    Awesome scoop. Typically great job by Mr. Gurman.

  6. jonpodner01 - 9 years ago

    Do you think I would be able to use this app and the Apple Watch with my iPod touch 5?

    • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

      Apple.com says the Apple Watch requires an iPhone 5 or later. No mentions of iPods or iPads so it is unlikely you will be able to.

      • jedimindtrick99 - 9 years ago

        And now they usher in nexgen iPod, the only iPod to sync with Apple watch, that will keep iPods selling if they discontinued the others completely, except Make a hybrid shuffle/nano, tactile buttons plus 2″ screen kind of like homage to the ‘classic’
        Just wishful thinking, I come in peace…

      • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

        That is definitely a possibility

    • iPods are dead my friend. The iPhone killed it. How will you get updates on your watch while walking down the street if your iPod is WIFI only? It’s just not feasible for most people anymore. I love the nostalgia and the simplicity of the iPod but its days are numbered.

  7. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    Great details here. Typically fantastic piece by Mr. Gurman. Looking forward to getting myself an Apple Watch.

  8. charismatron - 9 years ago

    Mac Observer has someone writing on the Apple Watch just about every single day and not once has this particular author scooped anything like this. It’s nice to finally see something of substance on the forthcoming product from Apple than the endless speculation (and what reads a lot as mental masturbation) going on over at M.O.

  9. Great article Mark.

  10. jedimindtrick99 - 9 years ago

    Apple is gonna kill the competition, then gen 2 is gonna perfect it
    I have vowed to get this watch ever since it was rumored

  11. acslater017 - 9 years ago

    I’m curious about the home screen layout. Are you free to move the apps wherever you want, or must they “attach” to each other and form continuous branches?

    • markpetereit - 9 years ago

      Playing with the companion app, it looks like it’s always going to “gather” the apps around the clock app in the center, so no “branches”.

  12. DubDJ - 9 years ago

    Another great article, the reason why 9To5 is my main source for Apple news. Can’t wait for the Apple Watch, I’ll start saving my penny’s now so I can pay for it. Let’s hope Ireland, where I’m from, gets it pretty close to launch date, the wait will be painful for this one.

  13. bloodymerzkizzoid - 9 years ago

    Mark “D’ Source” Gurman

  14. 王翠平 (@yiranshamo) - 9 years ago

    It’s awesome!

  15. Nitesh Mhatre - 9 years ago

    Nice article
    good work

  16. Ward Mundy (@NerdUno) - 9 years ago

    Can’t wait for people to start driving around tapping and reading their Apple watches. Talk about Nightmare on the Streets. Just wait.

  17. Great article! It has a great design. Functionality, Nothing sets this apart from the other watches other than looks. Apple is not doing anything different in terms of Functionality. I expected more than Android or Galaxy.

    • How many Android or Galaxy or even other Smartwatches have a heart rate monitor like Apples? The Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge and Charge HR, whatever Samsung has going on (which is run on Tizen btw) are about the only ones out there, at least the only ones worth mentioning as competition for the Apple Watch. And then you add in the fact that it does Apple Pay, serves as a form of communication (how many other smart watches will host phone calls?), and now you have much more than Android Galaxy/Tizen.

      • Moto360. LG R. Samsung’s hosts calls. The very first Android watch did and you could take pictures from it.

      • The fact you bring up something that other watches do already proves my point.

      • Fine. Forgive me for not knowing those other watches did those things. I guess they just never got enough press attention. How many of the other watches do all of them? Apple has never been first to the market, but it has brought compelling products that show all the other competitors what consumers want from their products. I’m sorry you don’t think that the Apple Watch is functionally different from everything else out there. But whatever man. And claiming that other things do things that other things do doesn’t prove a point. It proves that other things do other things.

    • 1sugomac - 9 years ago

      Depends what you mean by functionality.
      My uncle got an Android watch with lots of “functionality”.
      The only problem was actually using the “functionality” left him confused and frustrated.
      Apple will do something different in terms of experience.

  18. emucillo - 9 years ago

    Reblogged this on ponto.edu and commented:
    chegando a hora…

  19. Ricky Buchanan - 9 years ago

    This is fantastic! Very exciting to hear accessibility information like this – thank you.

  20. Amber H - 9 years ago

    I want! Probably won’t get. But I want! And yes, life needs an update, to, but unfortunately it’s happening too fast and is way too complicated for a few short words. So have this for now, and know that I’m still alive.

  21. Arian (@arianismmm) - 9 years ago

    Apple Watch iPhone ‘Companion’ app – Demo

    http://youtu.be/tGP3-1IzF14?list=UUr4nKAovr_MinGe8Zak_ugA

  22. taekiface - 9 years ago

    FINALLY! Confirmation of accessibility options – I know A LOT of people in this world who will be very pleased about this fact and will be standing in line for HOURS to get their hands on one at launch! #ReadyToChangeLivesForever

  23. miApples (@miApples) - 9 years ago

    .. EXCELLENT post!